Active Learningin the Economics Classroom

Tisha EmersonBaylor UniversityOctober 2011

Overview

•Why does our choice of pedagogy matter?•Some Active Learning Techniques

▫Classroom Experiments▫Cooperative Learning

•Assessment•Other active learning strategies

Why does our choice of pedagogy matter?

Why does our pedagogy matter?•Consider your experiences as

▫Students▫Teachers

Our pedagogy affects …

•Both Inductive and Deductive Reasoning•Material Retention•Significant Learning•Pluralism•Engagement

Inductive vs. Deductive Reasoning

(Kolb, 1984)

Lecture

Reading10%

Audiovisual20%

Demonstration

30%

Discussion

50%

Practice doing

75%

Teach others90%

5%

Material Retention

Significant Learning

(Fink, 2003)

How do Economists teach Economics?

•According to Watts and Becker (2008), in 2005 the median economics instructor▫always or almost always used traditional

lecturers (i.e. chalk-and-talk),▫frequently used instructor-student

discussion, but▫rarely used any other, in-class

pedagogical techniques.

Classroom Experiments

Classroom Experiments

•Classroom experiments place students in roles where they make economic decisions.

•Their choices generate data for later analysis and debriefing in the class.

•Through the interchange and subsequent debriefing, students uncover economic concepts for themselves.

Aplia Experiments …

Why use classroom experiments?•Evidence suggests that experiments lead to

higher student achievement and learning.▫ Gremmen & Potters (1997); Frank (1997)▫ Emerson & Taylor (2004, 2007)▫ Dickie (2006)▫ Ball et al. (2006)▫ Durham et al. (2007)

•Experiments increase student involvement and discussion.

•Experiments can foster a sense of community in the classroom.

•They are fun! Both students and instructors enjoy them.

Best Practices with Experiments• Experiments should be run prior to presentation of

concepts in class.• Instructions should be distributed ahead of time when

possible and then reviewed by the instructor prior to the start of the experiment.

• Motivation for students to participate in a rational manner can come in a variety of forms, but should be provided in some form.

• Active participation by all students (as opposed to a small group) promotes greater insight and results in more fun for all.

• The instructor is a facilitator and should not direct or suggest student behavior in any way.

• Debriefing and follow-up exercises are necessary to promote understanding.

Logistical Issues

•Hand-run or Computerized?•Class size constraints•Time constraints•How many experiments?•How to motivate students?•What data to collect and how to collect it?

Classroom Experiment Sources• Hand-run, face-to-face

▫Bergstrom and Miller’s Experiments with Economic Principles (Mc-Graw Hill)

▫ Journal of Economic Education▫Charlie Holt (

http://people.virginia.edu/~cah2k/papers.html)▫Games Economists Play (

http://www.marietta.edu/~delemeeg/games/)• Computerized and/or Online

▫Holt’s VeconLab (http://people.virginia.edu/~cah2k/programs.html)

▫Aplia (www.aplia.com)▫EconPort (www.econport.org)

Cooperative Learning

Cooperative Learning (CL)

•Cooperative learning is the use of small group work where students work together to maximize their own learning as well as that of their peers.

Why use Cooperative Learning?• Students who engage in cooperative

learning learn significantly more, rememberit longer, and develop better critical-thinking skills than their counterparts in traditional lecture classes.

• Students enjoy cooperative learning more than traditional lecture classes, so they are more likely to attend classes and finish the course.

• Students are going to go on to jobs that require teamwork. Cooperative learning helps students develop the skills necessary to work on projects too difficult and complex for any one person to do in a reasonable amount of time.

Key Elements for Successful CL - PIES

•Cooperative Learning Exercises should be structured to include:▫Positive interdependence▫Individual accountability▫Equal participation▫Simultaneous interaction

Important Steps in Developing and Implementing CL Exercises•Pre-instructional Planning•Introduce Activity to Students•Monitoring•Closure•Practical considerations

•Through careful development,cooperative learning exercises can avoid free riding problems.

Examples of CL Exercises

•Think-Pair-Share•Note-taking Pairs•Send-a-Problem•Larger scale projects

▫Example: International Trade ProjectIs there a relationship between trade and quality of life? If so, what?

•Help students understand the research process

•Develop students’ research skills (including hypothesis formation, data gathering and analysis)

• Improve students’ evaluative skills by examining trade theories in light of data

•Build students’ oral and written communication skills through reporting their research findings and working collectively on a project

Project Learning Goals

• Individual Data Collection and Analysis▫ Students collect and analyze the data for a specified set

of countries. They then write a short report summarizing the data and identifying trends and possible correlations.

• Individual Country Report▫ Each student writes a report on a country of their choice

– focusing on the trade participation of that country.• Cooperative Learning – Group Research

▫ Student groups develop a hypothesis regarding the relationship between the trade participation and quality of life in a set of countries.

• Group Reports (written & oral)▫ Each group presents their findings in written and oral

format.

The Project

Student Evaluation of the Project Mea

nMod

eI feel that I learned a lot from the project as a whole (data collection, country report, group report). 4.46 5I enjoyed working in a group. 4.15 4I would have preferred to have all of the parts of the project assigned as individual work (i.e. no group work). 1.92 1I would have preferred to create my own group rather than having groups assigned. 2.54 3I learned more working in a group than I would have alone. 4.00 4I would have preferred to have all of the parts of the project assigned as group work (i.e. no individual work). 2.23 2*Scale: (5) strongly agree, (3) neutral, (1) strongly disagree

Assessment

Grading Department & Discount Stores

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010Kohl's 80 80 79 80 79 81

Dollar General 78 75 79 80 J.C. Penney 78 78 77 78 79 80 Dillard's 76 75 76 75 78 78 Target 78 77 77 77 80 78 Macy's 74 71 75 74 71 76 Sears 73  73 72 72 74 75 Wal-Mart 72 72 68 70 71 73

Scores are on a 100-point scale.

Source: American Consumer Satisfaction Index, University of Michigan, http://www.theacsi.org/index.php

How do you grade a department/discount store?•Performance/Quality Indicators

▫Quality of products▫Quality/speed of service▫Price▫Availability of products▫Shopping experience

•Aggregating up: ranking importance of indicators

What are some similar challenges when grading a store and grading students?

•Small sample problem•Defining the characteristics over which

you will aggregate.

Summative Assessment

•Used to judge and grade student work for a level of mastery or achievement.

Formative Assessment•Provides continuous feedback to shape

learning and direct instruction.

Other Strategies

Other Active Learning Strategies

• Discussion (Discussing Economics, Salemi & Hansen)

• Cases• Personal Response Devices (“Clickers”)• Context Rich Problems

• For information on any of these strategies see Starting Point at http://serc.carleton.edu/econ/index.html

Thank you!

If I can ever be of assistance, please let me know:

Tisha_Nakao@Baylor.edu

254-710-4180