Ross Gittins talks
Teaching notes
How to use this resource
‘Ross Gittins talks’ is part of the larger resource, Writers talk. It aims to stimulate thought and discussion about the context and content of Gittins’s ideas about economics.
Ross Gittins has been an economics writer for over thirty years. He is Economics Editor for The Sydney Morning Herald, columnist for The Age and contributes to numerous books and periodicals on economics.
In the interview recorded at the 2007 Sydney Writers’ Festival, Gittins talks about his writing and also ideas in his book Gittinomics, challenging economic myths and misconceptions, connecting the understanding of economics with everyday life in order to inform people about how to arrange their lives to achieve sustainable lifestyle goals, not just economic goals.
The Rationale from the NSW Board of Studies Economics Stage 6 Syllabus asserts that people’s quality of life is heavily influenced by the economic decisions that are made for them and by them. It is improvement in the quality of life that makes the study of economics important.
Each video has a series of questions or comments for students to consider and discuss. Teachers may find it useful to combine this resource with others listed in the Related resources section to extend students’ learning.
Outcomes from the NSW Economics Stage 6 Syllabus that could be supported by this resource or by studying articles and the books Gittonomics and Gittins’ Guide to Economics include: P2, P5, P7, H2, H6, H7.
Using ‘Ross Gittins talks’, students have the opportunity to:
- learn to examine how work and economic choices affect quality of life
- learn to assess the impacts of changes in the workforce, especially based on gender and age
- learn to examine economic issues such as trends in distribution of income, the impact of economic policies, sustainable development and environmental protection, costs of and strategies for solving specific economic problems
- learn about the influence that economics has on people’s lifestyle choices
- learn about effects of economic choices made by individuals and groups, including government.
Quality teaching
This resource provides opportunities to address Quality teaching in NSW public schools by:
- encouraging students to be critical of Gittins’s perspectives, his approach to writing and his views on the meaning of economics (Problematic knowledge, Higher-order thinking)
- highlighting how economics knowledge must include an understanding of psychology (Knowledge integration, Deep knowledge)
- stimulating thought about how understanding of economics affects choices in everyday life (Connectedness, Deep understanding, Higher-order thinking).