Teaching Sequence

20 minutes	Part A: What Does Work Look Like?
40 minutes	Part B: Jigsaw Classroom - Understanding the Future of Work
20 minutes	Part C: Video - Experiencing the Nature of Work
20 minutes	Part D: Applying Understanding
20 minutes	Reflection

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

Part A: What Does Work Look Like?

Step 1.

Start the lesson by exploring student's prior knowledge and understanding of work.

Stick the 5 W's prompting questions up on the classroom walls at even intervals, and invite students to grab a pen or texta, stand up and circulate around the room answering the question on each of the posters. Students could answer by: writing a sentence, asking a further question, drawing an image or creating a symbol that represents their thoughts.

The posters ask the following questions:

Who is involved in work?
What do people do in work?
When do people go to work?
Where do people work?
Why do people work?

The questions prompt students to consider their understanding of work. In saying that, student's current understanding may be very different from reality, which is extremely varied. To highlight the varied nature of work, facilitate a discussion to explore student’s responses. Whilst students are sharing what they have contributed, ask students if they notice whether the responses are either consistent or varied.

If the responses are consistent, prompt students to consider whether, in a country of more than 20 million people, that all ‘work’ is experienced in the same way. In the event that responses are varied, highlight the range of responses to students, and inform the class that the purpose of today’s lesson is to further explore the nature of work and what they should do now in preparation for it.

Part B: Jigsaw classroom - Understanding the Future of Work

Step 1.

Inform students that the world of work is changing. This part of the lesson will be dedicated to understanding the nature of work. Let students know that there is a large volume of information about the future of work, and that the next part of the lesson will involve the class working together like a jigsaw to read and understand this information. The steps for this activity are as follows:

Invite students to form five to six person jigsaw groups. The groups should be diverse in terms of gender, ethnicity, race, and ability if possible.
If necessary, appoint one student from each group as the leader. This person would usually be the most mature student in the group.
Distribute the 'Nature of Work' Factsheet Series. Each student in the group should receive a separate factsheet.
Encourage students to read and understand the information on their factsheet. Students should be encouraged to focus on the factsheet they are reading.
Give students time to read over their factsheet at least twice and become familiar with it. Inform students that it's not necessary to memorise it.
Ask students to move their seats so that they form temporary “expert groups”. This means that one student from each jigsaw group join other students assigned to the same factsheet.
Give students in these expert groups time to discuss the main points of their information and to rehearse how they will present what they have understood back to their jigsaw group.
Ask students to reform into their original jigsaw groups.
Ask each student to present the information they have learned to the group. Encourage others in the group to ask questions for clarification.
Roam from group to group, observing the process. If any group is having trouble (e.g. a member is dominating or disruptive), make an appropriate intervention. Eventually, it's best for the group leader to handle this task. Leaders can be trained by quietly giving an instruction on how to intervene in a kind way, until the leader gets the hang of it.

(Instructions adapted from The Jigsaw Classroom)

There is some space on the Student Worksheet for notes.

Step 2.

Facilitate a class discussion to check for understanding and summarise what students have learned. Use the following questions to guide the discussion:

What are the differences between ‘then’, ‘now’ and ‘the future’ in the labour market that you noticed?
What is a job cluster? What does it mean for your future career?
What is a transferable skill? How can you learn this kind of skill?
Identify something you’re a bit unsure about. How can you find out more or practise this so that you’re feeling more confident?

During this discussion, be sure to emphasise with the class that this is an opportunity for them to personally reflect, and as such, there aren’t any ‘wrong’ answers. Encourage students to support each other and be kind.

Part C: Experiencing the Nature of Work

Step 1.

Ask students to arrange the classroom so that the tables are pushed to the sides of the room and students are sitting in a horseshoe formation in front of a screen. Introduce the following clips by informing students that they feature young people who are part of the La Trobe University Aspire Program. They were successful in applying for a place at La Trobe University on the basis of their contribution to their community. Invite students to watch the clips with the following questions in mind:

Where did you see:
- Work skills being developed by the person featured in the video?
- The nature of work being shown in the video?
- The ways that the young people are contributing to/adding to their community through volunteering?

Aspire: Lachie (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=almxes69EI8)

Aspire: Connor (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTAzry_S5vY)

Aspire: Raquel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYw2GzcxKDY)

Aspire: Rebecca (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdpGBO6YRHk)

Check for understanding at the end of each clip by asking a couple of students to name one thing they found intriguing or interesting in the clip.

Step 2.

After watching a selection or all of the clips, ask students to turn the horseshoe formation into a circle, and sit in the circle with the class. Guide a discussion about the clips using the questions previously foreshadowed:

Where did you see:
- Work skills being developed by the person featured in the video?
- The nature of work being shown in the video?
- The ways that the young people are contributing to/adding to their community through volunteering?

Encourage students to consider volunteering and community service as a great opportunity for them to gain personal insights into the nature of work, as well as a place where they can gain transferable work skills whilst contributing in a positive way to their community.

Part D: Applying Understanding

Step 1.

Invite students to revisit the brainstorming activity from Part A of this lesson to apply their new understanding and ideas. If more space is required for students' contributions, provide a new copy of each of the question posters and stick them up next to the copies used earlier in the lesson.

Step 2.

Once students have had time to circulate around the posters a second time, invite them to turn to the person next to them, and share one thing that they now understand differently.

Reflection

In either a whole-class discussion (where students are seated in a circle) or in the form of individual written reflection, prompt students to respond to the following questions:

What is the thing that surprised you most about work in the future?
What does the changing nature of work mean for you? What will you do differently?
In light of what you know about the future of work, what are you most hopeful about?

Extension/Homework

Extension

Encourage students to reflect on their understanding of the nature of work by completing the “I used to think…now I think” Visible Thinking routine.

Provisional Learning Support

When completing the brainstorming in Part A of the lesson, prompt students by asking them to recall the work experiences of the people in their lives. What do they remember about their parents/relatives experiences at work? What do they see when they go shopping? What experience do their teachers have at work? What have they experienced while on work experience?
Ensure that students are placed in mixed-ability groups for the Jigsaw Classroom activity.

Assessment

Students will reflect on the skills and knowledge developed throughout this lesson in a Career Portfolio that showcases their learning and skill development. This assessment task can be introduced at either the beginning or during the unit. Alternatively, it could be set as summative assessment at the end of the unit.

Considering Social Action

The Aspire Generation is a community of young people connected by their aspiration to make a difference through community service and leadership. They are the givers, the dreamers, the doers and the leaders who passionately pursue opportunities to address the big issues of their time. They think boldly and act responsibly and strive to leave a lasting impact on the world.

Students currently in Years 9, 10, 11 or 12 and have a passion for giving back, are eligible to be part of the Aspire Generation. Encourage students to give back by working in groups to plan and deliver an action project to make positive change in their community. The Aspire Generation: Work Studies Year 9 & 10 - Social Action lesson facilitates students to drive change through community engagement, volunteerism and leadership opportunities.

Aspire Generation - Your Future of Work

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