The Lithuanian Free Market Institute was named one of six finalists for this year’s prestigious Templeton Freedom Award for its textbook of economics – Economics in 31 Hours – that is giving the next generation of Lithuanian youth a fighting chance to get the economics right by teaching how property rights, free exchange, profit and competition shape decision-making in our everyday lives.
“Teaching of economic literacy as a separate subject is compulsory for 9th and 10th graders in Lithuania. It is aimed at enhancing the understanding of economics as an interdisciplinary subject and a part of daily life rather than a theoretical discipline necessary for a minority. It is our ambition that all students across the country have access to innovative learning material and are given a chance to explore free market economics”, – says Marija Vyšniauskaitė, co-author of the textbook.
Used by nearly half of the country’s 9th and 10th grade students and more than half of upper secondary school teachers of economics, Economics in 31 Hours is not just another textbook – it is a contemporary package of a practical textbook, an interactive teacher’s platform and a continuous professional development course for teachers of economics.
According to LFMI’s survey, teachers using Economics in 31 Hours are unanimous about the quality that the textbook brings to classroom activities and would certainly recommend this teaching aid to a colleague. “The innovative way of presenting economics as much more than figures and numbers is what makes Economics in 31 Hours special. Real examples, interesting facts and engaging format motivate students to explore economic phenomena, solve issues and think critically”, – says Dovilė Aleksaitė, a teacher of economics.
“The present nomination, 2016 People’s Choice Award for the best online educational tool in LOGIN and a wide recognition among teachers, students and leading educologists prove that Economics in 31 Hours has truly transformed the way of teaching and learning economics in Lithuanian upper secondary schools and we are heading in the right direction”, – adds Žilvinas Šilėnas, LFMI president and co-author of the textbook.
In 2014, the Lithuanian Free Market Institute received the Templeton Freedom Award for its Lithuanian Municipal Performance Index for Freedom and Free Enterprise.
Awarded since 2004, the Atlas Network’s Templeton Freedom Award recognizes the most exceptional and innovative contributions to the understanding of free enterprise, and the public policies that encourage prosperity, innovation and human fulfilment via free competition.
Find out more about Economics in 31 Hours
Find out more about the six finalists for the 2016 Templeton Freedom Award
