A Lesson or Two on Teaching Microeconomics
With the quality of teaching in economics often so poor, it is good to see discussions of teaching methods that work. Robert Frank’s writing assignments force his students to explain a real-world story with economics, without hiding behind graphs and terminology. The ability he is developing in his students, to apply concepts to real-world situations and to explain them in a clear manner, goes hand-in-hand with real understanding.
At least, that’s what I’ve encountered in my own experience. I personally still remember an engineering teacher I had in high school, who would demand that I explain what I was doing, “like I was talking to a big dummy”. This helped me, just as writing in this weblog helps me– from Mr. Frank’s article:
“Daniel Boorstin, the former librarian of Congress, used to rise at 5 each morning and write for two hours before going into the office. “I write to discover what I think,” he explained. “After all, the bars aren’t open that early.” Mr. Boorstin’s morning sessions were even more valuable than he realized. Writing not only clarifies what you already know; it is also an astonishingly effective way to learn something new.”
That’s my number-one reason for writing here.
Other good techniques that also utilize the storytelling principle are out there as well. An ideal classroom exercise in resource allocation is Lynne Kiesling’s “Paper River” experiment. And I, like Paul Krugman, will never forget the Baby-Sitting Co-op lesson in monetary policy– a must-read for anyone who sees this and doesn’t know exactly what I’m talking about.
Hat tip on the Robert Frank piece goes to Marginal Revolution.