English · Year 10

Active learning ideas

The Attention Economy

Active learning works for this topic because students need to experience firsthand how design choices manipulate attention before they can critique them. Analyzing their own behaviors and real platform tactics builds authentic understanding that passive lessons cannot match.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9E10LY04
• AC9E10LA02

• 30–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Socratic Seminar
• 30 min · Pairs

Pairs Audit: Screen Time Tracker

Students pair up to log their phone or app usage over 24 hours using built-in trackers or journals, noting triggers like notifications. They then discuss patterns and categorize time into productive, social, or addictive uses. Pairs present one key insight to the class.

Analyze the strategies used by social media platforms to maximize user engagement and attention.

Facilitation Tip

During the Pairs Audit, remind students to track not just time spent but also which features triggered the longest sessions, using their phone’s built-in screen time tools.

What to look for

Facilitate a class debate using the prompt: 'Should digital platforms be held legally responsible for the negative mental health impacts of their design features?' Students should use specific examples of platform tactics and research findings to support their arguments.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Socratic Seminar
• 45 min · Small Groups

Small Groups Debate: Platform Ethics

Divide class into groups representing platforms, users, regulators, and advertisers. Provide case studies of addictive features. Groups prepare 2-minute arguments on ethical responsibilities, then debate in a structured fishbowl format with observers noting persuasive techniques.

Explain the concept of the 'attention economy' and its impact on the quality of online content.

Facilitation Tip

When running the Small Groups Debate, assign roles clearly so every student engages with both ethical arguments and counterarguments, not just the most vocal participants.

What to look for

Present students with screenshots of three different social media interfaces. Ask them to identify and label at least two attention-grabbing features on each screenshot and briefly explain how each feature works to keep users engaged.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Socratic Seminar
• 35 min · Whole Class

Whole Class Analysis: Algorithm Dissection

Project screenshots of social media feeds. As a class, identify and vote on engagement strategies like emotional hooks or FOMO triggers. Chart results on a shared board, linking to attention economy principles and content quality impacts.

Critique the ethical responsibilities of platforms in managing user attention and potential addiction.

Facilitation Tip

For the Whole Class Analysis, display algorithm outputs side-by-side so students can contrast personalized recommendations with neutral feeds to see bias in action.

What to look for

On an index card, have students write one strategy used by digital platforms to capture attention, one potential negative consequence of this strategy for users, and one question they still have about the attention economy.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 04

• Socratic Seminar
• 40 min · Individual

Individual Creation: Ethical App Pitch

Students design a one-page mockup of an ethical social media feature that prioritizes well-being over endless engagement. They write a persuasive pitch explaining choices, then share in a gallery walk for peer feedback.

Analyze the strategies used by social media platforms to maximize user engagement and attention.

Facilitation Tip

During the Ethical App Pitch, require students to present their app’s design alongside a counter-design that mitigates its own attention-grabbing features.

What to look for

Facilitate a class debate using the prompt: 'Should digital platforms be held legally responsible for the negative mental health impacts of their design features?' Students should use specific examples of platform tactics and research findings to support their arguments.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should model skepticism by openly questioning platform intentions while avoiding cynicism that dismisses student agency. Use real examples from student feeds to ground discussions, and balance critique with constructive alternatives. Research shows that when students analyze their own data, they recognize patterns more deeply than when analyzing generic cases.

Successful learning looks like students identifying specific design features in social media feeds, explaining their psychological mechanisms, and connecting these tactics to broader impacts on information quality and mental health. They should move from observation to critical evaluation, not just description.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Pairs Audit: Watch for students assuming their screen time data reflects only their choices, not platform design.

  During Pairs Audit, ask students to note which apps triggered notifications or autoplay at the exact moment they opened them, then compare those moments to their intended use.

• During Small Groups Debate: Watch for students claiming algorithms are 'just math' and therefore neutral.

  During Small Groups Debate, have students pull up their own feeds and time how long they spend on content they initially disliked—this reveals how engagement metrics override user preferences.

• During Whole Class Analysis: Watch for students overlooking how personalized recommendations differ from neutral feeds.

  During Whole Class Analysis, provide a fresh account with no prior activity to show how algorithms create entirely different content landscapes for different users.

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Methods used in this brief

• Socratic Seminar