HASS · Year 10

Active learning ideas

Artificial Intelligence and Society

Active learning works for this topic because AI’s societal impacts are complex and evolving. Students need to confront real-world dilemmas, compare perspectives, and test their own assumptions through structured interaction rather than passive reading.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9H10K09

• 40–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Jigsaw
• 50 min · Small Groups

Jigsaw: AI Applications

Assign small groups one AI application (healthcare, transport, jobs). Groups research benefits and risks using provided articles, then teach peers in mixed jigsaw groups. End with whole-class synthesis chart.

Analyze the potential benefits and risks of widespread AI adoption.

Facilitation Tip

For the Jigsaw Expert Groups, assign each group a sector and require them to present a 2-minute summary using only a single data point from their research.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Should AI development be paused until ethical guidelines are universally agreed upon?' Facilitate a class debate where students represent different stakeholder groups (e.g., AI developers, ethicists, government regulators, affected workers) and argue their positions using evidence from case studies.

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

Activity 02

• Formal Debate
• 45 min · Pairs

Ethical Dilemma Role-Play: Stations

Set up stations with scenarios like biased hiring AI or self-driving car choices. Pairs role-play stakeholders, discuss decisions, rotate stations, and vote on resolutions. Debrief key ethics.

Explain the ethical considerations surrounding AI development and use.

Facilitation Tip

During the Ethical Dilemma Role-Play, provide each station with a one-page case study and a timer to keep discussions focused and equitable.

What to look for

Present students with a short scenario describing an AI application (e.g., a hiring algorithm, a facial recognition system). Ask them to write down: 1. One potential benefit of this AI. 2. One potential ethical risk. 3. One question they would ask the developers.

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

Activity 03

• Gallery Walk
• 40 min · Individual

Future Prediction Gallery Walk

Individuals sketch AI impacts on 2035 life in five areas (work, school, health). Post on walls for gallery walk; small groups add sticky-note predictions and questions. Discuss trends.

Predict how AI might transform various industries and daily life in the future.

Facilitation Tip

In the Future Prediction Gallery Walk, post students’ predictions around the room before discussion so they see the range of possibilities in real time.

What to look for

Students complete an exit ticket with two prompts: 'Name one industry that will be significantly transformed by AI in the next 10 years and explain how.' and 'What is one question you still have about AI's impact on society?'

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

Activity 04

• Formal Debate
• 50 min · Small Groups

Debate Carousel: Benefits vs Risks

Form pro/con teams for statements like 'AI will create more jobs than it destroys.' Rotate positions midway, argue with evidence cards, then reflect in pairs on shifted views.

Analyze the potential benefits and risks of widespread AI adoption.

Facilitation Tip

Use the Debate Carousel to rotate students between stations every 3 minutes, ensuring they hear multiple viewpoints before committing to a stance.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Should AI development be paused until ethical guidelines are universally agreed upon?' Facilitate a class debate where students represent different stakeholder groups (e.g., AI developers, ethicists, government regulators, affected workers) and argue their positions using evidence from case studies.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should treat this topic as a series of ethical laboratories where students test their own biases against data. Avoid overloading with technical details; focus instead on helping students recognize that AI systems reflect human choices. Research shows students grasp abstract concepts like bias more deeply when they see concrete examples from their own lives or communities.

Successful learning looks like students confidently distinguishing fact from fiction in AI claims, articulating trade-offs between benefits and risks, and applying ethical reasoning to unfamiliar scenarios. They should leave able to critique AI applications with evidence, not just opinions.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Jigsaw Expert Groups: AI Applications, students may claim AI 'understands' human language or emotions.

  During Jigsaw Expert Groups: AI Applications, have groups present a side-by-side comparison of a human response and an AI response to the same prompt, highlighting where the AI lacks context or nuance.

• During Ethical Dilemma Role-Play: Stations, students may assume AI systems are developed without human bias.

  During Ethical Dilemma Role-Play: Stations, provide each case study with a sample of biased training data and ask students to identify how the data might skew the AI’s decisions.

• During Future Prediction Gallery Walk, students may believe AI’s societal impacts are entirely unpredictable.

  During Future Prediction Gallery Walk, ask students to ground their predictions in current trends, such as job market data or policy documents, and explain how they arrived at their conclusions.

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Methods used in this brief

• Jigsaw
• Formal Debate
• Gallery Walk