Teacher Portal
Dear Colleagues,
On the ZÖBIS Teacher Portal, we would like to introduce you to a selection of lesson plans designed to assist you in your lesson planning. We have included methodological suggestions and references to relevant materials. Understandably, we can only offer downloads of freely accessible materials. Some of our materials and professional development courses are offered in cooperation with the Aktionsgemeinschaft Soziale Marktwirtschaft e.V.
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Lecture/Teacher Training
If you are interested in a lecture or a teacher training session, please contact Dr. Marco Rehm (rehm@zoebis.de):
• Competency-based task culture in social studies instruction
• Methodology training for economics classes
• Economic experiments in the classroom
• Learning economics through games
• Simulation games in the classroom
• Mathematics and economics
• Teaching the market economy
• Teaching money and monetary policy
• Teaching social policy
• Simulations in Economic Education
• Student-Centered Methods in Social Studies Instruction
• Action-Oriented Methods in Economics Instruction
• School Profile: “Economic Education”
Materials
Support for the social market economy among the German public remains low. This is evidenced, for example, by the regular representative surveys conducted by the Allensbach Institute for Public Opinion Research. For example, in 2010, only 38 percent of citizens had a favorable opinion of the social market economy. The figures suggest that the social market economy is in the midst of a profound “crisis of meaning” (Goldschmidt). It is striking that citizens’ attitudes toward the social market economy are all the more positive the higher their level of education, the more frequently they read a daily newspaper, and the greater their economic knowledge. So is there actually no crisis of meaning behind the low approval ratings for the social market economy? Is it rather a matter of dissatisfaction with an economic system that many citizens do not really understand at all?
If this thesis holds true, then students are acting as agents within an economic system that they (and many adults) do not really understand, but which at the same time sets the rules of the game or restrictions on their actions (“economic system”) and creates a broad scope of possibilities for their actions (the social market economy as an “order of freedom”). How, then, can one illustrate the nature of the social market economy in the classroom while meeting both subject-specific and methodological standards, without overwhelming the students or overloading the lesson with content? Specifically for the subject area of market economy, the increased use of economic experiments in the classroom has been recommended for several years. According to Charles A. Holt, the use of economic experiments represents “one of the most exciting recent developments in the teaching of economics.” The following essay demonstrates how to effectively combine playful, experimental learning on the one hand with challenging, academically essential theoretical elements on the other within a lesson series, thereby conveying the central ideas of our economic system.
The following section presents recommended and practically proven teaching modules on the topic of“market economy,” which can be used in various ways:
- in the order suggested here (as a series of lessons);
- in a self-selected order adapted to the respective learning prerequisites (as a lesson series);
- in excerpts (as a lesson sequence);
- as individual examples (in single lessons).
The focus is on competency-based learning activities covering the following aspects
- Discovering the economic system
- Scarcity, division of labor, rationality
- Price formation under perfect competition
- Market forms (monopoly, polypoly, oligopoly)
- Market failure and institutional economics
- An Overview of the Economic System
We would appreciate your feedback on the use of these learning materials!
The ZöBiS Team
Teaching modules on the topic of “Market Economy”
Module I: Discovering the Economic System – The Island Game for Lower Secondary School
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Simulation game Genetic learning Inductive learning Exemplary learning |
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Module II: Scarcity – Division of Labor – Rationality
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Supplementary
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Module III: The Self-Healing Powers of the Market—Reality or Ideological Construct? |
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Methodology |
Teaching Materials |
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Supplementary
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Module IV: Oligopolies – Curse or Blessing? |
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Methodology |
Teaching Materials |
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Supplementary
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Module V: Market Failure and Institutional Economics
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Methodology |
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Module VI: Theory of the Economic Order
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Recommended teaching materials for the subject area "Economic Policy"—especially proven business simulation games—can be found here
For students, handling money is second nature. However, questions such as what money is all about, what factors to consider when investing, what the consequences of inflation are, or how the euro crisis came about are ones that few students (and adults) can answer competently. “Overestimation of one’s own financial competence”—this phrase sums up the findings of numerous empirical studies on the state of general financial literacy in Germany. Addressing the above questions in economics classes therefore seems indispensable—especially in light of standard curriculum requirements. But how can lessons on the topic of“money and monetary policy”be designed in a competency-based manner?
