Economic Education in the Curriculum.

Overview & Synopsis

Economic education can help elementary and secondary school students understand the dynamics of the American free enterprise system and the relationships among consumer, producer, and government. The economic education curriculum will help students most if it is structured as an upward spiral in which basic economic concepts are built upon and expanded at each grade level. Elements of modern learning theories which are particularly applicable to the economic education curriculum include reinforcement, meaningful internal structure of content, an interdisciplinary approach, and a high degree of student participation. The content of economic education should include basic economic concepts such as needs, resources, consumption, distribution, demand, supply, money, and banking; the relationship of economics and society; consumer education; and personal economic management. A resource unit is a particularly effective method of teaching economic education because it can integrate basic economic concepts with learning activities and objectives that are appropriate for each grade level. Teacher education and in-service workshops will be more helpful to teachers if they include practical as well as theoretical economic content. The conclusion is that educators should accept the responsibility of helping students become informed on economic issues. (DB)