For every course I teach, I have two teaching goals. They are connected, and by reaching these goals, students can use the economics concepts and tools they learn to analyze what happens in the real world and also know how to think logically and critically.
Understand the concepts and ideas in the course and know their application
Each course in economics brings new concepts and ideas to students. My primary goal is to make sure that students can understand those concepts and ideas after taking my course. By taking my courses, I want my students to master the central facts, key terms, and important theories in economics. They also need to learn to use the tools they know to solve specific problems and issues. I keep this goal in mind when I design assignments, quizzes, exams, and other learning activities. As I mentioned in the statement about teaching competency, feedback is important to achieve this goal. All the learning and assessment activities are based on this goal. It also connects to my second goal because students must understand basic concepts and ideas to think critically.
Get the ability of critical thinking
The world is complex. Economic theories are powerful, but they can only provide us with some, not all, perspectives on understanding and analyzing the world. There is no perfect economic theory or ideal economic policy. I hope my students understand the limitations of economic theories because only in this way can they know when and where to use them and how to use them correctly. To do this, I try to show the complete picture of economic theories by connecting the theories to real-world examples. In the end, critical thinking can deepen students’ understanding of the concepts and ideas in the course, which can also help them to develop an openness to new ideas. Not all my students will be professional economists. However, critical thinking and openness to new ideas can accelerate their success regardless of their career choices and make them better citizens.