Below, we present five recommended and practically proven lesson modules on the topic of“money and monetary policy”that can be used in various ways:
- in the order suggested here (as a lesson series);
- in a self-selected order adapted to the respective learning prerequisites (as a unit of lessons);
- in excerpts (as a lesson sequence);
- as individual examples (in single lessons).
The focus is on competency-based learning activities covering the following aspects
- Fundamentals of money
- Investment and credit
- Price stability
- Monetary policy
- Euro crisis
We would appreciate your feedback on the use of these learning materials!
The ZöBiS Team
Teaching modules on the topic of “Money and Monetary Policy”
Module I: Fundamentals of Money |
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What exactly is money?
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Supplementary
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How does cashless payment traffic work?
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Module II: Investments and Credit |
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Methodology | Teaching materials |
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How can I invest my money wisely?
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(When) Is it worth taking out a loan, and what should you keep in mind?
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Module III: Price Stability |
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How does inflation arise, how can it be measured—and is price stability really that important?
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Supplementary
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Module IV: Monetary Policy |
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How meaningful and realistic is the ECB’s autonomy?
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Supplementary |
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(How) does the ECB’s monetary policy work, and to what extent can the ECB influence the overall economic situation?
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Supplementary
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Module V: Euro Crisis |
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Monetary Policy in the Crisis – Does the Euro Have a Future?
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The topic of“taxes and fees”becomes relevant to students at the latest when they earn their first income. In political debates, the topic is omnipresent and often even decisive in elections. Although “taxes and duties” are often treated as a peripheral topic in many curricula and textbooks, from an economic education perspective, addressing this subject is essential if debates about Germany as a business location and the reform of the German welfare state are to be conducted competently.
Below are five recommended and proven teaching modules on the topicof “taxes and levies”that can be used in various ways:
- in the order suggested here (as a lesson series);
- in a self-selected order adapted to the respective learning requirements (as a teaching series);
- in excerpts (as a lesson sequence);
- as individual examples (in single lessons).
The focus is on competency-based learning activities covering the following aspects
- Tax burden and its effects: payroll accounting, gross wages, net wages, non-wage labor costs, taxes, the social security system, the welfare state (I.)
- Important types of taxes and their structure: value-added tax and various VAT rates (II.), environmental taxes and the internalization of negative external costs (III.), income tax and tax progression (IV. and V.a)
- Other types of taxes, tax evasion, and tax justice (V.b)
There are also opportunities for practical contacts in this subject area. You can find the contact persons for Rhineland-Palatinate and the Siegen-Wittgenstein district here.
The ZöBiS Team
Five teaching modules on the topic
Taxes and Levies in the Classroom
I. Tax Burden vs. the Necessity of Government Action – Arithmetic Operations and Statistical Analysis
II. Sales tax: 19% on everything? – Calculations, case studies, and discussion
- Good exercises on sales tax or value-added tax
- Good exercises on sales tax or value-added tax: Answer key
III. Economic analysis of tax effects - Economic experiment
IV. Income Tax and Tax Progression - Case Analysis, Calculations, and Discussion
- Teaching Material: Who Must Pay Income Tax
- Table of case studies
- Worksheet 1
- Materials for Worksheet 1
- Worksheet 2
- Income Tax Test
V. Advanced Module
A. Using Income Tax to Promote Social Justice? Computer Simulation and Role-Based Discussion (Dr. Kuno Rinke)
Kuno Rinke, Andrea Stilla, Beatrix Wolf: Using Income Tax to Promote Social Justice? – Computer Simulation and Role-Play Discussion. In: Jacobs, Heinz (ed.): The Welfare State Under Scrutiny. Bad Schwalbach 2013.
B. Tax Teaching Kit (Regional Finance Office Koblenz)
- Concept and Contents
- Contents of the Tax Teaching Kit Modules
- Complete Tax Spiral
- Tax Spiral Group Work
Module 2: Types of Taxes/Tax System
This module uses group work (worksheets) to explain the difference between direct and indirect taxes, as well as the allocation of taxes to the federal government, states, and municipalities.
