The gig economy and casual work
Students examine the differences between casual work and the gig economy.
Year level
9-12
Duration
60 minutes
Type
In class activity
SEL Competencies
Self-management
Learning intention
Students investigate the differences between freelance work and casual employment.
Key outcomes
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
describe freelance and casual work
understand the gig economy and the changing nature of work.
Materials needed
Paper
Pens
Access to the ReachOut.com article 'Your guide to juggling casual and freelance work'.
Mapped to
Australian Curriculum: General Capabilities
Personal and Social Capability:
Social awareness
Social management
Self-awareness
Self-management
Critical and Creative Thinking:
Inquiring
Generating
Activity 1
Explain
5 minutes
The gig economy:
There has been a significant increase in the amount of contract, temporary and freelance work – dubbed ‘the gig economy’.
Examples are: Deliveroo, Uber drivers, musicians paid per appearance.
Activity 2
Think, Puzzle, Explore
10 minutes
Individually or in pairs, students answer the following questions. Allow time between each question to encourage students to think deeply.
Think: What do you think you know about the gig economy?
Puzzle: What questions do you have about the gig economy?
Explore: How can you learn more about the gig economy?
Activity 3
Class discussion
10 minutes
Discuss with students their thoughts on each Think, Puzzle, Explore question.
Students can add to their answers as the class discussion continues.
Activity 4
Explain
5 minutes
Casual employment does not have regular or systematic hours of work. Include examples.
Activity 5
Think, Puzzle, Explore
10 minutes
Individually or in pairs, students answer the following questions. Allow time between each question to encourage students to think deeply.
Think: What do you think you know about casual employment?
Puzzle: What questions do you have about casual employment?
Explore: How can you learn more about casual employment?
Activity 6
Class discussion
10 minutes
Discuss with students their thoughts on each Think, Puzzle, Explore question.
Students can add to their answers as the class discussion continues.
Activity 7
Student inquiry
5 minutes
Students seek to answer the questions they wrote down. They may use one of the ways they suggest. Alternatively, they could use one of the following websites:
