Hey--
I'm a new high school United States History teacher. I am beginning my unit on the Great Depression. I have found (suprisingly enough!) that my textbook and most lesson plans that I have found online all buy into the traditional Keynesian myths about the causes of the Great Depression and how it was resolved.
I was wondering if anyone had any good ideas for lessons, readings, or activities that would be able to engage a group of high school juniors. Any help or ideas would be appreciated!
Thanks!
Valject,
They could, but they won't. My point is about real high school students. Presenting people trained to memorize whatever they're told with an argument that they are certainly incapable of understanding (yes, on the simplest level they can understand it but it's a false understanding) or evaluating amounts to indoctrination.
I home school my kids and we have also used the Richard Maybury series which gives basics in economics, law and history. The books are a good base for understanding the causes of some historical events from an economic perspective. Rothbard's The Case Against the Fed is also very good as is Economics in One Lesson by Hazlitt. My 13-year old is reading both now.
I believe high school is actually a little late to start teaching economics. Basic principles can be learned in Elementary school then built upon at each developmental stage. Kids understand economics because the Austrian school just makes sense! Wasn't it Mises himself who pointed out that economics is really the study of how humans behave, Praxeology? That it is not a bunch of models thought up by PhD's?
Kids of all ages understand praxeology even if they do not know the word! Start teaching all kids now!