Learning from Physics Education Research: Lessons for Economics Education

We believe that economists have much to learn from educational research practices and related pedagogical innovations in other disciplines, in particular physics education. In this paper we identify three key features of physics education research that distinguish it from economics education research - (1) the intentional grounding of physics education research in learning science principles, (2) a shared conceptual research framework focused on how students learn physics concepts, and (3) a cumulative process of knowledge-building in the discipline - and describe their influence on new teaching pedagogies, instructional activities, and curricular design in physics education. In addition, we highlight four specific examples of successful pedagogical innovations drawn from physics education - context-rich problems, concept tests, just-in-time teaching, and interactive lecture demonstrations - and illustrate how these practices can be adapted for economic education.Comment: 19 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Journal of Economic Education, also available from Social Science Research Network <http://ssrn.com/abstract=1151430

Learning from physics education research: Lessons for economics education

We believe that economists have much to learn from educational research practices and related pedagogical innovations in other disciplines, in particular physics education. In this paper we identify three key features of physics education research that distinguish it from economics education research - (1) the intentional grounding of physics education research in learning science principles, (2) a shared conceptual research framework focused on how students learn physics concepts, and (3) a cumulative process of knowledge-building in the discipline - and describe their influence on new teaching pedagogies, instructional activities, and curricular design in physics education. In addition, we highlight four specific examples of successful pedagogical innovations drawn from physics education - context-rich problems, concept tests, just-in-time teaching, and interactive lecture demonstrations - and illustrate how these practices can be adapted for economic education.economic education; physics education research (PER); research-based teaching; preconceptions; metacognition; transfer; context-rich problems; peer instruction; just-in-time teaching; interactive lecture demonstration

Innovation, Productivity Growth, and Structural Change

This paper is concerned with three broad topics: first, changes in the conditions for productivity growth during the last decade; second, industrial innovation as a factor of productivity growth; and third, productivity as a factor of structural change

Phase Diagram of the Hubbard Model: Beyond the Dynamical Mean Field

The Dynamical Cluster Approximation (DCA) is used to study non-local corrections to the dynamical mean field phase diagram of the two-dimensional Hubbard model. Regions of antiferromagnetic, d-wave superconducting, pseudo-gapped non-Fermi liquid, and Fermi liquid behaviors are found, in rough agreement with the generic phase diagram of the cuprates. The non-local fluctuations beyond the mean field both suppress the antiferromagnetism and mediate the superconductivity.Comment: 4 pages, 5 eps figures, submitted to PR

Innovation, Efficiency and the Quantitative and Qualitative Demand for Labor

In the past few years the main concern of the economist's analytical work has been more the better use of natural resources, rather than that of human resources. Most of us are more immediately concerned about the shortage of energy than about the shortage of ideas, and the individual and institutional capabilities to overcome this shortage. But most of our natural resource problems are only a reflection of deeper problems, problems occurring through a significant lack of social and technological innovation which hinders the capability of human beings to solve the problems that are facing us at the present time. This is why the relationship between human resources and social and technological innovation is so critical. This relationship is currently challenged through the following issues: (1) The growing imbalance between natural and human resources in different world regions. (2) The inadequacy of technology for the better use of human resources, especially in the developing countries. (3) The social inability to coordinate the innovation cycle of basic and improvement innovations as barriers for the better use of human resources. (4) The necessity to improve the quality of human resources and to create the right conditions for their better use (H. Maier, 1979). This paper would like to focus on the following three problems: (1) Innovation, human resources and efficiency. (2) Innovation and the employment effect of investment. (3) Improvement in the quality of human resources and their better use