Economics Beyond the Classroom: Economic Theory 12 at the Fraser Institute Seminar on World Economics
On November 3, our Economic Theory 12 students joined high school students from across the region at the Fraser Institute Seminar on World Economics, applying what they learn in class to real global issues and reflecting on how their own choices can make a difference for others.
On Tuesday, November 3, students in Johnathan Academy's Economic Theory 12 class left the familiar classroom behind to attend the Fraser Institute Seminar on World Economics, spending a full day of learning alongside high school students from other schools.
About the seminar
The Fraser Institute is an independent Canadian public policy research organization headquartered in Vancouver and founded in 1974. Alongside its research, it has long offered free economics education programs for high school and university students, bringing in economists and professionals to explain core economic principles with everyday examples and to discuss current global issues with students.
For students taking Economic Theory 12, this was a valuable opportunity: to hear how professionals use economic thinking to analyze today's world, and to share ideas with peers from other schools who are just as curious about economics.
Classroom principles, real-world problems
Economic Theory 12 is a BC Grade 12 elective, and this term our students have been studying core ideas such as scarcity and choice, opportunity cost, supply and demand, and markets and incentives. At the seminar, these textbook terms became tools for analyzing real problems.
As Principal Campbell shared in this week's update to the school community, students found that the principles they are studying in class really do apply to the problems the world faces today. From a handout or a graph to the global issues in the news, they saw clearly that economics is much more than questions on a test.
Making a difference, starting with our own choices
The seminar was not only about theory. Students also looked at how their own choices and practices can make a difference, not only in their own lives but also in the lives of others.
At its heart, economics is the study of how people make choices. Turning that question toward themselves gave students a much more concrete answer to "why study economics?"
Learning beyond the classroom continues
Connecting classroom learning with the world beyond it has always been part of how JA teaches. In the coming weeks, more opportunities focused on university and future pathways are on the way:
- Tuesday, November 17, 8:30 a.m.: A representative from McGill University will speak to all students exploring university options. McMaster University will also visit later this month.
- UBC Chemical and Biological Engineering One-Day Experience: For students in Grades 11 and 12, with another date on Saturday, February 6, 2027. Students tour the labs, join interactive workshops, and meet professors and current students. The program is free, and spaces are limited.
We look forward to seeing our Economic Theory 12 students bring what they learned back to class, keep asking "why," and continue to look at the world through an economist's eyes.
