Economics education in school

Tories were always suspicious of that and I think it was Thatcher who stopped it in schools

Yup. This should surely be taught and not as some sort of peripheral subject but essential to the curriculum.

I agree Luckygirl and I also think critical thinking should be taught.

Perhaps we could have a citizenship as a proper full-blown subject encompassing these things.

I did economics at A Level 35 years ago.

Even then, it was split into 2 camps. Cant remember thenames of the 2 economists who were at opposite ends of the spectrum.

Economics has somewhat got swallowed up by politics.

We can be as litereate with it as we like, but as you say, it wouldnt really help, if even at degree level, it is all too complicated.

I was about to start a thread about people calling Brexiters thick.

You have rather illustrated my point, that even learning economics at degree level, is too little for people to understand the EU situation.

That was 35 years ago obieone! Modern teaching has moved on -obviously not far enough for some. Critical thinking is also vital to teach so that people,even the thick, can discern the crap from the actual facts.

But the same thing still applies. 2 camps of opposing economic theory and ideas and ideals. It is even worse now, isn't it.

It does not need to be two camps - what it needs is for children to learn the basics - terminology etc. Which "camp" they then choose would at least make sense to them.

The basics would have been no help to the decision in my opinion. You have said yourself, that even your degree part wasn't enough.

Economics is far more complicated than 2 camps.

Well - it was just a thought!

I am not sure that it matters whether people are "thick" or not - if we mean lacking in intelligence - there is a spectrum of intelligence but too much store has been set by it to my mind.

What I have seen, however, is that people have not bothered to acquire knowledge and that they haven't applied critical thinking to the information they have received.

There is a lot of pushing back in education these days so that children come to subjects a lot earlier than they once did. If they are going to leave school at GCSE level then that is essential or they never come across these things. Hopefully more and more are going into further and higher education but that will not suit everyone.

(It was a good thought Luckygirl and I agree)

One thing I wish they'd bring back (if they haven't already though I doubt it) is précis writing. You see so much waffle- and jargon-ridden English where the essential meaning isn't clear, and sometimes you can doubt whether the writer was 100% clear, either. I have to say I think some writers of officialise can't write anything much without a load of jargon/cliches - 'addressing the issues' is one such ubiquitous cliche.

While at uni my dd1 had a lecturer who made them write a particular essay in not more than 500 words (IIRC though it might have been even fewer). The point of the exercise was to cut waffle and padding and make every single word count towards the argument.
A very valuable exercise IMO.

Of course I should have deleted 'single' in my penultimate sentence. ?

That would be a good idea Witzend

As for Economics in school ,who is going to teach it? We know of at least 3 secondary schools in our area who have so far been unable to recruit someone to teach the subject for the next school year and one of those schools prides it self on all subjects being taught by specialists.

Our DS did economics at school and went on to do his degree in it.All secondary schools should offer the subject, three schools in your area Greenfinch that's bad isn't it? A shortage of economics teachers.

There is a shortage of maths teachers too.

There is a shortage of Religious Studies teachers here too partly due to the downgrading of the subject in the proposed English Baccalaureate (not sure of spelling !).

Our DS1 did an Economics degree too rosesareread but teaching never entered his head

Don't think it entered our DS's head either.

Economics is for everyone!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdbbcO35arw

Iwas just going to put that link on, daphne, but you beat me to it.

www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2016/07/15/rsa-animate-economics-is-for-everyone/

The comments about it are interesting on this link.
Ihave a feeling this was thought of as silly on another thread; perhaps not so silly here.

Ten theories now.

I rather think your YouTube video is an example of things to come DD - master classes fed online. My daughter's college has been looking for an Economics teacher for 18 months.

Probably because Economics has gone political?