Economics is one of the most taught subjects in undergraduate programs in different universities in Nepal. Studies of economics cover most aspect of our life as it helps us to understand human behavior and society.
Most importantly from individual perspectives, it helps us to understand the human decision-making process to use scarce resources efficiently.
Scarce resource means limited resources available among individuals to fulfill their unlimited demand. Similarly from the macro perspective, the study of economics helps us to understand the influence of our life by different economic phenomena like unemployment, inflation, exchange rate, poverty, economic growth and living standard.
Basically, economics helps us to understand the experience we go through in our daily life. For example, it may help us to understand the reason behind the recent petrol price hike, the impact of the decrease in remittance in Nepal’s economy, or the impact of COVID 19 pandemic on our daily life and national economy.
The student needs to understand the concept of economics principles and theories and apply it or visualize it in real life.
Teaching pedagogy of economics plays an important role to make a student understand the concept of economics in a more practical way.
For example, recently I provided the cases study of the price hike of petrol in Nepal I found in one of the national daily (newspapers) and asked the student to implement the concept of the theory of demand and supply to analyze the price hike phenomenon in Nepal connecting it to the ongoing Russia and Ukraine war.
Teaching pedagogy here means how the teacher delivers the content, structures the classroom, interacts with students and evaluates students for their better learning. In 1999, Watkins and Mortimore defined pedagogy as the conscious activity implemented by tutors to enhance learning in students.
In Nepal, the teaching method is the traditional type i.e. chalk and talk method. Teachers are either delivering content through PowerPoint or making the student take notes from the whiteboard.
There is occasional assignment and sometimes group presentation followed by internal examination and board examination.
These methods are mostly making students memorize content or developing the rot learning. The teaching methods of economics are no different.
With these kinds of teaching methods, it is very difficult for a student to understand basic principles and theories of economics.
Though students are passing the subject but unable to use the concept in real life. They know what is economics but do not know how to implement the concept in real life.
Teachers should make students relate theories of economics to a real-world problem which will create long-term learning for students.
For example, recent third-semester management students from various colleges who passed both microeconomics and macroeconomics said that they find it very difficult to explain the different jargon of economics and their use in real life.
When asked about remittance and its impact on the national economy of Nepal, most of them could define remittance but could not explain the impact of remittance on the Nepalese economy.
Most of them admitted that they passed both micro and macroeconomics by memorizing. They also admitted that their teachers mostly used to give notes and follow traditional teaching methods which make them very difficult and stressful while preparing for the exam as they have only the option of memorizing the content.
They also admitted that they follow guides and other comprehensive notes available in the market to prepare for the exam.
Similarly, most of the teachers teaching economics in those colleges admitted that they follow the traditional method or chalk and talk method of teaching economics in the class.
The objectives of most of those teachers were to finish the syllabus on time and provide enough notes and resources on economics to prepare students for the exam only.
Teachers need to understand different pedagogy of teaching economics the create better learning for students. Kapur (lecturer in Delhi University) in 2020 to transform knowledge to students tutors must use meaningful teaching-learning methods, good instructional strategies, and meaningful resources along with good assessment techniques. The statement of Kapur holds true for teaching economics as well.
This article is based on my personal experience of teaching economics in various undergraduate programs in different private colleges in Kathmandu.
When I started teaching economics back in 2017, I was also influenced by the traditional method of teaching. The pass rate was comparatively good.
But I realized students have passed economics by memorizing. Most of them could not relate principles and theories of economics in real life.
For example, when I asked some of my students who passed economics about choice or decision-making concepts in economics, almost nobody could answer it. This made me think about the teaching method I am using and the contribution I am making in the academic field.
So I started looking at different methods to teach economics which are beneficial for better understanding of students.
With my research in teaching pedagogy, I found out there are various methods of teaching economics that is beneficial for a student.
But since teachers in Nepal have very limited resources and time this article will be discussing only those ideas which are feasible in the Nepalese context.
First, I realized that the mode of teaching economics should not focus on memorizing instead it should focus on teaching methods of relating.
Teachers should make students relate theories of economics to a real-world problem which will create long-term learning for students.
For example, while teaching the concept of budget constraint (limited salary), I asked them to ask their parents about their income and how they spent it.
This will give them an idea about limited budget or budget constraints and the choice their parents made while spending their income which gives them maximum satisfaction.
Hence these are the most important teaching pedagogies I am implementing recently in my class which are feasible in the Nepalese context. Most importantly I assess and evaluate every student honestly and provide proper feedback for their learning.
Secondly, I found that case studies collected from different sources like newspapers, magazines, journals, government websites and others are also very useful methods of teaching economics.
This will make students visualize what is going on at a micro-level and macro level in the country and they can relate it to the theory they learn in the class.
For example, recently I provided the cases study of the price hike of petrol in Nepal I found in one of the national daily (newspapers) and asked the student to implement the concept of the theory of demand and supply to analyze the price hike phenomenon in Nepal connecting it to the ongoing Russia and Ukraine war.
In this way, they were clearer about the concept of demand and supply and how they are affected in real life. And most recently, I started using the reflection methods in teaching economics which I learned from my ongoing Mphil in Development Studies program at Kathmandu University.
After every lecture, I make students write their reflections in one or two paragraphs about the class without looking at anything about what they have understood from the class.
This will develop the confidence in the student to understand the concept of theories and principles and will create long-term learning.
Occasionally, I also make students work in a group on contemporary topics on economics thus developing the concept of cooperative learning and asking them to present their findings with real-life examples.
Hence these are the most important teaching pedagogies I am implementing recently in my class which are feasible in the Nepalese context. Most importantly I assess and evaluate every student honestly and provide proper feedback for their learning.
Economics is a very important subject that helps students understand the human decision-making process at the micro level and how their life is affected because of the ongoing economic phenomenon at the macro level. Teaching economics in traditional methods is not helping students understand the concept of economics and relate it to real life.
Therefore new methods of teaching should be implemented. Based on my teaching experience in economics and feasibility in the Nepalese context relating methods, case study methods, reflection writing methods, and cooperative learning methods could be some of the new teaching pedagogies that can be implemented in teaching economics in Nepal.
If these methods are implemented properly along with good and honest evaluation methods, students can have a better understanding of different principles and theories of economics and they can apply them in real life.
(Richan Shrestha, MPhil in Development Studies, Department of Education, Kathmandu University)
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