Bellerbys Economics - Mr Stephenson

Thursday, April 03, 2008

Children's Economics University

The Warsaw School of Economics, much more progressive than the LSE in the UK and rapidly developing a world-class reputation, has recently launched a Children's Economics University. It is aimed at gifted children in the 11-13 age range. They attend six lectures a term on a Saturday morning each term. The lectures are fun-filled with role-playing, economics games, quizzes and so on. The best student at the end of the course wins a laptop.

What a great idea for the United Nations group at Bellerbys to adopt. With so many gifted economists in the group, the students could run the lectures themselves and the 'Bellerbys School of Economics' could be open to local state school children who show potential in this area.

Let me know what you think!

1 Comments:

  • You write 'the students could run the lectures themselves'. Many students are put off by the idea of 'running lectures' so you may be interested to read the following....

    In 2006 a student at Bellerbys Oxford, left and went elsewhere to do her A levels. These she passed in June 2007. None of them were Business Studies or Economics. In fact she has never studied either subject.

    In March 2008 the student approached a college in Oxford (a close competitor to Bellerbys, recognised by the British Council etc) and offered to teach....Economics. She told the college the truth i.e. that she was in her first year at University studying...Politics.

    Surprisingly the college accepted this 19 year old Russian student (with no work permit, no NI number and no tax code) to teach a subject she had never studied.

    The student went to Economics sites such as tutor2u etc and copied notes. She went to exam sites such as AQA and downloaded papers. She then gap filled the notes and used them to teach with.

    The students liked her - not surprising as there was only a one year age difference.

    She became confident and also taught Business Stuies A2 and IB Economics (Higher).

    Remember, she had never studied any of the subjects.

    She is now teaching IGCSE Business studies and A2 Economics for 5 hours a week for the next 10 weeks.

    She admits that she is 'slowly learning...Economics' as she teaches it.

    If students at Bellerbys (and other places) only realised that the best teachers are often those sitting next to them. Learning by doing...

    Chris Sivewright
    ex-Bellerbys

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 2:04 am  

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