Педагогические науки /5. Современные методы преподавания

PhD, Marekha I.S.

Sumy State University, Ukraine

New approaches to teaching economics for non-economists

Economics is a science that deals with the human needs, resources and, of course, money. When a child is born, his parents don’t know precisely what their offspring will be in a couple of tens of years. But one is known exactly – their son or a daughter will be a consumer for the life term. It means that a person is involved into economic relations forever regardless its origin, family ties or occupation. Being a prudent consumer requires good economic knowledge. In a word, one should care economics and its fundamental laws.

Some argue that teaching economics to students who are not necessarily majoring in economics can be associated with a number of challenges [1]. Students may be very different in terms of their academic and skills backgrounds. A cohort may include students who are interested in, and knowledgeable about, economics along with others who are less interested and are taking the module because it is compulsory. Students rarely carry forward any knowledge they have picked up – they do the modules, pass it (eventually) and forget it. 

Very often non-economists, especially those students who are taking their degree in Medicine, Sports, Engineering do not understand the crucial importance of economics and do not reveal any interest in studying it. This problem arises because of at least two reasons. First, the teachers introduce economics like highly theoretical science and students don’t see any reference to their everyday life and future profession. Second, the lecturers restrict the scope of economics by the books disposable at the school library and don’t explain the variety of ways the modern economics can be understood in (behavioral economics, health economics, economics of sports, happinomics, etc.). While eliminating the second mistake requires special attention to the modern branches of economics and appropriate up-to-date literature, dealing with the first problem is just an answer to the question of inspiration.

The best way to inspire non-economist students to learn economics is to engage them into game activities. Game is accepted by the students like some kind of rest and entertainment and, therefore, can be used in educational purposes. Economic games simplify the understanding of how economic machine works and how people make economic decisions. One of the newest types of classroom activities is using television analogies, e.g. Humor Club telecast. We propose to implement this approach into economic environment resulting in Economic Humor Club gaming. This game is based on adversarial, or competitive, basis. Such competition fulfills the following functions:

1. Stimulates intensively cognitive process.

2. Develops the incentives for thinking, imagination, reflection, self-regulation.

3. Transfers the knowledge, skills and abilities into practical plain.

4. Cultivates independence, will, ability to cooperate.

5. Encourages collectivity, skills to communicate, personal position.

Adversarial approach stipulates involving students into exciting, entertaining activities affecting substantially their abilities to memorize, understand and reproduce gained competences and experience through gaming. Competition in the educational process ensures emotionally favorable environment for reproducing the acquired knowledge. Moreover, it facilitates mastering difficult course concepts, creates good mood, encourages students for intensive working, removes fatigue and exhausting. All in all, the adversarial approach creates exciting environment which is needed for a bright inspiration of the students. Adversarial games may lay a foundation for the educational process. Positive effects from it are achieved through improvisation, revealing free creative capacities of the students, and combination of gaming and succeeding. In pedagogical context, gaming based competition helps students to overcome uncertainty and believe in themselves. An important factor of inspiration is to place students into the situation of probable success. If the student wins, he will probably continue the studying. For some students, the possibility to cooperate with a team is a half of personal success.

The starting point of Economic Humor Club gaming is to divide students into several teams. Gaming includes the following stages.

1. “Greetings”. The captains of each team introduce themselves using their names and slogans. Humor is encouraged. Maximum score is 5 points.

2. “The right order”. Each team must arrange ancient Ukrainian money in the right order. Maximum score is 3 points.

3. “Questions and answers”. Each team asks tricky economic questions to an opponent team. Humor is encouraged. Maximum score is 5 points.

4. “Proverbs about money”. The team that doesn’t mention a proverb is out of the game. The winners are given 5 points.

5. “Business poetry”. Each team must write a poem using economic terms (price, income, demand, etc). Humor is encouraged. Maximum score is 5 points.

6. “Captain contest”. The captains are asked question dealing with economic matters. Maximum score is 5 points.

7. “Three funny economic quizzes”. Each quiz is appreciated with 3 points.

8. “Home task”. Each team is asked a question “How to earn money to buy a flat up to 30 years old?” Maximum score is 5 points.

9. “Economic mysteries”. Each team must explain economic paradoxes. Humor is encouraged. Maximum score is 5 points.

As experience shows, non-economist students are involved into this gaming with high interest. Combining humor and serious economic reality allows students to learn economics in an exciting way. Such approach fosters to gain more permanent economic knowledge by students. What is the most important is that the acquired economic knowledge is gradually turned into economic views and convictions what is the main target of teaching economics.

References:

1. Elliott C. Teaching economics to non economics majors / C. Elliott, J. Sloman [Електронний ресурс]. – Режим доступу : https://www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk/themes/nonspecialists.