In Rortyan fashion, John and David (Siegfried and Colander 2022, 71-84) declare that the critical thinker will "try to learn from others rather than argue with others in order to dominate them." It amounts to saying that critical thinking is more a matter of character than of method, more a matter of ethics than of technique. John and…

This paper extends the theory of powerful knowledge to school economics by articulating the nature of powerful disciplinary knowledge in the subject. In order to develop a framework for conceptualizing powerful knowledge in economics, the literature that identifies powerful knowledge in other school subjects is first explored. Then, follows an…

The use of experiments in the undergraduate economics classroom has been shown to have pedagogical value in increasing student learning and engagement, but the startup costs of adopting classroom experiments can be high for instructors. This article serves as a guide to adoption for the first-time user of computerized (online) classroom…

During the pandemic, the economic way of thinking was extraordinarily useful, leading to a quick consensus among economists of widely differing political persuasions on many issues of pandemic policy. Yet speaking to politicians, bureaucrats, and the public revealed many ways in which the economic way of thinking was foreign and sometimes…

The literacy-targeted (LT) introductory economics course seeks to reduce the quantity of economic concepts under study and increase students' ability to apply those concepts to improve their own decisions and to make sense of economic news. The assessment strategy of the course must target students' ability to transfer their conceptual knowledge…

Whereas a growing number of studies evidence that research quality notions and evaluative practices are field- and context-specific, many focus on single evaluative practices or moments. This paper introduces the concept of "quality landscape" to capture dynamics of interrelated quality notions, evaluative moments and practices in a…

The authors of this article explain how two Veconlab class "experiments" can be used to clarify common points of confusion about the cost curves (sunk, marginal, and average). In each case, the experiment can be motivated, framed, or explained with environmental policy applications that are provided in the suggestions-for-discussion…

In 2017, China released its building list of First-class Universities and First-class Subjects (Double First classes), which should get great support for development for many years into the future. This paper examines the academic performance of eight universities that are currently listed as having First-class Subjects of economics, in…

Dominion of the scarcity principle as the basis for economic analysis is virtually absolute in teaching the introductory course in economics. This supremacy is neither valid nor desirable. Two compelling alternative foundational concepts for economics are "uncertainty" and "inequality." These alternatives lead to vastly…

The democratization of knowledge is liberating and has presented some new and difficult challenges. When everyone can position themselves as an expert, how do we create new frames of intellectual and pragmatic knowledge with integrity? How do we understand the histories of expert privilege and harm that have led us to this time of uncertainty? And…

Introductory undergraduate statistics courses widely focus on statistical concepts or software-based data analysis. Despite the fact that the analysis of real data has shown to enhance students' engagement, the step of data collection is often neglected. Once students know the challenges of data collection, they are more aware of potential…

This paper introduces a computer application, based on The Alphabet Game, designed to assist students of all disciplines understand the key academic concepts used in their respective fields, with specific application to economics and the study of national accounts. This approach offers a valuable contribution, in view of the difficulties often…

Trickle-down economics is a fallacious metaphor that hurts working people and the civic commons. In this paper, we discuss the role and impact metaphors have in economics education. We explore the stickiness of "truthy" but ultimately false metaphors and offer economics educators alternative metaphors to displace this problematic…

Background: Authentic situations are considered a source of learning due to their real world relevance. This can encourage learners to acquire new knowledge. Increasing digitisation and associated resources, such as professional development opportunities for teachers, technology tools, or digital equipment for schools enable the development and…

The authors of this article describe a unique approach to economics education in which contemplative deep listening practices were applied to Bruce Springsteen's music in order to introduce basic economic concepts to incoming university students. The course "Springsteen-omics: Economics through the Songs of Bruce Springsteen" shifted the…