HASS · Year 6 · Australia in the Asia-Pacific · Term 4

The Evolving World of Work

Explore how technological advancements and automation are transforming job markets and the skills required for future employment.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9HASS6K11

About This Topic

The evolving world of work topic guides Year 6 students to examine how technological advancements and automation reshape job markets. They compare jobs common in their grandparents' era, such as farming, manufacturing, and clerical work, with today's digital, service, and creative roles. Through key questions, students analyze automation and artificial intelligence impacts on opportunities and predict essential skills like critical thinking, collaboration, and adaptability.

Aligned with AC9HASS6K11, this fits the Australia in the Asia-Pacific unit by linking local economic shifts to regional trends. Students explore how innovations create demand for human-centered skills amid routine task automation, fostering awareness of interconnected global workforces.

Active learning suits this topic perfectly. Role-plays of future job scenarios, group timelines of job evolution, and skill-sorting challenges turn predictions into engaging experiences. Students connect personally through family interviews, building confidence to navigate change collaboratively.

Key Questions

1. Compare the types of jobs prevalent in our grandparents' era with those common today.
2. Analyze the potential impacts of automation and artificial intelligence on future job opportunities.
3. Predict the essential skills that will be most valuable for the workforce of tomorrow.

Learning Objectives

• Compare the types of jobs common in their grandparents' era with those prevalent in the current job market.
• Analyze the potential impacts of technological advancements, such as automation and artificial intelligence, on future job opportunities.
• Predict and justify the essential skills that will be most valuable for the workforce of tomorrow.
• Explain how changes in technology have influenced the skills required for employment over time.

Before You Start

Technology and Society

Why: Students need a basic understanding of how different technologies impact daily life and communities before exploring their influence on work.

Community and Economy

Why: Understanding basic economic concepts like jobs and services is foundational to analyzing changes in the job market.

Key Vocabulary

Automation	The use of technology, such as machines and computer programs, to perform tasks previously done by humans.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)	The development of computer systems that can perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as learning, problem-solving, and decision-making.
Job Market	The supply and demand for jobs, including the types of jobs available and the skills employers are looking for.
Skills Gap	The difference between the skills that employers need and the skills that the current workforce possesses.
Gig Economy	A labor market characterized by the prevalence of short-term contracts or freelance work, as opposed to permanent jobs.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Robots and AI will eliminate all jobs.

What to Teach Instead

Many routine jobs change, but new roles emerge in design, maintenance, and ethics. Simulations where students manage robot 'workers' reveal job creation, helping them see balanced impacts through hands-on trial.

Common Misconception

Future jobs require only technical skills.

What to Teach Instead

Interpersonal skills like communication remain crucial across sectors. Sorting activities let students categorize and debate skills, clarifying the blend needed and correcting narrow views via peer input.

Common Misconception

Work has not changed much over generations.

What to Teach Instead

Family interviews provide concrete evidence of shifts. Timeline builds show patterns, with group shares correcting assumptions through shared stories and visuals.

Active Learning Ideas

Pairs Interviews: Past Jobs Timeline

Students in pairs prepare 5-6 questions about grandparents' or family work experiences. Conduct interviews by phone or visit, record key jobs and skills. Create a class timeline displaying changes from past to present.

45 min·Pairs

Small Groups Debate: Automation Impacts

Assign groups to argue for or against statements like 'Automation creates more jobs than it eliminates.' Provide articles for quick research, hold 10-minute debates, then class vote and reflection.

50 min·Small Groups

Whole Class Simulation: Future Job Fair

Students invent 3 future jobs influenced by AI, prepare posters with required skills. Set up a job fair where class members visit booths, apply for roles, and discuss matches.

40 min·Whole Class

Individual Sort: Skills for Tomorrow

Provide cards with skills like coding or empathy. Students sort into 'past jobs,' 'today,' and 'future' piles individually, then justify in small group discussions.

30 min·Individual

Real-World Connections

• Consider the role of self-checkout machines in supermarkets, which have reduced the need for cashiers, or the use of robotic arms in car manufacturing plants that perform repetitive assembly tasks.
• Think about how customer service roles are changing, with chatbots handling simple queries online while human agents focus on more complex issues, requiring strong problem-solving skills.
• Explore how jobs in agriculture have shifted from manual labor-intensive farming to roles requiring operation of GPS-guided tractors and data analysis for crop management.

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are interviewing someone who worked in a factory 50 years ago and someone who works in a tech company today. What different types of jobs would they describe? What different skills would they say were most important?' Facilitate a class discussion comparing their responses.

Quick Check

Provide students with a list of 10 skills (e.g., coding, critical thinking, manual dexterity, empathy, data analysis, physical strength). Ask them to circle the 5 skills they believe will be MOST important for jobs in 20 years and write one sentence explaining their top choice.

Exit Ticket

On a slip of paper, have students write one example of a job that exists today but likely did not exist 50 years ago, and one sentence explaining why technology made this new job possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to compare grandparents' jobs with today's in Year 6 HASS?

Start with paired interviews using guided questions on daily tasks, tools, and skills. Compile responses into a class mural or digital timeline highlighting shifts from manual to tech-driven work. Follow with discussions linking changes to inventions like computers, reinforcing AC9HASS6K11 through personal connections.

What essential skills will future workers need?

Core skills include adaptability, problem-solving, digital fluency, creativity, and teamwork. Automation handles repetitive tasks, so human strengths like empathy and innovation stand out. Activities like skill sorts and job invention help students identify and practice these for Australia's evolving economy.

How can active learning engage students in the evolving world of work?

Role-plays of automated factories or future job fairs make abstract changes vivid and fun. Group debates on AI impacts build argumentation skills, while family interviews add relevance. These methods boost retention by 30-50% per studies, as students own predictions and connect to real lives.

What are automation's impacts on Australian job markets?

Automation displaces some manufacturing and admin roles but grows tech support, healthcare, and green jobs. In the Asia-Pacific context, Australia emphasizes reskilling via programs like TAFE. Students analyze data graphs in class to predict local effects, preparing for civic participation.