- Module 2 - Systematics
- Module 2 - Hierarchy
- Module 2 - Group 1: Tax System - Dog Tax
- Module 2 - Group 3: Energy Tax System
- Module 2 - Group 4: Income Tax
- Module 2 - Group 5: Sales Tax System
Module 3: “Fairness First” / Tax Evasion
Using a story drawn from the students’ own lives, the topic of tax evasion (particularly in the form of undeclared work) and its consequences are explored together with the students.
- Module 3 - Schedule Category A
- Module 3 - Story: Paul’s Father and Uncle Klaus
- Module 3 - Alternative Story: Tax Evasion
- Module 3 - Schedule Category B
- Module 3 - Group 1
- Module 3 - Group 2
- Module 3 - Group 3
Module 4: “Tax Justice” / Tax Brackets
Using a game with play money, this module demonstrates how tax policy can be used to ensure the highest possible level of tax fairness (in the sense of taking social circumstances into account). Building on this, the purpose of the various tax brackets is explained.
What are the key challenges facing the German welfare state? Does the statutory pension system need to be reformed? Have labor market reforms been successful? And is the German welfare state model even financially sustainable in the long term? - In political debates, the topic of “social policy”is omnipresentand often even decisive in elections. For students, engaging with this topic becomes relevant at the latest when they earn their first income. Globalization has presented social policy with new challenges. From an economic and political education perspective, addressing social policy issues therefore seems indispensable if debates about Germany as a business location and the reform of the German welfare state are to be conducted competently. Classrooms must address these issues if they are to responsibly prepare young people for their current and future life situations.
The following section presents recommended and practically proven teaching modules on the topic of “social policy, ” which can be used in various ways:
- in the order suggested here (as a lesson series);
- in a self-selected order adapted to the respective learning requirements (as a unit of lessons);
- in excerpts (as a lesson sequence);
- as individual examples (in single lessons).
The focus is on competency-based learning activities addressing the following aspects:
- Tax burden and its effects
- Demographic change and the future of pensions
- The labor market and employment policy
- The debate on measuring welfare
- The German welfare state in international comparison
- Teaching Social Policy
We would appreciate your feedback on the use of these learning materials!
The ZöBiS Team
Six teaching modules on the topic of
Social Policy in the Classroom
I. Social Policy for Beginners
Topics covered include pay stubs, gross wages, net wages, non-wage labor costs, taxes, the social security system, and challenges facing the welfare state. The materials are particularly suitable for use in lower secondary school. Click here for the materials: “What’s Left of Your Pay”(see Teacher Portal “Taxes and Levies,” I.)
Additional materials particularly suitable for lower secondary education (“Social Policy for Beginners”) are provided by the Youth and Education Foundation in cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. The materials are sorted by target group, topic, and media. The search can be narrowed down using a keyword. Click here for the materials: http://www.sozialpolitik.com/materialien
The following interactive test is suitable for assessing acquired skills and preparing for the advanced modules: http://www.sozialpolitik.com/interaktiv/test
II. Demographic Change and the Future of Pensions
Based on concrete and detailed case studies, students develop a lasting understanding of the pension formula and the current challenges facing the statutory pension insurance system within the framework of this concept. Supported by precisely designed role cards, students are thus enabled to conduct a fact-based panel discussion on “Pensions 2030” while applying key principles of effective communication to shape their future lives. The material also includes two alternative conclusions and extensive practice materials.
