Teaching with Taylor Swift can be a great way to create lessons and help build connections with material that students will never want to part with, says Misty L. Heggeness, an economics professor and scientist at the University of Kansas.
Recently created Heggess Swiftynomics 101, a free online course. The short course is designed to be used by teachers with their students in a variety of subjects and examines Swift's success and her relationship with recent NFL Super Bowl star Travis Kelce through an economic lens that seemingly does the impossible. : makes economic theory relatable to everyone. Heggeness is also writing a book called SWIFTYNOMICSwhich will explore similar themes.
Heggeness shares tips and advice on how teachers can incorporate this course and why they should consider using the popularity of Swift as a jumping-off point for other subjects. If you follow this advice, you can be a hero in your classroom, which is good because we all know how exhausting it is to always root for the antihero.
Ready for that?
1. Teaching with Taylor Swift: You can transform seemingly dry concepts into a love story
As much as Heggeness loves economics, he understands that students don't inherently share that fascination. “The history of economics and economic theory, at least the way it's taught in schools, is all about lots of devices and supply and demand curves, and those things can be very abstract and uninteresting,” she says.
But showing students how the interaction between the NFL and Swift is an example of the theory of the company, and looking at Swift's career and success as a means to understanding economic gender discrimination can make these concepts more meaningful to students.
“To me, it's really sad if we don't take advantage of this moment to really help students find a connection between the things they're interested in and economic theory,” Heggeness says.
Of course, the students' passion: obsession? — with Swift can be good material for a wide range of topics and the perfect way to fill in any blank spaces in your syllabus.
2. Encourage diversity
Using Swift to make connections to topics as varied as technology and student finance can also have a long-term impact.
“One of the biggest selling points of tying economic theory to pop culture moments is that you make economics more meaningful and accessible to students,” Heggeness says. “By doing so, you will likely encourage a broader range of students to become interested in the field and in the study of economics.”
And you don't need to calm down. “We know that economics as a field has always struggled to increase diversity within the professional process,” she says. “One of the ways we can try to make some effort to increase diversity within the field is to teach economics in a way that feels meaningful and relatable to a broader swath of the community.”
3. It's easy because the materials already exist
Hegeness' Swiftynomics 101 It is available online and can be used in its entirety or teachers can take specific videos or lessons.
“The basic version focuses on the theory of the firm, at its core level,” he says.
The course offers more advanced lessons in the economics of discrimination through a gender discrimination lens. “I call it 'a choose-your-own-adventure curriculum' that teachers can really tailor to their kids' needs and preferences,” Heggeness says.
The class is aimed at high school students and up, and is obviously suitable for economics teachers, but can be used in classes covering other topics.
“The material is put together in a really relatable and accessible way, even if people haven't studied economics,” Heggeness says. “I encourage teachers of civics classes, social studies classes, business classes, whatever, to just explore the material.”
4. Share your experience as if it were karma
Heggeness believes that teachers are leaders in their fields and can do more to share their expertise with the world. Making connections to pop culture can be a perfect and brave way to do so, especially for teachers who are also involved in research.
“To the extent that we look at these types of examples in pop culture and in modern culture, and easily see an interpretation through our own academic or theoretical lens, it seems that we owe it to society at large to impart that knowledge,” said. she says.
As a bonus, teaching this way may not completely fulfill your wildest dreams, but it can also serve as a recruiting tool for your subject area. “That's probably one of the best ways we can get students interested in our own research, and it's definitely a good way to grow a field,” Heggeness says.
5. Have fun
Using Swift as inspiration for teaching different subjects can simply bring happiness to both teachers and students, and one can never forget the benefit of making the class more enjoyable, engaging and, dare we say, delighted.
“Sometimes when we think about education and how we impart knowledge, we can have a tendency to get a little lofty,” Heggeness says. “I think we need to give ourselves grace and be willing to incorporate fun and novelty into the way we teach, because at the end of the day, that not only makes us better teachers, but it also makes students better learners.”
