Economics · Grade 9

Active learning ideas

Positive and Negative Incentives

Active learning works because incentives are abstract concepts that students experience in real life. When students participate in role-plays and design challenges, they connect theoretical ideas to their own decision-making processes. This hands-on approach makes the economic way of thinking more tangible and memorable for Grade 9 learners.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• CEE.Std1.6

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

Activity 01

• Case Study Analysis
• 45 min · Small Groups

Role-Play: Incentive Marketplace

Divide class into buyers, sellers, and regulators. Introduce a positive incentive like a subsidy for green products, then observe buying shifts. Switch to a negative incentive like a tax on plastics and discuss changes. Groups debrief on what worked best.

Analyze the intended and unintended consequences of a specific incentive.

Facilitation Tip

In the Debate: Positive vs Negative, assign roles in advance and require students to prepare with at least two real-world examples to support their arguments.

What to look for

Present students with a scenario: 'A local bakery is considering offering a 10% discount on all purchases made before 8 AM to increase morning sales.' Ask: 'What type of incentive is this? What are the potential intended consequences? What are two possible unintended consequences?'

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

Activity 02

• Case Study Analysis
• 35 min · Small Groups

Case Study Carousel: Real Incentives

Prepare stations with cases: seatbelt laws, soda taxes, recycling rebates. Groups rotate, analyze intended/unintended effects, and predict behavior changes. Each group adds one insight to a shared chart.

Compare the effectiveness of positive versus negative incentives in different contexts.

What to look for

On a slip of paper, ask students to identify one positive incentive and one negative incentive they have personally encountered. For each, they should write one sentence explaining how it influenced their behavior.

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

Activity 03

• Case Study Analysis
• 30 min · Pairs

Incentive Design Challenge

Pairs brainstorm an incentive for a problem like reducing food waste in cafeterias. They pitch positive or negative options, vote class-wide, and simulate outcomes with props. Reflect on effectiveness.

Predict how a change in incentives might alter consumer behavior.

What to look for

Provide students with a short case study about a company introducing a new employee bonus program. Ask them to identify the incentive, classify it as positive or negative, and list one potential outcome for employee productivity.

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

Activity 04

• Formal Debate
• 40 min · Whole Class

Formal Debate: Positive vs Negative

Assign half the class to argue for positive incentives in reducing smoking, the other for negative. Provide evidence cards. Vote and discuss context-specific strengths.

Analyze the intended and unintended consequences of a specific incentive.

What to look for

Present students with a scenario: 'A local bakery is considering offering a 10% discount on all purchases made before 8 AM to increase morning sales.' Ask: 'What type of incentive is this? What are the potential intended consequences? What are two possible unintended consequences?'

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should use a mix of scenarios and simulations to show that incentives are not one-size-fits-all. Research suggests students grasp the complexity of incentives better when they experience pushback and unintended outcomes firsthand. Avoid over-reliance on lectures; instead, let students test their ideas through structured activities and peer feedback.

Students will explain how incentives influence decisions in personal, business, and government contexts. They will classify incentives correctly and analyze both intended and unintended consequences with examples from their own lives and current events. Participation in discussions and simulations will show their ability to apply the concept to new situations.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Role-Play: Incentive Marketplace, watch for students who assume all incentives work the same way for every audience.

  Use the role-play cards to prompt students to consider the age, income, or values of their assigned character when discussing how the incentive might be received.

• During Debate: Positive vs Negative, watch for students who claim negative incentives are always more effective.

  Have students refer to their role-play notes or debate examples to identify moments when positive incentives led to better outcomes or sustained change.

• During Case Study Carousel: Real Incentives, watch for students who overlook unintended consequences in their analysis.

  Provide sticky notes for students to add potential ripple effects directly onto the case study sheets as they rotate through the carousel.

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Methods used in this brief

• Case Study Analysis
• Formal Debate