Behind the Scenes at a Conference

CTREE 2024

Last week, I attended my first Conference on Teaching and Research in Economic Education since 2018. I want to take a moment to reflect and share with you my recent experience. Being surrounded by a community of like-minded economic educators emphasized the importance of having a tribe that shares the same passion and commitment to improving learning in economics classrooms.

I left the conference with a couple of key takeaways:

1. The new framework everyone is rallying behind is the Relevance, Belonging, and Growth Mindset (RBG) framework. This framework was first introduced by Amanda Bayer and coauthors in their 2020 paper “Diagnosing the Learning Environment for Diverse Students in Introductory Economics: An Analysis of Relevance, Belonging, and Growth Mindsets.”  I absolutely love this approach to thinking about how we can engage and improve economic education through targeted interventions. These interventions could focus on enhancing the relevance of the material to students, fostering a greater sense of belongingness, or encouraging a growth mindset. Reflecting on the initiatives and interventions I've introduced throughout my career, I realize they all fit into one or more categories. My 2022 paper examining the role of faculty in improving the sense of belonging in their classroom fits in this framework.  

2. It was a humbling experience to learn that several economics educators follow this newsletter and engage with my social media content. I am truly grateful for those of you who took the time to introduce yourselves and share how valuable this content is to you. One of my goals is to build a stronger community on this platform. If you're an economics educator reading this, I would love to hear from you: How can I continue to add value to your career development and teaching practices? Your feedback is essential in helping me create content that best serves your needs.

3. Looking ahead, we have more opportunities to connect and learn from each other this summer. TeachECONference 2024, organized by CTaLE, and JET SET, hosted by the Journal of Economics Teaching, are fantastic events that unite passionate economics educators. These conferences provide a platform to share best practices, discuss innovative teaching strategies, and network with colleagues from around the world. I highly encourage you to consider attending one or both of these events to further enhance your professional development and contribute to the growth of our community. Since The TeachECONference is virtual, we are hosting a watch party on the final day for the people in the NKY and Cincinnati region. Please join us, register here

Please feel free to contact me with your thoughts, ideas, and experiences. Together, we can enhance the field of economic education and positively impact our students' learning journey.

Thank you for being a part of this community!

Abdullah Al-Bahrani

Papers to Read

• Bayer, A., Bhanot, S. P., Bronchetti, E. T., & O’Connell, S. A. (2020, May). Diagnosing the learning environment for diverse students in introductory economics: An analysis of relevance, belonging, and growth mindsets. In AEA Papers and Proceedings (Vol. 110, pp. 294-298). 2014 Broadway, Suite 305, Nashville, TN 37203: American Economic Association.

• Al-Bahrani, A. (2022). Classroom management and student interaction interventions: Fostering diversity, inclusion, and belonging in the undergraduate economics classroom. The Journal of Economic Education, 53(3), 259-272.