Talking about Teaching Economics
A dynamic podcast featuring Economics educators and professionals, exploring the intricacies and themes of teaching the subject in a way that keeps students engaged
This educational podcast provides professors with relevant discussion and teaching strategies from fellow educators, economists, and special guests across Canada. Join host Jason Childs – professor at the University of Regina and co-author of Hubbard Micro and Macro-economics – as he explores various perspectives and exciting approaches to teaching First Year Economics.
Discover new episodes and catch up on previous content below to listen to inspiring educators and experts in the field.
Guest Interest Form
Are you (or someone you know) interested in being featured on the podcast? Please fill out the form below and a member of our team will contact you shortly!
Episodes from this Podcast
Episode 1: Teaching The First Chapter of ANY Economics Textbook
In this episode, Jason chats with Alison Coffin – Economics instructor at Memorial University in Newfoundland with rich experience across government, industry, and higher education – on what to get right about teaching the first few chapters of an Economics text. Hear her thoughts on the foundational knowledge every student should have, her creative classroom incentives and the big change she would like to see in Chapter 1 of Intro Econ texts.
Episode 2: Making the Ricardian Model Memorable
In this episode, Jason chats with Eric Kam — professor and Director of the International Economics and Finance Undergraduate Program at Toronto Metropolitan University— on his tried-and-tested ‘tricks’ for teaching the Ricardian model of Trade in large classes, handling math phobia and the one advice he would give to new faculty.
Episode 3: Teaching Supply and Demand
In this episode, Jason chats with John Palmer, Professor Emeritus from Western University and Adjunct professor at University of Regina, on using real-world illustrations to teach concepts like opportunity cost, scarcity, demand and supply, using assessment to translate it beyond the classroom and how technology can help.
Episode 4: Using Relevant Examples to teach Price Controls
In this episode, Jason chats with James Sawler from Mount Saint Vincent University on how he teaches price controls. Hear what practical examples he uses, where students typically get stuck and which principle of learning he applies in his teaching.
Episode 5: Teaching Elasticity
In this episode, Jason brings back Eric Kam, professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, to chat about teaching elasticity. Hear what he thinks makes teaching elasticity difficult, how he keeps his students motivated, and the key takeaway students should have after the topic is covered.
Episode 6: Teaching Labour Market and Unemployment
In this episode, Jason chats with Trevor Tombe, professor at the University of Calgary, on the ultimate learning objective in teaching about the labour force, navigating assessments in large classes, and the mixed media teaching tool he uses often to connect classroom concepts to the real world.
