Technologies · Year 10

Active learning ideas

The Future of Work

Active learning works for The Future of Work because students need to confront their own assumptions about automation while practicing evidence-based reasoning. When they analyze real job tasks, debate trade-offs, and simulate economic shifts, they move from abstract fear to concrete understanding.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9DT10K01

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

Activity 01

• Jigsaw
• 50 min · Small Groups

Jigsaw: Industry Automation Risks

Assign small groups one industry, such as retail or healthcare. They research automatable tasks using provided sources, note resilient human roles, and create infographics. Groups then teach their findings to the class, who compile a shared matrix of risks and opportunities.

How does technology affect society in terms of wealth distribution?

Facilitation Tip

In Jigsaw Research, assign each group a specific industry so their final synthesis reveals patterns across sectors rather than isolated facts.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Which three jobs do you believe are most vulnerable to automation in the next 20 years, and why?' Students should provide specific reasons, referencing task types and technological capabilities, and then discuss potential new roles that might emerge in those sectors.

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

Activity 02

• Formal Debate
• 30 min · Pairs

Pairs Pitch: Emerging Future Jobs

In pairs, students brainstorm three new roles from AI advancements, like virtual reality therapists. They outline required skills and societal benefits, then pitch to the class for feedback and voting on viability.

What skills will be most valuable in an economy dominated by AI?

Facilitation Tip

For Pairs Pitch, require students to include both a data point about job growth and a concrete example of human judgment in their emerging job proposals.

What to look for

Provide students with a list of 10 job titles. Ask them to categorize each job as 'High Risk of Automation', 'Medium Risk', or 'Low Risk', and for two of their choices, write a brief justification explaining their reasoning based on task repetitiveness and AI capabilities.

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

Activity 03

• Formal Debate
• 45 min · Whole Class

Debate Carousel: UBI and Wealth Gaps

Divide class into affirm/negate teams on 'Universal basic income is essential for automation.' Teams rotate stations to argue, rebut, and note evidence from wealth distribution data. Conclude with a class vote and reflection.

Is universal basic income a necessary response to widespread automation?

Facilitation Tip

During Debate Carousel, rotate groups every 5 minutes to expose them to multiple perspectives before they vote on the strongest arguments.

What to look for

On an index card, have students write one skill they believe will be essential for future employment in an AI-dominated economy and explain in one sentence why that skill is important. They should also list one potential societal challenge arising from widespread automation.

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

Activity 04

• Simulation Game
• 40 min · Small Groups

Simulation Game: AI Economy Shifts

Small groups manage a simulated economy with cards representing jobs, automation events, and skill upgrades. They track wealth changes over rounds, discuss outcomes, and propose adaptations like retraining programs.

How does technology affect society in terms of wealth distribution?

Facilitation Tip

In Simulation Game, limit each round to 7 minutes so students experience the pressure of rapid economic change while still reflecting on outcomes.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Which three jobs do you believe are most vulnerable to automation in the next 20 years, and why?' Students should provide specific reasons, referencing task types and technological capabilities, and then discuss potential new roles that might emerge in those sectors.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers approach this topic by balancing caution with optimism. Avoid presenting automation as an unstoppable force; instead, use historical examples to show cycles of disruption followed by adaptation. Focus on skills students can develop now—critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and adaptability—rather than predicting specific jobs. Research shows that students retain these concepts better when they connect them to their own career aspirations.

Successful learning looks like students confidently distinguishing between automatable tasks and human-centric roles, using evidence from their research and debates. They should articulate how skills like ethics or creativity remain irreplaceable despite technological advances.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Jigsaw Research, watch for students assuming all technology replaces jobs without considering historical job creation patterns.

  Have groups present one example of a job that disappeared due to technology and two new jobs that emerged as a result, using their research to identify the skills that enabled adaptation.

• During Pairs Pitch, watch for students proposing only technical roles as future jobs without addressing human oversight needs.

  Require each pitch to include a non-technical skill required for the role, such as ethical decision-making or user experience design, and ask peers to identify which parts of the job cannot be automated.

• During Debate Carousel, watch for students assuming universal basic income (UBI) is the only solution to wealth gaps caused by automation.

  Use the carousel’s rotating groups to surface counterarguments, then have students revise their positions based on evidence from other groups’ research on automation’s uneven impacts across industries.

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Methods used in this brief

• Jigsaw
• Formal Debate
• Simulation Game