Starting Strong: A Guide for First-Time IB Economics Teachers

Starting Strong: A Guide for First-Time IB Economics Teachers

May 23rd, 2025

Stepping into teaching IB Economics for the first time next year?

Good news — you’re about to begin one of the most rewarding journeys in education.

Also good news — it’s totally normal to feel a little overwhelmed at first.

I was.

Teaching in the IB Diploma Programme reshaped my career in ways I never expected. It challenged me intellectually, made me a better teacher of real academic skills, and, honestly, deepened the relationships I had with my students more than any other course ever had.

Something shifts when you walk alongside students instead of judging their final outcomes. That dynamic — built into the IB — is incredibly powerful.

But getting there? It takes a little work.

Here’s what made the start challenging for me (and probably will for you too):

The IB world can feel like a mystery at first
IB Economics comes with its own learning curve
Many schools only have one Economics teacher — you
Balancing content + skill-building takes time to figure out
Lesson planning often feels like flying blind early on
Late night diagram-panic-sessions

The good news? With the right focus, you can avoid the stress spiral and build a strong foundation from day one.

Here are Five Things That Worked for Me…

#1. Understand the Whole IB Diploma

Before you get too deep into the Economixa content, step back and look at the full IB Diploma Programme.

Your students are juggling six classes, Theory of Knowledge, a 4,000-word Extended Essay, and a full Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) portfolio.

They’re under a lot of pressure. Knowing their world helps you teach with empathy — and strategy.

Here’s a quick breakdown of what they need to do:

Six Subjects — 3 Higher Level, 3 Standard Level
Theory of Knowledge (TOK) — critical thinking about knowledge itself
Extended Essay — major essay and research process
Creativity, Activity, and Service — creative projects

Quick little note: Higher Level classes aren’t "harder" — they just go deeper. More topics, more hours, same basic concepts.

So, that’s the big picture, student life perspective.

#2. Know Your Economics Content (Obviously)

No shortcuts here: you have to truly understand what you’re teaching.

IB Economics is divided into five distinct sections of the syllabus:

Introduction to Economics — foundational ideas + a dive into the history of economic thought
Microeconomics — classic supply and demand, government policies, and market failures
Market Power—cost, revenue, and profit, plus four market structures
Macroeconomics — big-picture economics: unemployment, inflation, growth, poverty
The Global Economy — trade, exchange rates, and the economics of development

The content is the most overwhelming part at first—especially if you are moving into teaching economics with a history or social studies background.

It is a lot of work to learn the content the first time around. That’s just true.

But it’s pretty exciting and new to learn.

#3. The Five Essential Skills

When it comes down to it, this is a skills-based course.

Your first time through the content seems king, but with time I realized it’s the skills that have the biggest impact on student performance.

Think of the content as the information we teach to get these kids to hone these Five Essential Skills:

The Language
The Calculations
The Diagrams
The Analysis
The Evaluation

These Five Essential Skills are built by looking at what skills are necessary for a student to thrive on the IB Economic Exam at the end of the two-year course.

Teaching these skills is our number one priority as a teacher of IB Economics.

Why?

Because students can not learn these skills on their own.

We must help them. Guide them. Teach them. Hold them accountable.

Then reteach them.

Key Point! These Five Essential Skills should guide your daily lessons.

Meaning that every daily lesson should be focused on at least one of these Five Essential Skills.

Oftentimes, our lessons will hit on two or three of them.

Yes, this takes thought, work, and good guidance, but they are essential to us serving these kids.

#4. Get Training That Prepares You for Day One

This is perhaps the most important tip I can give you.

Find a teacher workshop or training that makes you feel empowered to begin the journey of teaching this course.
The number one goal for a new teacher going to training is that they come away feeling like they understand the overall task at hand—meaning the two-year task.

There are a lot of nuances that come up throughout the two years. There’s the Internal Assessment, The Extended Essay, Mock Exams, Predicted Grades, etc.

Yes, that is true. But at the beginning that can all be overwhelming.

With time a thorough understanding of those things will come. As they arise. You don’t need mastery of any of those things before your first day of class.

What you do need is an understanding of what they are so that you can avoid being blindsided by anything.

I too was once at the beginning of this journey. As a result, I have designed all of my workshops and trainings around what I would have loved to have had when I began teaching this course.

For new teachers, my IB Economics New Teacher Workshop has proven to be a lifesaver for them. It’s a two-day workshop in July with eight hours of instruction geared toward giving you the confidence you need to feel empowered on day one. It includes an annual Teacher Membership, a Microeconomics Teacher Resource eBook, and instant access to a private group of IB Economics teachers via WhatsApp.

When choosing a training, just be sure that when you read the agenda that you feel like you will feel empowered to teach the course on day one.

That point is huge.

But whatever you choose, make sure it leaves you feeling empowered, not overwhelmed.

#5. Find a Mentor Teacher

Lastly, find a colleague, a friend, a fellow teaching partner.

Find a mentor.

This is invaluable. Remember, your first run through this course is two, years, long.

Two. Long. Years.

That’s a long time. Having a trusted person to ask the “dumb questions” to is invaluable.

While my Mentoring Program is designed for just that, it doesn’t really matter who the person is, just as long as you trust that person and that they too are an IB Economics teacher.

This is something that I would have loved to have had years ago when I began. The amount of time and frustration saved would be immeasurable.

Whether it’s an official program or just an informal connection, find someone who’s a little ahead of you on the path. Trust me — it’ll save you stress, time, and second-guessing.

One new teacher told me:

"The course itself didn’t scare me — it was everything else swirling around it that made me feel lost."

That’s real. And that’s why mentorship matters.

So congratulations!

Starting in IB Economics is an incredible opportunity — and a real challenge.

But you’re not alone.

Take it step-by-step:

Start by seeing the full IB Diploma picture
Really learn the IB Economics content
Focus fiercely on the Five Essential Skills
Get the most practical and tangible training you can
Find a mentor

No one does it perfectly the first time through. But with the right tools and mindset, you’ll find yourself thriving — and so will your students.

IB Economics has given me some of the best years of my career.

I think it’ll do the same for you.

Good luck — and let me know if I can help in any way.

See you next week.