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Principles of Economics: Economics and the Economy, 2nd Edition
Principles of Economics Economics and the Economy 2nd Edition Author:Timothy Taylor From preface: The pedagogical approach of this textbook is rooted in helping students master the tools that they need to solve problems for a course in introductory economics. Indeed, one of the great pleasures of writing the book is having die opportunity to open up and to share my teaching tool¬kit of step-by-step explanations, practical examp... more »les, and metaphors that stick in the mind. On quizzes and exams, I do not ask broad or open-ended questions about informed citizenship and thinking like an economist. At the most basic level, my goal for an economics class is that students should feel well-prepared for quizzes and exams.
The preparation that students need to perform well in an introductory economics class can be divided into three parts. First, an introductory economics class involves mastering a specialized vocabulary
Second, students need to acquire some basic analytical tools. There arc four central analytical models in an introductory economics course: budget constraints, supply and demand, cost curves, and aggregate demand/aggregate supply.
Third, students must learn to recognize when these terms and tools apply and to practice using them. I often tell students not to bother memorizing particular questions and answers from the textbook or homework, because my quiz and exam questions will ask them to apply what they have learned in contexts they have not seen before. To provide a variety of contexts, this book describes many economic issues and events, drawn from recent times and past history, and also drawn both from U.S. and international experiences. When students see a concept or analytical skill applied in a number of ways, they learn to focus on the underlying and unifying idea. I've also found that students do take away knowledge of many economic events and episodes - although different students seem to focus on an unpredictable (to me) array of examples, which is perhaps as it should be in an introductory course....« less