HASS · Year 2

Active learning ideas

Technology in the Classroom

Active learning helps students grasp how technology reshapes our world by letting them experience change firsthand. For this topic, simulations and visuals make abstract ideas about transport speed and innovation tangible and memorable.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9HASS2K02

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

Activity 01

• Simulation Game
• 35 min · Small Groups

Simulation Game: The Great Race

On a map of Australia, students 'race' from Perth to Sydney. One group 'walks' (moving 1cm per turn), one 'rides a horse' (5cm), and one 'flies' (the whole way in one turn). They discuss how speed changes our connection to other places.

How does technology help you and your teacher learn and teach in the classroom?

Facilitation Tip

During The Great Race, have students record the time taken for each ‘transport method’ to travel a set distance so they can directly compare speeds.

What to look for

Ask students to draw and label three different technologies they see in their classroom. Then, have them write one sentence for each explaining how it helps them learn.

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

Activity 02

• Gallery Walk
• 30 min · Pairs

Gallery Walk: Transport Through Time

Set up images of a bullock wagon, a steam train, an early Holden car, and a modern electric bus. Students rotate in pairs, identifying what 'powers' each vehicle (muscles, coal, petrol, or battery).

How would learning at school be different if there were no digital technologies to use?

Facilitation Tip

For the Gallery Walk, place images chronologically and ask students to note one observation about technology use in each time period on sticky notes.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine our classroom had no computers, tablets, or smartboards. What are two things you would miss doing for learning, and why?' Facilitate a class discussion, noting student responses.

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

Activity 03

• Inquiry Circle
• 45 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: Future Transport

In small groups, students are given a 'future problem' (e.g., too much traffic, need to protect the air). They design a transport machine for the year 2050 and present its features to the class.

What new types of technology do you think might be in classrooms ten years from now?

Facilitation Tip

When leading the Collaborative Investigation, assign each group a different future transport idea to research and present, ensuring varied perspectives are shared.

What to look for

Provide students with a slip of paper. Ask them to write down one technology they think will be common in classrooms in ten years and one reason why.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach this topic by grounding discussions in local examples and student experiences. Avoid overwhelming students with too many technologies at once, instead focusing on a few key examples across time periods. Research shows that pairing historical images with hands-on activities strengthens understanding of technological change.

Students will articulate how technology changes human movement and explain the impact on daily life. They will compare past and present transport methods and imagine future possibilities with confidence.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During The Great Race, watch for students assuming walking was the only way people traveled in the past. Redirect by asking them to consider how long it would take to walk from Sydney to Melbourne compared to riding a horse.

  During the Gallery Walk, have students locate First Nations Songlines or early settler maps in the images, prompting them to discuss the long distances humans have always traveled.

• During the Collaborative Investigation, expect students to assume cars have always been the primary transport. Redirect by asking them to examine photos of 1900s streets and identify the variety of transport methods present.

  During the Gallery Walk, include a photo of a 1900s street scene with horses, carts, and early cars. Ask students to compare the number of each type and discuss why cars eventually became dominant.

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Methods used in this brief

• Simulation Game
• Gallery Walk
• Inquiry Circle