Explores the relationship between current events instruction and economics education and explains how teachers can stress the relationship between these two areas of study and increase students' interest in and understanding of both areas. Suggests how to use a current events game ("The Interwoven Web") to provide important learning experiences…

Explains how cognitive and affective objectives can be incorporated into economic education by means of an approach known as confluent education--defined as the integration of thinking and feeling to produce more holistic behavior. Learning activities utilizing this approach are suggested. (Author/DB)

Suggestions are offered to distributive education teachers on how to effectively teach economic principles and concepts at the secondary and postsecondary levels. Suggestions are discussed in relation to three major challenges faced by the teacher: Developing appropriate instructional goals or objectives, organizing the subject matter content, and…

Presents activities, materials, and instructions for three classroom games developed in University of Illinois nutrition education workshops on new ways to teach nutrition: Vit-A-Vend, Nutrition Basketball, and Nutrition Baseball. (MF)

Describes an economics game for adult education designed to simulate the real world by setting up national economic policymaking in which participants can exercise their own judgment. Assesses some of the conclusions to be derived from the use of such a game. (MF)

Asserts that issues of economic literacy have typically focused on the content of individual courses, teaching approaches, and the curriculum for the economics major. Describes a program offering an economics minor including curriculum requirement, student recruitment and retention, and the costs and benefits to the institution. (CFR)

Reports on a study of faculty perceptions of critical thinking instruction in 6 disciplines in 39 higher education institutions. Finds that graduate programs in economics teach a different form of problem solving. Recommends that critical thinking skills be given priority in academic programs. (CFR)

Examines some widely used introductory economics textbooks. Documents how much international coverage they contain. Seeks any emerging patterns of integration among the texts. Concludes that visible efforts are being made to enhance the coverage of international issues in texts. Suggests that many authors do not live up to claims that…

Reviews research suggesting poor economic understanding among elementary school students. Presents findings of a study of the economic comprehension of 248 elementary education majors. Reveals that those students share the younger children's unfamiliarity with economics. Argues that improving teachers' economics training will enhance the economic…

Addresses effects of monopoly and competition on societal welfare. Discusses inadequacy of economics textbooks. Concludes that most texts fail to explain the shape of monopolists' underlying cost curves. Argues that the monopolist's long run marginal cost curve cannot be obtained by horizontal summation of the long run marginal cost curves of…

Reports on a study of the impact of student evaluations of higher education economics instructors on faculty behavior and grades. Finds that initially grades increased but then declined over a nine-year period. Recommends further research on this issue. (CFR)

Reports on a study of 43 Italian fifth-graders about their understanding of the functions of banks and the role of monetary interest in banking before and after a lesson on banking. Finds that most children could speak correctly about both deposit and loan interest and their relative amounts after the lesson. (CFR)

Discusses the concept of "Giffen goods" as it applies to price theory in economics instruction. Provides a graphic presentation and analysis of Giffen goods and behavior. Includes examples of Giffen behavior that can be used to illustrate the concept. (CFR)

Discusses whether or not the economic concept of the long run is no longer feasible because of computer-assisted manufacturing and other technological advances. Concludes that the terms "long run" and "short run" still serve as logical constructs in formal economic analysis. (CFR)

Describes the development of a computer tutorial for use in a history of economic ideas class. Discusses choosing topics intended to attract and hold student attention and writing the tutorial text. Recounts steps taken in obtaining student reactions to the tutorial and subsequent adjustments. (SG)