Would really really love to replace curricula by what you describe, kudos for proposing a reasonably simple yet consistent high-level plan that at least to my mostly uneducated eyes seems rather ideal!
Maybe unnecessary detail here but fwiw, in economics in the Core Civilizational Requirements,
an understanding of supply and demand, specialization and trade, and how capitalism works
I’d try to make sure to provoke them with enough not-so-standard market cases to allow them develop intuitions of where what intervention might be required/justified for which reasons (or from which points of view) and where not. I teach that subject, and deplore how our teaching tends to remain on the surface of things without opportunity to really sharpen students’ minds w.r.t. the slightly more intricate econ policy questions where too shallow a demand-supply thinking just isn’t much better than no econ at all.
I like your approach! The only caveat I have is that the students taking these requirements could be anywhere from 9-17ish, so they won’t necessarily be able to investigate the tools and concepts in depth the way they might in a college course.
On the other hand, I have the impression often the limits to what the students can learn (in economics) come more from us teaching in absurdly simplified cases too remote from reality and from what’s plausible so that the entire thing we teach remains a purely abstract empty analytical beast. While I only guess even young ones are capable of understanding the more subtle mechanisms—in their few individual steps often not really complicated! - if only we taught them with enough empathy for the students & for the reality we’re trying to model.
As you write, with as little math as absolutely necessary.
Would really really love to replace curricula by what you describe, kudos for proposing a reasonably simple yet consistent high-level plan that at least to my mostly uneducated eyes seems rather ideal!
Maybe unnecessary detail here but fwiw, in economics in the Core Civilizational Requirements,
I’d try to make sure to provoke them with enough not-so-standard market cases to allow them develop intuitions of where what intervention might be required/justified for which reasons (or from which points of view) and where not. I teach that subject, and deplore how our teaching tends to remain on the surface of things without opportunity to really sharpen students’ minds w.r.t. the slightly more intricate econ policy questions where too shallow a demand-supply thinking just isn’t much better than no econ at all.
I like your approach! The only caveat I have is that the students taking these requirements could be anywhere from 9-17ish, so they won’t necessarily be able to investigate the tools and concepts in depth the way they might in a college course.
I see there might be limits to what is possible.
On the other hand, I have the impression often the limits to what the students can learn (in economics) come more from us teaching in absurdly simplified cases too remote from reality and from what’s plausible so that the entire thing we teach remains a purely abstract empty analytical beast. While I only guess even young ones are capable of understanding the more subtle mechanisms—in their few individual steps often not really complicated! - if only we taught them with enough empathy for the students & for the reality we’re trying to model.
As you write, with as little math as absolutely necessary.