Geography · Grade 11

Active learning ideas

Informal Economy and Development

Active learning works because the informal economy is often invisible to students until they see its patterns and feel its impacts. Mapping, role-play, and debates let students touch the real-world data and dilemmas behind the concept, moving from abstract ideas to lived experience.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.3
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.7

• 35–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Case Study Analysis
• 35 min · Pairs

Mapping Activity: Informal Economy Hotspots

Provide data tables on informal economy shares by country or region. Pairs shade world maps to visualize distribution, then annotate push factors like urbanization. Whole class shares patterns in a gallery walk.

Analyze the factors that contribute to the growth of the informal economy in different regions.

Facilitation Tip

During the Mapping Activity, invite students to verify a few hotspot locations using their phones to connect global examples to local neighborhoods.

What to look for

Ask students to write down two distinct reasons why someone might choose to work in the informal economy and one significant challenge they might face. Collect these at the end of class to gauge understanding of motivations and difficulties.

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

Activity 02

• Jigsaw
• 50 min · Small Groups

Jigsaw: Regional Profiles

Assign small groups one region, such as Southeast Asia or urban Canada. They compile characteristics, benefits, and challenges from sources. Groups teach peers via jigsaw rotation, noting common threads.

Evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of informal economic activities for individuals and societies.

Facilitation Tip

For the Case Study Jigsaw, assign each student a role card so they must defend one region’s profile in mixed groups.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'If you were a city planner in a rapidly growing city like Lagos, Nigeria, what would be your first priority in addressing the informal economy, and why?' Facilitate a brief class discussion to assess students' grasp of policy trade-offs.

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

Activity 03

• Case Study Analysis
• 45 min · Small Groups

Policy Workshop: Integration Proposals

Small groups brainstorm policies to formalize informal work, like microfinance or training programs. They pitch ideas to the class, using rubrics for feasibility and equity. Vote on strongest proposals.

Design policies that could integrate informal workers into the formal economy.

Facilitation Tip

In the Policy Workshop, give teams red and green sticky notes so proposals must address both benefits and risks before moving to vote.

What to look for

Present students with short case study descriptions of individuals working in different informal sectors (e.g., a seamstress in Peru, a bicycle repair person in Vietnam). Ask them to identify the primary economic activity and list one potential benefit and one potential risk for each person.

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

Activity 04

• Case Study Analysis
• 40 min · Whole Class

Debate Circles: Pros and Cons

Divide class into pro and con teams on 'Informal economy aids development.' Teams prepare evidence, debate in inner/outer circles. Switch roles to build balanced views.

Analyze the factors that contribute to the growth of the informal economy in different regions.

What to look for

Ask students to write down two distinct reasons why someone might choose to work in the informal economy and one significant challenge they might face. Collect these at the end of class to gauge understanding of motivations and difficulties.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should avoid framing the informal economy as a problem to solve and instead treat it as a survival strategy that reveals gaps in formal systems. Research shows that when students role-play city planners or vendors, they notice how zoning laws, tax rules, and social networks shape choices more clearly than through lecture alone. Emphasize context: one policy that works in Lima may fail in Lagos, so comparisons are essential.

Students will leave able to explain where and why informal work concentrates, weigh its trade-offs for individuals and cities, and propose policies that acknowledge rather than ignore it. Evidence will appear in labeled maps, policy memos, and balanced debates.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Mapping Activity, watch for students who color only low-income countries, reinforcing the idea that informal work is confined to the Global South.

  During the Mapping Activity, provide a starter list of informal roles in Canada (e.g., rideshare drivers, home-based daycares) and have students add at least two local examples to their maps before comparing regions.

• During the Debate Circles, watch for students conflating unregulated work with crime, labeling all informal activity as ‘illegal.’

  During the Debate Circles, give teams a set of role cards (e.g., freelance tutor, subsistence farmer) and require them to cite national regulations before labeling any activity illegal or lawful.

• During the Case Study Jigsaw, watch for students assuming that informal work always harms development, especially in wealthier nations.

  During the Case Study Jigsaw, provide two columns on the jigsaw sheet—one labeled ‘Benefits to Individuals’ and one ‘Benefits to City’—to nudge students to find nuance before concluding whether the activity hinders or helps development.

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Methods used in this brief

• Case Study Analysis
• Jigsaw