Do Teaching Methods Presented by the National Council on Economics Education (USA) Enhance Trainers’ Learning Capacity in Economics Education? A South African Perspective

Abstract

KEYWORDS Pedagogical Methods. Learning Capacity. Economics Education. Qualitative Research Approach ABSTRACT The National Council on Economic Education (NCEE) is a nationwide network in the United States of America (USA) which spearheads the promotion of economic literacy among students and their teachers. The NCEE's mission is to help students develop the real-life skills they need to succeed: to be able to think and choose responsibly as consumers, savers, investors, citizens, members of the workforce, and effective participants in a global economy. One hundred and eight participants from nine developing countries, mainly lecturers in Economic education, curriculum developers, learning-area managers and subject advisors, participated in this international collaboration initiative programme over a two-year period. As participants representing South Africa at these sessions, we have chosen to provide an overview of the experiences of fourteen South African trainers on teaching methods used by the NCEE through a qualitative approach. In order to arrive at a synthesis of our reflections, the following research question was posed: Do teaching methods presented by the NCEE enhance trainers' learning capacity in Economics education? Findings revealed that trainers were indeed engaged in opportunities to construct meaning from their knowledge base in Economics, as well as the subsequent application of their acquired learning endeavours to their sites of delivery. Furthermore, we conclude that these pedagogical methods used by the NCEE impact positively on the enhancement of trainers' learning capacity in South African schools.