Claudia Goldin introduces her students to the economic aspects of polygamy and fertility through "fun quizzes" that lead students to reevaluate their preconceptions.
Before class, the instructor sends out notes to accompany the readings. Then there are short quizzes in class about concepts in the readings. For example, the quiz might include a counterintuitive statement, "As you compare a world in which polygamy is allowed to one where it is not, the gains to women will be greater. What is the reason for this?" and multiple choice answers. The students have two minutes to talk about the question with each other, then they discuss the answer as a class. The objective of this activity is to engage the students in a new topic.
See an example of a "fun quiz," see the powerpoint below.
 | frameworks.pdf | 305 KB |
See also: Discussion, Homework, Pair and Share, Collaborative, EC 1356: The Economics of Work and Family, The Economics of Work and Family, Descriptive, Economics, Data for Discussion, Goldin, Claudia, Fostering Motivation, Providing Structure and Context, Revealing & Dealing with Misconceptions, Stimulating Students to Think, Collaborate, Defend a Position in a Model or Argument, Develop Subject Specific Intuitions, 10 to 30 minutes, Whole class, Whole-Class, Humanities, Social Science, Repeating