Economics & Business · Year 7

Active learning ideas

The Future of Work: AI and Automation

Active learning works for this topic because students need to grapple with complex, evolving ideas rather than memorize static facts. By engaging in debates, simulations, and policy design, they confront the human and economic dimensions of AI-driven change, making the content personally relevant and memorable.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9HE7K04

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

Activity 01

• World Café
• 45 min · Small Groups

Debate Carousel: AI Job Impacts

Assign small groups one sector affected by AI, such as manufacturing or healthcare. Groups prepare two-minute arguments on benefits and challenges, then rotate to debate against other groups. Conclude with a class vote on most convincing points and key takeaways.

Analyze how AI and automation are transforming job markets and skill requirements.

Facilitation Tip

During the Debate Carousel, circulate and listen for students grounding their arguments in real industries or historical precedents to avoid abstract claims.

What to look for

Pose this question to small groups: 'Imagine your favourite local cafe or shop is replaced by robots and AI. What jobs disappear? What new jobs might be created? What skills would people need for these new jobs?' Have groups share their ideas with the class.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Simulation Game
• 30 min · Pairs

Job Market Simulation Game

Distribute job cards to pairs representing current roles. Introduce automation event cards that eliminate or transform jobs. Pairs negotiate trades for new skill-based roles and record economic effects in a shared class ledger.

Predict the long-term economic benefits and challenges of widespread automation.

Facilitation Tip

In the Job Market Simulation Game, assign roles that force students to experience both losses and gains in the job market to build empathy and realism.

What to look for

Provide students with a short news article about a new AI or automation technology being used in an Australian industry. Ask them to write down two potential positive economic impacts and two potential negative impacts on workers, citing specific examples from the article.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• World Café
• 50 min · Small Groups

Policy Design Workshop

In small groups, students review data on automation trends. They brainstorm and prototype two policy ideas, like retraining subsidies, then pitch to the class using posters. Class votes and discusses feasibility.

Design policy recommendations to support workers affected by technological displacement.

Facilitation Tip

For the Policy Design Workshop, provide a template with clear sections for problem, solution, and expected impact to guide students toward structured thinking.

What to look for

On a slip of paper, ask students to define 'job displacement' in their own words and name one Australian industry they think will be most affected by automation in the next 10 years, explaining why.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 04

• Gallery Walk
• 40 min · Pairs

Trend Tracking Gallery Walk

Pairs create posters on Australian AI case studies from provided sources. Groups rotate through the gallery, adding sticky-note predictions and questions. Debrief as a whole class to synthesize insights.

Analyze how AI and automation are transforming job markets and skill requirements.

Facilitation Tip

During the Trend Tracking Gallery Walk, place conflicting data points next to each other to push students to analyze contradictions critically.

What to look for

Pose this question to small groups: 'Imagine your favourite local cafe or shop is replaced by robots and AI. What jobs disappear? What new jobs might be created? What skills would people need for these new jobs?' Have groups share their ideas with the class.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Approach this topic by starting with students’ lived experiences of technology before introducing abstract concepts like displacement or productivity. Use analogies they know, such as the shift from horse-drawn carriages to cars, to make change feel familiar rather than futuristic. Avoid overwhelming them with technical details about AI; focus instead on its societal footprint. Research suggests students grasp economic concepts better when they role-play real-world stakes, so prioritize scenarios that feel immediate and consequential.

Successful learning looks like students confidently discussing job market trends, identifying real-world impacts of AI, and proposing thoughtful policies. They should move from broad generalizations to specific examples and nuanced reasoning about skills, industries, and societal responses.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Debate Carousel, watch for students claiming AI will erase all jobs permanently.

  Redirect the debate by asking groups to create a timeline of past technological shifts (e.g., ATMs replacing bank tellers) and identify new jobs that emerged, using the carousel’s debate cards to support their arguments.

• During Job Market Simulation Game, watch for students assuming automation only affects unskilled labor.

  Use the simulation’s role cards to assign students to professional roles, such as doctors or lawyers, and have them analyze how AI tools like diagnostic software or legal bots reshape their tasks.

• During Policy Design Workshop, watch for students assuming governments cannot influence job transitions.

  Have groups review case studies of successful retraining programs, then draft policies that incorporate elements from these examples into their proposals.

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Methods used in this brief

• World Café
• Simulation Game
• Gallery Walk