The data was fully updated and the content revised in 2019 with the support of the Action Group for the Social Market Economy. Click here for the materials created by Dr. Marco Rehm:
In addition, we recommend an article by subject specialist Alexandra Labusch from the Center for Practical School Studies in Engelskirchen: “Problems of the Welfare State: The Case of Pension Insurance,” in: Politik & Co. 2, edited by Hartwig Riedel, Buchner Verlag, pp. 94–109. See here: http://www.ccbuchner.de/titel-14084_2_2/politik_und_co_nrw_6896.html
For a deeper understanding of the technical background, the detailed and easy-to-understand explanation in the textbook by Wolfgang Leib and Lutz Schlafmann is recommended: “General Economics for Tax Clerks,” 16th edition, Kiehl Verlag, specifically the chapter “Labor Law and Social Security” (including exercises). See http://www.kiehl.de/produkte/kiehl_web_produkt_1392324.aspx
III. Labor Market and Employment Policy
Building on a market model, various labor market simulations are developed and modified in subsequent steps. The central focus is on enabling teachers to independently apply the presented task formats to new subject areas. In this way, subject-specific, methodological, judgmental, and practical competencies are developed regarding the following aspects:
- unemployment, health, long-term care, pension, and accident insurance using the “Grand Prix” method
- on the labor market and social insurance using the “Traffic Light Game” method
- on the labor market and employment policy measures using the “Mystery” method
- on the functioning, strengths, and weaknesses of unemployment insurance using an Excel-based simulation
Click here for the materials created by Gregor Pallast:
- Contents
- The Grand Prize (Impress file)
- Traffic Light Survey (PDF file)
- Traffic Light Survey Presentation (Impress file)
- Mystery (PDF file)
- Labor Market (Excel file)
We also recommend an article by department head Alexandra Labusch from the Center for Practical School Studies in Engelskirchen: “Income Between Employment and Unemployment,” in: Politik und Co. 2, edited by Hartwig Riedel, Buchner Verlag, pp. 76–91. See here: http://www.ccbuchner.de/titel-14084_2_2/politik_und_co_nrw_6896.html
For a deeper understanding of the technical background, the detailed and easy-to-understand presentation in the textbook by Wolfgang Leib and Lutz Schlafmann is recommended: “General Economics for Tax Clerks,” 16th edition, Kiehl Verlag, specifically the chapter “Labor Law and Social Security” (including exercises). See http://www.kiehl.de/produkte/kiehl_web_produkt_1392324.aspx
IV. Discussion on Welfare Measurement
Using a role-based simulation (the German Bundestag’s Enquete Commission on “Growth, Prosperity, and Quality of Life”), the lesson plan addresses the question of a meaningful alternative to traditional measures of welfare. The lesson plan culminates in students actively participating in the much-discussed question of a new prosperity index by submitting independently developed and thoroughly justified contributions. To this end, they examine well-known indices (GDP, HDI, HPI, and Gini coefficient) and learn to collaboratively develop their own prosperity index.
Click here for the materials created by Ulrich Krüger:
Teaching materials by Dr. Marco Rehm on the creation of a (regional) prosperity indicator are freely available at www.suedwestfalen-macht-schule.com.
Additional recommended materials on the teaching concept by Ulrich Krüger and Gordon Tavernier have been published by Wochenschau-Verlag; see http://www.wochenschau-verlag.de/der-sozialstaat-auf-dem-pruefstand.html
In addition, a lecture by Hans Christian Müller (Handelsblatt) can be used to explore GDP and alternative prosperity indicators in the classroom: see http://www.schule-bw.de/unterricht/faecher/wirtschaft/fortbildungen/mat_lfb_wi/wi_politik/handelsblatt_alternative_wohlstandindikatoren.pdf
V. The German Welfare State in International Comparison
This lesson moves beyond the microcosm of the German welfare state and broadens the perspective to an international context. A central component of the lesson plan is the inductive puzzle method, which allows students to examine different types of European welfare states and organize typical problem areas. The key to the concept is to use the puzzle method right at the beginning of a lesson unit to construct knowledge based on prior knowledge and with the help of logical thinking, and to independently acquire thematically important terms, principles, and connections.
Click here for the materials created by Julia Mertens and Michael Schultes:
Additional recommended materials related to the teaching concept by Julia Mertens, Michael Schultes, and Wolfgang Arnoldt have been published by Wochenschau-Verlag; see http://www.wochenschau-verlag.de/der-sozialstaat-auf-dem-pruefstand.html
In addition, an article by Frank Oschmiansky and Jürgen Kühl for the Federal Agency for Civic Education can be used to explore basic welfare state models in the classroom: see http://www.bpb.de/politik/innenpolitik/arbeitsmarktpolitik/55072/wohlfahrtsstaatliche-grundmodelle?p=all
VI. “Teaching Social Policy – Three Perspectives” (Didactics of Social Policy)
Click here for the materials prepared by Prof. Dr. Nils Goldschmidt:
In addition, an article by Prof. Dr. Hans Jürgen Schlösser, Prof. Dr. Nils Goldschmidt, and Dr. Michael Schuhen from the Center for Economic Education in Siegen (ZöBiS) can be used to shed light on institutional economic aspects of the topic in the classroom. Click here for the article: Goldschmidt, Nils/ Schlösser, Hans Jürgen/ Schuhen, Michael: Good Rules for the Economy. F.A.Z. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, June 20, 2014, p. 18.
