Technologies · Year 9

Active learning ideas

Information Architecture and Navigation

Active learning works for this topic because students need to feel the friction of poorly structured systems before they can design better ones. When Year 9 students physically sort cards or sketch navigation flows, they experience firsthand how hierarchy and labeling affect usability, making abstract concepts concrete and memorable.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9DT10P05

• 25–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Concept Mapping
• 35 min · Small Groups

Card Sorting: Content Hierarchy

Distribute cards with website content items to small groups. Students sort them into categories, label groups, and draw a site map. Groups then merge maps and test findability by having peers locate items quickly.

Analyze how information architecture impacts user findability.

Facilitation Tip

During Card Sorting, circulate with a timer visible to create urgency and encourage students to negotiate trade-offs in real time.

What to look for

Provide students with a simple website sitemap. Ask them to write two sentences explaining how the current structure might hinder findability and one suggestion for improving a specific navigation element (e.g., a menu label).

• Understand
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management

Activity 02

• Concept Mapping
• 30 min · Pairs

Wireframing: Multi-Level Navigation

Pairs sketch wireframes for a five-page site, adding global, local, and contextual navigation. They apply heuristics like consistency and feedback. Switch sketches for 5-minute critiques using a rubric.

Design an effective navigation structure for a complex website.

Facilitation Tip

While Wireframing, provide a printed checklist of navigation elements (global menu, footer links, breadcrumbs) to ensure students include all required components.

What to look for

Display screenshots of two different website homepages. Ask students to identify one strength and one weakness of the navigation system on each site, explaining their reasoning in a short paragraph.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management

Activity 03

• Concept Mapping
• 25 min · Pairs

Usability Testing: Think-Aloud Protocol

One student navigates a printed prototype while verbalizing thoughts; partner times tasks and notes confusion points. Switch roles after three tasks, then discuss redesigns as a pair.

Evaluate the usability of different navigation patterns (e.g., global, local, contextual).

Facilitation Tip

During Usability Testing, assign one student as the tester and another as the observer, then rotate roles so everyone experiences both perspectives.

What to look for

Students share their wireframes for a simple website. Partners review the wireframes, answering: Is the navigation clear? Can you easily predict where to find key information? Partners provide one specific suggestion for improving clarity or intuitiveness.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management

Activity 04

• Gallery Walk
• 40 min · Small Groups

Gallery Walk: Navigation Patterns

Post examples of navigation types around the room. Small groups evaluate each with sticky notes on strengths and weaknesses for given scenarios. Regroup to synthesize class findings.

Analyze how information architecture impacts user findability.

Facilitation Tip

During the Gallery Walk, ask students to leave sticky notes with one specific question or suggestion for each wireframe they review.

What to look for

Provide students with a simple website sitemap. Ask them to write two sentences explaining how the current structure might hinder findability and one suggestion for improving a specific navigation element (e.g., a menu label).

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should frame this topic as a design challenge, not just a technical skill. Avoid lecturing about best practices—instead, let students discover them through structured failure. Research shows that students retain design principles better when they iteratively test and refine their own solutions rather than following a prescriptive model.

Successful learning looks like students moving from trial and error to intentional design, where they justify their navigation choices with user needs. By the end of these activities, they should critique ineffective structures and propose clear, consistent alternatives.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Card Sorting, students may assume that adding more categories will help users find content faster.

  During Card Sorting, watch for groups creating overly specific categories. Have them combine categories based on user feedback and discuss how broad labels reduce cognitive load.

• During Wireframing, students may design navigation only for the homepage, assuming deeper pages will follow the same logic.

  During Wireframing, provide a sitemap with three levels and require students to show global, local, and contextual navigation on each page.

• During Usability Testing, students may believe that if users eventually find content, the navigation is acceptable.

  During Usability Testing, listen for signs of hesitation or backtracking. If testers hesitate or click randomly, use that moment to discuss how small navigation flaws compound into frustration.

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Methods used in this brief

• Concept Mapping
• Gallery Walk