Just in Time Teaching with a Large Wiki
A few weeks ago I mentioned my idea for a very different approach to teaching ECON 304, my intermediate macro course. This is the first week of classes, so I guess I better figure out how this is going...
View ArticleBe Careful What You Ask For
The dynamics of my macroeconomics course are quite different than in past years. I’ve alluded to this in previous posts. For one thing, I’m reading the text just slightly ahead of the students. I’m...
View ArticleA Purer Version of Just-in-Time Teaching
Yesterday I set my alarm a little early to have enough time first thing in the morning to collect and sort the questions for Chapter 6. This was the first chapter that was beyond introductory material,...
View ArticleChicken Little?
This post originated in a series of conversations I had over the holiday with my in-laws who were children of the Great Depression. But it’s also something I’ve thought about for a long time. The...
View ArticleNew Frontier in Economics
One of the new frontiers in economics is Behavioral Economics, for which Daniel Kahneman and Vernon Smith won the Nobel Prize in 2002. Here’s a thoughtful and funny video which describes behavioral...
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Is Economics Like Physics?
This is the question that a group of my colleagues, led by Mark Maier of Glenwood Community College (in California) and Scott Simpkins of North Carolina A&T University, have been exploring for the...
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Insights on Fanny & Freddie
This post interests me on several levels: the connected nature of media today; contemporary economic issues, specifically the difficulties being faced by Fanny Mae & Freddie Mac due to the mortgage...
View ArticleLearning as Work vs. Play
A curious thing happened last Friday in my intro class. We have been studying the theory of the Firm and one of the themes I emphasis (which gets short shrift in the textbooks) is that successful firms...
View ArticleTeaching as Modeling Disciplinary Practice
Over the Christmas holidays last winter, as I began to plan for my Spring courses, it struck me that it was a truly fascinating time to study macroeconomics and finance. Yes, I realize this is much...
View ArticleDoes poor nutrition cause the swine flu? (No)
I’m writing in response to Laura’s post here on a piece by Thomas Friedman. Friedman’s piece reminds me of why I could never be a regular, on-a-schedule, blogger. Because if I don’t have anything to...
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