A Brief Overview of the Method
Simulation games use a model to depict decision-making or action processes in social and economic spheres. They encourage learners to actively engage with the prerequisites, procedures, consequences, and interdependencies of the simulated processes, as they must translate their decisions into actions. This requires learners to understand the problem, develop their own goals and appropriate solutions, and weigh the resulting consequences. This usually involves independently gathering information and evaluating decision options on their own. Simulation games are designed in multiple stages, meaning that the results achieved continuously alter the starting conditions for each new round of the game, thereby also varying the decision-making parameters. Strategy games refer to the group of simulation games whose outcomes are not determined by random events but are an expression of strategic thinking. Simulation games are particularly well-suited for introducing holistic and systemic thinking, as they require planning strategies based on a consequence analysis.
You can find the full text here.
Overview of simulation games
| Name / Website | Provider / Developer | Type |
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RFZPlan |
Center for Economic Education in Siegen (ZÖBIS), University of Siegen |
Online simulation game; The final round takes place on-site as a computer-based simulation |
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School / Banker |
Federal Association of German Banks |
Online simulation game; The final round takes place on-site as a computer-based simulation game |
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Stock Market Simulation |
Deutscher Sparkassen Verlag GmbH | Online simulation game |
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Youth Start-up |
Federal Ministry of Education, Family, Senior Citizens, Women, and Youth | One-time simulation game with a preliminary ideas competition, accompanying e-learning modules, and an expert system |
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Macro |
Action Group for the Social Market Economy, Tübingen Developed by Prof. Dr. Joachim Starbatty, University of Tübingen |
Computer-based simulation game |
Teacher training
Teacher Training at ZÖBIS 2025: Digital Simulations for Economics Classes
The first 120 participants who complete the training, use the tool, and provide subsequent feedback will receive Hugendubel gift cards worth 25 euros each!
Program
2:30 p.m.: Dial into the video conference
2:55 PM: Welcome and introductory lecture “The ECB’s New Monetary Policy Strategy and ‘Green’ Monetary Policy” (Prof. Dr. Ekkehard A. Köhler, Executive Board Member of ZÖBIS)
3:30 PM: Workshop : Application of the money market simulation (Prof. Ekkehard A. Köhler, Dilara Wiemann, ZÖBIS)
5:00 PM: Closing discussion
Previous teacher training sessions
| Title of the teacher training session | Date | Flyer |
| Rediscovering Economic Education |
September 4, 2008 |
Download |
| Rediscovering Economic Education |
September 17, 2009 | Download |
| Learning about the Social Market Economy through Play |
September 23, 2010 | Download |
| Learning monetary policy through play |
September 29, 2011 | Download |
| Teaching globalization with a focus on skills |
September 20, 2012 |
Download |
| Taxes and Levies – A Blessing in Times of Crisis? |
September 25, 2013 |
Download |
| Dismantled or bloated? The welfare state under scrutiny |
September 26, 2014 | Download |
| Teaching Economic Systems and Economic Policy with a Focus on Competencies | September 17, 2015 | Download |
| Money, Monetary Policy, and Financial Literacy |
September 22, 2016 |
Download |
| Designing Competency-Based Consumer Education | September 21, 2017 | Download |
| Equity in Social Policy | November 29, 2018 | Download |
| Market and Competition | September 18, 2019 | Download |
| Online Training: Monetary Policy During the COVID-19 Crisis | September 24, 2020 | |
| Online Training: Economic Effects of the COVID-19 Crisis | December 7, 2020 | Download |
| Online Training: Rights of Vaccinated Individuals | April 30, 2021 | Download |
| Lessons for South Westphalia | October 6, 2021 | |
| Classes for South Westphalia | March 10, 2022 | |
| Online Training: Inflation 2022 – Here to Stay? | May 5, 2022 | |
| From a Social to an Ecological-Social Market Economy | September 29, 2023 | Download |
| Online Training: Simulations for Economics Classes | September 26, 2024 | Download |
Ansprechpartner
AOR Dr. Marco Rehm
Contact
Consultation by appointment