IB Economics News

New syllabus: The IB curriculum review is all but complete. The syllabus and the learning outcomes have been finalized, and Teacher Support Materials and specimen papers have been developed. The new syllabus is for first teaching in 2011, with first exams in May 2013. Schools should receive the syllabus and support material in good time to prepare for the new courses.

Sad News: Alan Glanville, for many years a cornerstone of IB Economics examining and paper setting, passed away in early March. The following was posted on the OCC:

Alan was an excellent teacher from pioneering IB days. He was involved in the modernization of our Economics syllabus from the early 1970s when he was at times acting chief examiner, deputy chief examiner, exam setter, moderator and, above all the main mentor to those of us still hesitant in our professional paths in many parts of the world. His role in the early IB workshops was fundamental not only in setting the terms for the academic rigour of our discipline but also in instilling the passion required to be a proper teacher. He was fervent about the relevance of development economics in a world so marred by inequalities to the extent that - while he still was a very busy teacher- he devoted all his free time to produce the first IB text for that section of our syllabus.

During the early 1990s, when we all lamented the absence of a proper IB Economics textbook and faced with the disinterest of publishing houses that did not regard the IB as an appealing market, against all odds, Alan dropped his teaching, re-mortgaged his house and put all his savings into the venture of producing the first IB economics textbook. I am sure that the textbook gave him much more a sense of self-fulfilment not because of his personal achievement of for the commercial gains deriving from the enterprise but because of the much deeper feeling that he was making a contribution to all of us.

Our condolences to Alan's family and best wishes to his son endowed with the challenge to continue with the valuable editorial work developed by his father with so much personal effort. Many teachers will be grieved for this premature departure and thousands of IB students in several parts of our world will remember that brilliant teacher who was not just an instructor but an educator in the proper sense of the word.

Teaching Ideas

As an introduction to the Theory of the Firm and the whole idea of a simple business, employing factors of production to attempt to make a profit, you might want to look at Hot Shot Business, a free Disney computer game.
The game takes about 30 minutes to play and you can then get students to write a piece on the game, identifying and explaining the economics involved. A possible worksheet is attached.

If you have any introductory games or ideas that you would like to contribute, or if you just want to get in touch with us to ask some questions, we can be contacted at jblink@vis.ac.at and i.dorton@ais.at .