The University of Chicago’s Economics for Everyone (E4E) initiative emphasizes understanding key economic concepts over cost curves and calculations. Central to our approach is the concept of optimization and marginal thinking. These foundational principles provide deeper insights into human behavior in everyday economic activities. Participants will also explore our library of additional resources available on the UChicago E4E Educator Hub. Our resources provide thoughtful and challenging support for all levels of economics. Our lesson plans and videos span a wide range of topics from introductory principles to behavioral economics and beyond. Participants will leave with: 1. An economic lens to help students interpret economic actions of individuals, businesses and governments. 2. New ideas on economic topics to explore with your students beyond consumers, producers and markets. 3. Information on how economists use research to improve outcomes for schools, charities and other organizations.
Teachers will be able to:
- Introduce the Economics for Everyone approach and review our available resources.
- Introduce the fundamental role Optimization plays in influencing individual choices due to scarce resources.
- Discuss the process of thinking on the margin and how its driven by individuals’ efforts to optimize.
