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.
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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.
Episode 7: Making International Trade Interesting
In this episode, Jason chats with George Jia, professor at University of PEI on his hook when teaching International Trade, the learning outcomes he aims to achieve and his strategy for teaching remotely and asynchronously.
Episode 8
In this episode, Jason chats with Barb Bloemhof, instructor at University of Waterloo on the unique way she introduces the topic of consumer behaviour, why confidence— and not learning economics— is her primary learning objective and how incorporating skills development into her course makes students valuable beyond the classroom.
Episode 9: Knowing your Audience when teaching Monopoly
In this episode, Jason chats with Patrick deLamirande from Cape Breton University on how he teaches monopoly to business students vs. economics students, what he thinks the role economists should play in society, and the tips and tricks he uses beyond the textbook to communicate big ideas to his students.
Episode 10: Calculating GDP in the real world
In this episode, Jason chats with Roger Sceviour, a national account consultant for various international statistical organizations on the importance and challenges of his role, and what Intro courses get right (and wrong!) about national income accounts.
Episode 11: Teaching Fiscal Policy
In this episode, Jason chats with Alison Coffin on how she introduces the topic of fiscal policy, how she tackles the gap between the definition of fiscal policy and actual provincial level spending and why she chooses to focus more on spending over taxation.
Episode 12: Special Episode - What Economics and Biology Have in Common
In this episode, Jason chats with Mark Brigham, a Biology professor at the University of Regina on the overlap between Economics and Biology as disciplines, historically and currently. They discuss how an Intro Econ class can be useful to a Biology student and the value Econ majors could receive from taking Intro Bio.
Episode 13: Special Episode - Working at the Atlantic Economic Council
In this episode, Jason chats with David Chaundy, President and CEO of the Atlantic Economic Council on his journey into economics, the mission of the Council and the 3 key thinks he looks for when hiring recent Econ grads.
Episode 14: The Literacy Targeted Approach- A New Approach to Teaching Introductory Economics
In this episode, Jason chats with Avi Cohen, Professor at University of Toronto and York University, on the Literacy Targeted Approach — what it is, how it's driven by statistical data, and how it informs his course planning. He also discusses the importance of storytelling and backwards design in teaching and learning.
