Giving Economics a go
If the truth be told, Economics is not one of those areas of learning that many of us have given much thought to, but articles in this month’s ITM suggest this is an area that all teachers should think more about.
Whether or not you agree with her, Kate Raworth’s 2017 book Doughnut Economics with its focus on the environment and social equity is thought provoking. If sustainability is anywhere on your curriculum, this book should be on your reading list and in this month’s ITM, Carolina Escobar-Tello writes about Doughnut resources to get you started whether you are a primary or secondary teacher.
And then there’s the article by veteran teacher and NGO worker, Joe Human, who looks back at his experience of the Ethiopian famine in 1984 and 1985 – the tragedy that led to Band Aid and the Live Aid concert. Joe’s piece is not only moving, it helps us understand what was going on by referencing the work of economist Amartya Sen, Poverty and Famines. At the sharp end as a relief worker with Oxfam, Joe could not believe what he was seeing. As he implies, if economists can help us understand what’s going on, we should be paying more attention.
It’s not often we have father and son writers with articles in the same edition! Richard Human strikes a festive note by recalling how, when he was teaching in the Netherlands in December 2013, and Sinterklaas was on his rounds, his Year 4 team decided to suspend the UK Key Stage 2 history curriculum, abandoning the Tudors, to ensure the kids knew something about Nelson Mandela and what was about to happen in South Africa. It was a decision that led to some memorable lessons, and should encourage us to do that kind of thing more often!
Finally, it is hard to believe that ITM has been published for nearly ten years now. We would like to thank all our readers and writers for your generous and kind support! Wishing everyone happy holidays, have a great break and see you in the New Year!
From Andy Homden and the team at Consilium Education.
FEATURE IMAGE: Getty Images For Unsplash+
