Teaching Goals & Methods
Economics describes how the world around us works. Hence, as a university educator of economics, my primary objective is to make students aware of how the world around us works and what role we all play in the same. I try to achieve this objective by generating subject interest, encouraging critical thinking, and creating a classroom environment where conflicting ideas are exchanged and appreciated.
To generate subject interest, I use interactive lectures in a classroom setting. This allows students to observe, think, analyze, and retain the course content. I use in-class exercises to generate interactions with students. In these in-class exercises, when students are asked to answer a problem, the students must also explain the problem, identify the economic concept that needs to be used to answer the problem, and explain why they think their solution to the problem is correct. This allows students to understand the complete picture and makes the course content more appealing. I also resort to interactive discussions with students on study materials during lectures in class to generate subject interest. Having these discussions rewarded with bonus points generates incentives for students to participate. Participation enhances understanding of the subject and generates inquiry in the questions relating to the workings of society.
To promote critical thinking among students and create an environment of exchange of conflicting ideas, I ask students to identify "why" and "how" a certain economic concept is true and valid. The economics discipline revolves around various theories that explain different aspects of our day-to-day life. It is beneficial for the students to understand and explain why things are the way we see them. I ask students to think and explain why certain facts are true as we see them, through assignments, and this is aimed at generating critical thinking among students. Critical thinking generates deep learning since the students try to dive deeper into the material to explain the facts, this also promotes active learning. When students ask questions as to “how” and “why” a certain thing works in society, the best way to answer I believe is to ask them to solve a problem on the same question. When students work on problems themselves using help from worked examples, they retain the knowledge for the long term and they indulge in understanding the possible reasons and solutions to a certain economic phenomenon. To generate this critical thinking ability I use examples from around the world to create questions where students identify the problem and solve the same. I use case analyses of real-world examples and hypothetical scenarios to explain a problem and allow students to study the problem and find a solution or explanation to the same.
To fully understand how the economy works, students need to understand what is the current state of the economy. To this end, I use policy scenarios to generate discussion in an informative and argumentative manner. I use debate forums to make students "think like an economist" and have students conduct economic research consistent with the level of the course.
Some examples of case analysis and debate topics:
To generate subject interest, I use interactive lectures in a classroom setting. This allows students to observe, think, analyze, and retain the course content. I use in-class exercises to generate interactions with students. In these in-class exercises, when students are asked to answer a problem, the students must also explain the problem, identify the economic concept that needs to be used to answer the problem, and explain why they think their solution to the problem is correct. This allows students to understand the complete picture and makes the course content more appealing. I also resort to interactive discussions with students on study materials during lectures in class to generate subject interest. Having these discussions rewarded with bonus points generates incentives for students to participate. Participation enhances understanding of the subject and generates inquiry in the questions relating to the workings of society.
To promote critical thinking among students and create an environment of exchange of conflicting ideas, I ask students to identify "why" and "how" a certain economic concept is true and valid. The economics discipline revolves around various theories that explain different aspects of our day-to-day life. It is beneficial for the students to understand and explain why things are the way we see them. I ask students to think and explain why certain facts are true as we see them, through assignments, and this is aimed at generating critical thinking among students. Critical thinking generates deep learning since the students try to dive deeper into the material to explain the facts, this also promotes active learning. When students ask questions as to “how” and “why” a certain thing works in society, the best way to answer I believe is to ask them to solve a problem on the same question. When students work on problems themselves using help from worked examples, they retain the knowledge for the long term and they indulge in understanding the possible reasons and solutions to a certain economic phenomenon. To generate this critical thinking ability I use examples from around the world to create questions where students identify the problem and solve the same. I use case analyses of real-world examples and hypothetical scenarios to explain a problem and allow students to study the problem and find a solution or explanation to the same.
To fully understand how the economy works, students need to understand what is the current state of the economy. To this end, I use policy scenarios to generate discussion in an informative and argumentative manner. I use debate forums to make students "think like an economist" and have students conduct economic research consistent with the level of the course.
Some examples of case analysis and debate topics: