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You are here: Educators > HE Resources > Threshold Concepts > Reflective Exercises |
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Reflective Exercises: Introduction for Teachers and LecturersWhat makes these exercises different from those in textbooks or standard tutorial sheets? They aim to help students to:
Rationale for the ApproachHow economists characterise problems: a missing link It is usual for economists to present bodies of theory and then show students how these can be applied to particular circumstances. This is the 'theory-first' approach that has been identified as a source of difficulties for students (e.g. McCormick and Vidler, 1994). A problem for students yet to acquire a threshold concept that is lurking in a theoretical explanation is that it is far from obvious to them that the world should be portrayed in the way constructed by the theory. This leads them to think that their learning is to be the acquisition of a set of formal models and that they have to demonstrate that they can reproduce and manipulate these models (with passing reference to some evidence that is designed to fit with the model). They have not been given access to the theorising which leads economists to construct a particular model of a situation. They also fail to see the interlinkages between the concepts we use. For instance, we studied exam responses to the question: 'Explain the gains from trade. Are there any circumstances in which free trade should be prevented by the imposition of import tariffs?' We found many students who did not adequately explain comparative advantage, and even those who did appreciate that this was of importance in an answer did not make the connection to the concept of opportunity cost. Consequently, the level of explanation in this part of the answer was poor for many students. A threshold concept may be described as a particular way of understanding the world, but acquiring that threshold concept also involves appreciating how one might arrive at that understanding of the world. Put another way, you do not understand a threshold concept until you have understood the assumptions that generate it. It is the way of generating the concept that is usually omitted in current teaching, which starts with the outcome of economic reasoning, not the process of generating the insights that make economics a powerful way of thinking. In order to develop a student's grasp of an economic way of thinking, it may therefore be helpful to develop their understanding of an economist's approach to a problem. This can be done by contrasting the approach of an economist with that of a non-economist so that they can begin to appreciate the reasons why economists approach questions in the way they do. Ideally, this would be done by presenting students with the variation in thinking about a situation that might typically be found in a population. In some cases, we have evidence of this variation, but it would be rash to say this evidence is complete. Where we have the evidence, we can build upon it, but the only option where we are yet to collect formal evidence is to use our professional knowledge in speculating where the variation lies. In these exercises, students are asked explicitly to reflect on differences between their own approach to theorising a problem and the approach that would be adopted by an economist. Students learn an economist's way of thinking when they accept the value of using economics to define and analyse problems that can be looked at in other ways. Using these ExercisesThe exercises have various stages and are not designed simply to be given to students in one handout at one time. We expect lecturers to use minor adaptations that will allow their use in different teaching/learning environments faced in different modules. Each exercise starts by setting out the problem and asks students a series of short true/false questions about the assumptions/approaches to be made in modelling the problem. These can be given as a task in self-managed time, lectures or seminars. Having answered these questions, the exercises provide a brief rationale of the economist's answer to these questions as feedback to students. In the following stage of the exercise, students are asked to develop an answer to the problem posed, using the understanding gained. Again, feedback is given on the economist's approach to the problem. It is important that students realise that the feedback provided does not necessarily cover every facet of answer. The feedback provided concentrates on aspects that directly involve threshold concepts and as such may not be a 'well rounded' answer. For instance, in considering the problem 'Should a country that is less efficient in the producing all goods use import controls to reduce imports from other countries?' the feedback provided is on comparative advantage, not the arguments for import controls. The final stage asks students to reflect on their answers and/or the economist's approach. We would see as this as a very important part of the exercise. Many of our students want to take a 'correct' answer and simply pigeonhole it for future (assessment) use, so encouraging them to take this stage seriously is important. At both this stage and the previous one, students may find it useful to work in small groups but this is not necessary for the task. Tutors may want to make specific adaptations to certain exercises to their particular module. For instance, in the exercise on the multiplier, we ask students to provide an answer that uses a diagram. Which diagram is not specified, nor is a diagram given in the feedback, as several diagrams could be used by students. In this case, tutors may want to specify a particular diagram and give feedback on it. Alternatively, they may want to leave the choice to the student. Pages in the Series
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