Transition Year
Economics Module
Teacher Resources
Draft
1
Title
Page
Activities
Substitute Goods activity
3
Complementary Goods activity
5
Game Theory
Game 1 : Introducing Opportunity Cost
Game 2: Demand curve and how to derive it
Game 3: Marginal utility/diminishing marginal returns
Game 4 : Demand,supply and determination of price
Game 5 : The Snicker Effect
Links
Links to suitable online resources
This pack contains resources which can be used in conjunction with the Transition Year Economics
Module Student Workbook and the Transition Year Economics Guidelines for Teachers.
There are several resources Game Theory, which you may find useful for background reading.
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Substitute Goods
Before class:
Photocopy the cards set out below and on the following page. Make sure you have a complete set
for every group of four students in your class. Cut out each individual card and place a full set of
substitute cards in an envelope for each group.
During class:
Divide the class into groups of four and hand out an envelope of cards to each group. Ask the
students to find the substitute goods and match them side by side. In the space provided in the
student workbook, students can write in the names of the substitute goods.
Suggested time: 5 minutes
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4
Complementary Goods
Before class:
Photocopy the cards set out below and on the following page. Make sure you have a complete set
for every group of four students in your class. Cut out each individual card and place a full set of
complementary cards in an envelope for each group.
During class:
Divide the class into groups of four and hand out an envelope of cards to each group. Ask the
students to find the complementary goods and match them side by side. In the space provided in
the student workbook, students can write in the names of the complementary goods.
Suggested time: 5 minutes
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BUDGET CONSTRAINTS
Practical example. Visit a local supermarket.
Instructions
Divide the class into groups of 3.Give each group one of the situation cards.
Discussion
Return to class and discuss shopping choices.
What factors affected their group’s choices?
What difficulties did each group experience?
What issues emerged?
The following pages are included in the Student Booklet but you may wish to photocopy them for
the activity so students can do a rough version and then transfer the details in to their answer book.
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Situation 1
You have to feed a family of 2 adults and 2 children (aged 4 and 6) for a day on €10.
Remember you need to buy food for breakfast , lunch , dinner and any snacks/drinks needed.Don’t
forget basic items such as milk,margarine etc. Assume the cupboard is bare!!!
Requirements
Breakfast
Cost
Lunch
Dinner
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Situation 2
You have to feed a family of 2 adults and 2 children(aged 4 and 6) for a day on €20.
Remember you need to buy food for breakfast ,lunch , dinner and any snacks/drinks needed.Don’t
forget basic items such as milk,margarine etc.Assume the cupboard is bare!!!
Requirements
Breakfast
Cost
Lunch
Dinner
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Situation 3
You have to feed a family of 2 adults and 2 children (aged 4 and 6) for a day on €30.
Remember you need to buy food for breakfast , lunch , dinner and any snacks/drinks needed. Don’t
forget basic items such as milk, margarine etc. Assume the cupboard is bare!!!
Requirements
Breakfast
Cost
Lunch
Dinner
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NOTES ON GAMES
Experiments stimulate students to a height that is not matched
by textbook readings or lectures (Yandell, 1999a)
Introduction
Students often find economic concepts to be abstract and incomprehensible, without connection to
reality. Games make economic concepts concrete and comprehensible, and connect economics to
students' lives. Using the "Snickers Effect" game students learn how individual demand curves are
aggregated into a market demand curve. In the "Prisoner's Dilemma" game students' learn about
self-interest and cooperation, thereby learning that even the most individually focussed, selfinterested individual may be better off cooperating than always looking out only for number one.
Other games can be used to understand diminishing marginal utility, price discovery and market
clearing, externalities and public goods. There are very few concepts that are not amenable to a
game theoretic treatment. Let the games begin!
Game 1 : Introducing Opportunity Cost
Instructions
Bring in two different types of sweets to class eg. chocolate and lollies. As long as there is a choice
involved it doesn’t really matter.
Tell each student they can have one sweet and one only, forcing them to make a choice. Once they
all have their sweet let them eat it.
After this little treat, give them a post -it note each.
Ask them to write all the good things or benefits of that sweet. Eg. Taste,texture ..
Then show a picture of each sweet on the whiteboard and then they come up and stick their
comment on the relevant picture.
Then go through the post it notes explaining what they have missed out on. This is Opportunity Cost
in practice
Note: There is a chance that they will all take the same sweet. But, it’s unlikely if you’re careful with
your choices of sweets.
Then develop the concept from there.
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Game 2: Demand curve and how to derive it
Subject(s):
Demand curve
Objective:
To experimentally derive a demand curve
Reference and Brock, John. "Experimental Derivation of a Demand Curve." Classroom Expernomics, 1(2),
contact:
Fall 1992, pp. 3-4. [adapted from Weidenaar (1972)]
Explanation:

Bring two ice-cold bottles of soft drinks to class on a hot day or on a cold day,
some hot coffee or chocolate.
Ask how many students would be willing to pay 10c for one bottle; then 20c; and
so on.
Tabulate and graph the result.
Then ask students to assume that the day was really a whole lot hotter (or colder)
and repeat the exercise (the demand curve shifts).



