Economics & Business · Year 8

Active learning ideas

Digital Marketing and Social Media

Active learning works because digital marketing and social media are dynamic fields where students benefit from doing, not just listening. By constructing campaigns, debating ethics, and analyzing real ads, students connect abstract concepts like algorithms and privacy to tangible outcomes they can critique and improve.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9HE8K02

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

Activity 01

• Project-Based Learning
• 50 min · Small Groups

Group Challenge: Build a Targeted Ad Campaign

Assign small groups a fictional product and target audience. Have them research platform algorithms using provided case studies, then design an ad with visuals and copy using free tools like Canva. Groups pitch their campaign to the class, explaining targeting choices.

Analyze how social media platforms enable targeted advertising.

Facilitation Tip

During the Group Challenge, rotate between teams to ask probing questions that push students to justify their ad targeting choices using real data points.

What to look for

Present students with a hypothetical scenario: A local bakery wants to advertise a new gluten-free range. Ask them to identify two types of user data a social media platform might collect that would be useful for targeting this advertisement and explain why.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Project-Based Learning
• 45 min · Pairs

Debate Carousel: Data Ethics Scenarios

Set up four stations with ethical dilemmas, such as selling user data without consent. Pairs rotate, discuss pros and cons on sticky notes, then regroup to share arguments. Facilitate a whole-class vote on key resolutions.

Critique the ethical implications of data collection in digital marketing.

Facilitation Tip

For the Debate Carousel, assign roles firmly so every student prepares arguments and counterarguments in advance, ensuring balanced participation.

What to look for

Facilitate a class debate on the statement: 'The benefits of personalized advertising outweigh the risks to data privacy.' Encourage students to present arguments for both sides, referencing concepts like convenience versus consent.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Jigsaw
• 40 min · Small Groups

Jigsaw: Real Campaigns

Divide class into expert groups to dissect one real social media ad for targeting techniques and ethics. Experts then teach their findings to new home groups, who compile a class critique poster.

Predict how emerging digital technologies will further transform marketing practices.

Facilitation Tip

In the Ad Analysis Jigsaw, require each group to present one concrete example of data use from their campaign before moving to the next station.

What to look for

Ask students to write down one emerging digital technology (e.g., AI, VR) and predict one specific way it might change how businesses market to consumers in the next five years.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Activity 04

• Project-Based Learning
• 30 min · Individual

Future Tech Prediction: Individual Brainstorm

Students individually list three ways AI or VR could transform marketing, supported by quick online examples. Pairs then merge ideas into a shared digital mind map for class discussion.

Analyze how social media platforms enable targeted advertising.

Facilitation Tip

For the Future Tech Prediction, model an example of a one-sentence prediction with evidence before students write theirs.

What to look for

Present students with a hypothetical scenario: A local bakery wants to advertise a new gluten-free range. Ask them to identify two types of user data a social media platform might collect that would be useful for targeting this advertisement and explain why.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills
• Decision-Making

A few notes on teaching this unit

Start by grounding the topic in students' lived experiences—their own social media feeds become a case study. Avoid overloading with technical jargon; instead, focus on how algorithms shape what they see daily. Research shows students grasp digital concepts better when they analyze familiar platforms before abstract theory. Model skepticism about claims like 'ads are random' by having them audit their feeds for patterns in sponsored content.

Successful learning looks like students confidently explaining how targeted ads work, identifying ethical dilemmas in data use, and proposing innovative marketing strategies. They should articulate both the benefits and risks of digital tools while adapting ideas to different business contexts.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Ad Analysis Jigsaw, watch for students assuming social media ads appear randomly to all users. Redirect them by asking: 'What evidence in your feed suggests targeting? Look for repeated products or sponsored posts tied to searches.'

  During the Group Challenge, redirect this misconception by requiring teams to document which specific data points (e.g., 'users who liked vegan recipes') they used to target their audience, and why those points matter for the product.

• During the Debate Carousel, watch for students stating that data collection in marketing is always harmless and private. Redirect them by asking: 'What scenarios in the case studies showed users were unaware of tracking?'

  During the Debate Carousel, have students reference the consent scenarios they prepared to challenge this view, asking peers to consider who benefits and who might be harmed by invisible data collection.

• During the Future Tech Prediction, watch for students assuming digital marketing works the same for all businesses. Redirect them by asking: 'How would a small café’s strategy differ from a global brand’s?'

  During the Group Challenge, require teams to justify how their campaign would scale for a business with a limited budget, highlighting tools and tactics that work for smaller enterprises.

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Methods used in this brief

• Project-Based Learning
• Jigsaw