Economics & Business · Year 11

Active learning ideas

Globalisation and its Impacts

Active learning helps Year 11 students grasp globalization’s complexities by moving beyond abstract theories to tangible, real-world applications. When students map supply chains, debate policy, and simulate trade, they connect economic principles to concrete outcomes in ways that passive note-taking cannot.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9EC11K14

• 30–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Role Play
• 50 min · Small Groups

Supply Chain Mapping: Product Journey

Assign groups a product like a smartphone or T-shirt. Students research and map its global production stages, noting countries' comparative advantages and impacts on workers. Groups create posters and share key trade-offs with the class.

Analyze who benefits and who bears the costs of a globalized supply chain.

Facilitation Tip

During Supply Chain Mapping, have students annotate each step of the product’s journey with at least one economic or environmental cost or benefit to prompt deeper analysis.

What to look for

Facilitate a class debate: 'Resolved, that the benefits of globalization for the Australian economy outweigh its costs.' Assign students roles as consumers, local manufacturers, resource exporters, and policymakers to argue their positions, referencing specific examples of trade-offs.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Role Play
• 45 min · Whole Class

Trade Debate: Free Trade vs Protectionism

Divide class into teams to argue for or against protectionist policies for Australian manufacturing. Provide data on job impacts and consumer costs. Hold a structured debate with rebuttals and class vote.

Explain how comparative advantage drives international specialization in a global context.

Facilitation Tip

In the Trade Debate, assign specific roles early and provide a one-page brief with data to keep arguments grounded in evidence rather than opinion.

What to look for

Present students with a hypothetical scenario: A new trade agreement allows for cheaper imported steel. Ask them to write down: 1. One Australian industry that would likely benefit. 2. One Australian industry that would likely be harmed. 3. One reason why this trade-off occurs, using the term 'comparative advantage'.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 03

• Role Play
• 40 min · Pairs

Comparative Advantage Simulation: Pair Trading Game

Pairs represent countries with different production costs for goods. They negotiate trades based on opportunity costs, track gains, then discuss globalisation parallels. Debrief on why specialization increases total output.

Evaluate the trade-offs created by globalization for local manufacturing industries.

Facilitation Tip

For the Comparative Advantage Simulation, provide pairs with pre-calculated opportunity costs so they focus on trade-offs rather than arithmetic errors.

What to look for

On an exit ticket, ask students to identify one product they use daily and trace its supply chain back to at least two different countries. Then, ask them to explain one way globalization impacts the cost or availability of that product.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 04

• Case Study Analysis
• 30 min · Pairs

Case Study Analysis: Aussie Exports

Individuals or pairs analyze a case like Australia's LNG exports. Identify beneficiaries, costs for import sectors, and government roles. Write a short evaluation of net impacts.

Analyze who benefits and who bears the costs of a globalized supply chain.

Facilitation Tip

In the Case Study Analysis, require students to cite at least two data points from the Australian Bureau of Statistics to support their claims about export impacts.

What to look for

Facilitate a class debate: 'Resolved, that the benefits of globalization for the Australian economy outweigh its costs.' Assign students roles as consumers, local manufacturers, resource exporters, and policymakers to argue their positions, referencing specific examples of trade-offs.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should balance the abstract nature of globalization with structured, hands-on activities that force students to confront trade-offs. Avoid overloading students with data; instead, curate key statistics and focus on patterns. Research shows that simulations and debates foster higher-order thinking, while case studies make abstract concepts relatable. Always debrief with a clear link back to the core economic principles.

Successful learning looks like students confidently explaining how specialization and trade create interdependence, using evidence from case studies or simulations to support their reasoning. They should articulate both benefits and costs of globalization without defaulting to simplistic views.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Trade Debate: Free Trade vs Protectionism, watch for students assuming that globalization benefits all nations equally without examining differing national advantages.

  During the Trade Debate, assign groups to research specific countries’ export strengths and share findings during the debate to highlight uneven benefits. Ask students to compare Australia’s resource-based economy with a manufacturing-focused nation like Vietnam.

• During the Comparative Advantage Simulation: Pair Trading Game, watch for students believing that a country must be the most efficient producer to gain from trade.

  During the Comparative Advantage Simulation, provide pairs with productivity data and guide them to calculate opportunity costs before trading. After the simulation, ask students to reflect on why even less efficient producers benefit from trade.

• During the Supply Chain Mapping: Product Journey, watch for students assuming that free trade always destroys local jobs without alternatives.

  During the Supply Chain Mapping activity, provide students with a list of Australian export sectors that grew after trade liberalization (e.g., education, wine). Have them annotate their maps with examples of new job opportunities created by trade.

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Methods used in this brief

• Role Play
• Case Study Analysis