This book discusses the importance of teaching fundamental economic concepts as part of the middle school social science curriculum in India. It examines the status of economics in Indian schools and the issues faced in teaching it at the middle school level and emphasizes the need for increasing the economic literacy of students. It offers valuable recommendations to curriculum planners and educators to help them bolster economics education in Indian schools. The author presents an extensive curriculum framework with the intention of developing intellectual and social skills in students. The book also features classroom-tested lessons, content guidelines, and a comprehensive teaching plan for grades 6, 7 and 8.
A crucial contribution to the study of school education in India, this book will be of interest to teachers, students and researchers of education, economics education and economics. It will also be useful for policy planners, professional economists, administrators, school boards and research institutions.
Manju Agarwal is former Associate Professor of Education at the University of Delhi, India. After acquiring a master's degree in Economics and Education, she pursued her doctoral research in Economic Education from the Faculty of Education, University of Delhi. Her teaching experience spans across all levels for nearly 40 years. She has extensive teaching and research experience in the field of Educational Administration, Planning and Finance, Social Science Education, Economic Education, and Economics of Education. She has been actively involved in in-service education programs and workshops for teachers. She has also been involved in several programs on Economic Education in association with National Institute of Open Schooling and National Council of Educational Research and Training, Delhi.
"This is a very fascinating and unique book. Economics, which is one of the most dominant disciplines among the Social Sciences, has at last found its rightful place in the middle school and Secondary level curriculum. Manju Agarwal beautifully traces its trajectory, argues for its identity in school and addresses all the 'how, what, why and when questions' related to it. Her style is very engaging, replete with examples and content drawn from the everyday realities of students' worlds. Economics has been demystified and made the subject matter of students' curiosity and creative exploration. For teachers of Economics the book is a treasure chest as it covers content, pedagogic strategies, transaction suggestions and ways of knowledge construction."
Professor Namita Ranganathan, Former Head and Dean, Department of Education, University of Delhi