Teach Economics

How do you teach economics to hundreds, or even thousands, of college students? Eric Kam, a professor at Toronto Metropolitan University known for teaching very large classes, says the answer lies in what he refers to as "edutainment." From cordless mics and aisle-walking to spontaneous storytelling and a crowd‑winning verse of "Rapper's Delight," Kam treats each class more like a performance than a lecture. Speaking with St. Louis Fed Economic Education Officer Scott Wolla, Kam discusses the logistics of managing economics classes with hundreds of students and how, when professors show their humanity, it can build "humanity at scale."

As a young reporter, Peter Coy jumped at an unexpected opening on the economics beat. He got the job and launched a long career explaining complicated economic trends as a writer for The Associated Press, Businessweek and now The New York Times, where he is a freelance contributor. In this episode, Coy joins St. Louis Fed Economic Education Officer Scott Wolla to discuss how good storytelling is a teaching tool that can make complex ideas accessible for students and the public alike.

Journalist and podcaster Stacey Vanek Smith shares how a love of storytelling and curiosity about the world led her to a career translating economic trends into engaging narratives. From public radio to Bloomberg Businessweek, she has built a reputation for making complex ideas accessible. In a conversation with St. Louis Fed Economic Education Officer Scott Wolla, Vanek Smith explains how connecting economics to everyday experiences can help students grasp difficult concepts.

Harvard University economist John Y. Campbell and Imperial College London economist Tarun Ramadorai were both drawn to the field's blend of history, human behavior and analytical rigor. Together, they wrote the book Fixed, in which they make the case that economic education is a key part of helping consumers navigate a diverse landscape of financial products. Speaking with St. Louis Fed Economic Education Officer Scott Wolla, Campbell and Ramadorai also discuss practical ways teachers can help students better understand markets, incentives and consumer choices.

When designing an economics class, sometimes the best approach is to start in reverse. In this episode, University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor Sam Allgood discusses the power of "backward design." It's a technique that encourages educators to first think about what they want students to master by the end of a course before developing individual lesson plans. Allgood also discusses with St. Louis Fed Economic Education Officer Scott Wolla the value of having a growth mindset in the classroom and how AI can be used to create individualized learning content.