Active learning ideas
Economic growth is a primary objective of the Australian government, usually measured by the annual percentage change in real Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Students explore the factors that drive growth, such as technological change, labour force participation, and investment in infrastructure. They also examine the business cycle, identifying the characteristics of booms, recessions, troughs, and peaks.
Activity 01
Set up four stations representing Boom, Recession, Trough, and Upswing. At each station, students must list the likely levels of unemployment, inflation, and consumer confidence, using recent Australian historical data as evidence.
How does the Lean Canvas differ from a traditional business plan?
Activity 02
Students debate the limitations of GDP. One side defends GDP as a standard metric, while the other argues for alternative measures like the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) or the OECD Better Life Index, specifically referencing Australian social and environmental outcomes.
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Activity 03
Groups are assigned a specific decade in Australian history (e.g., the 2000s mining boom). They must identify the key drivers of growth during that period and present a 'digital scrapbook' of the era's economic performance.
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A few notes on teaching this unit
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Economic growth always makes everyone better off.
Growth can be uneven, leading to increased wealth gaps or environmental damage. Using a 'Gallery Walk' of different Australian communities (e.g., a mining town vs. a drought-affected farming area) helps students see that growth impacts vary significantly.
A recession is just when the economy slows down.
In Australia, a technical recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth. Peer-teaching exercises where students have to 'diagnose' an economy based on quarterly data help clarify this specific definition.
Methods used in this brief
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