Time:
A few minutes
Game 3: Marginal utility/diminishing marginal utility
Objective:
To teach students an intuitive understanding of total utility, marginal utility, and
diminishing marginal utility
Reference and
contact:
Gillette, David and Robert delMas. "Psycho-Economics: Studies in Decision Making."
Classroom Expernomics, 1(2), Fall 1992, pp. 5-6; gillette@truman.edu

Explanation:
Time:



Ask students to rate their present well-being on a scale of 0 (poor) to 100
(great).
Then feed them Marshmallows, one at a time.
After each Marshmallow, ask students to again rate their well-being.
Collect the rating-sheets, tabulate, and display total utils, marginal utils, and
(eventually) diminishing marginal utility.
Twenty five minutes
Game 4 : Demand, supply and determination of price
Objective:
To demonstrate that and how supply and demand determine equilibrium market quantity
and market price
Nelson, Paul S. and Paul W. Grimes. "Supply and Demand Analysis: Using Markets Created
Reference and in the Classroom." Journal of Education for Business, 66(6), July/August 1991, pp. 370contact:
373, which contains instructions, or contact Dr. Paul Grimes; College of Business and
Industry; Mississippi State University; Mississippi State, MS 39762; pwg1@ra.msstate.edu
Explanation:
Each student is assigned a position as a 'buyer' or a 'seller' in a fictitious market.
The teacher hands out cards indicating each student's reservation price as a buyer or a
seller, with unique prices on each card. Eg the buyers' cards range from €11 to €9 in steps
of 10 or 25 cents, and conversely the sellers' cards reflect a similar price range (sellers'
production costs).
The instructor serves as auctioneer. Ask buyers and sellers to assemble across from each
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other. Ask for a opening offer to buy, say "Buyer 6 will buy at €5.00." Any seller can accept
("Seller 3 accepts"). If a trade is completed, that pair of students exits the trading pit. The
trade is recorded on the board. A trading round ends when no more offers to buy or sell
are forthcoming. Then, all students rejoin the trading pit and a second round may be
started.
In the authors' experience a "stable equilibrium will be reached in three or four trading
periods, which normally occurs an average of 15-20 minutes after the instructions are
read" (Nelson and Grimes, 1991, p. 371).
Game 5:The Snicker Effect
A Classroom Game for Developing Market Demand and Demand Elasticities
This simple experiment of market demand has students create their own individual demand curves
based on principles of consumer choice and then has them combine to create a market demand
curve.
Students are asked to hypothetically "buy" from a "shop" in the classroom where product price and
income change throughout the different stages of the experiment.
In this game the student is introduced to market demand and the related elasticities in a setting
which is quite familiar—a grocery shop.
Description of the Experiment
Students take the roles of hypothetical buyers of various products held for sale in a "shop" in the
front of the classroom. Students all have the same income and face the same prices. Outside
influences cause one of the product’s prices to change in the second stage of the experiment; in the
third stage, the income level changes while the prices revert back to their original levels.
At the start of class, each student is provided a copy of the "Market Demand Experiment
Instructions" (see Appendix A).
The instructor begins the first stage of the experiment by explaining that each student has an
income of €5 and an option of buying any of the products (or any combination of the products) in
the store.
The students are then told that they must spend all of their income.
The "shop" has four products eg. a bottle of water (€1), a package of crisps (€1), a bar of chocolate
(€1) and a small carton of milk (€1).
The prices do not necessarily have to be the same, but keeping things simple is important.
The instructor then asks the students to log their purchases on the log sheet provided for the
experiment. (For the instructions and information sheet, see the next section of the paper, and also
Appendix A.)
Market Demand Experiment Instructions
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Situation 1
You are a consumer of goods for sale in our classroom "shop". You have a total income of €5 to
spend on goods. You may buy any number of the products that you desire, but you must spend all of
your income. The prices of the products for sale are listed below.
Write down the number of each product you decide to buy next to the product price in the
"Individual Quantities" column (the "Market Quantities" column will be dealt with later).
Individual Quantities Market Quantities
Bottle of water
Snickers Bar
Crisps
Carton of Milk
Situation 2- "A New Day"
Due to a production catastrophe the price of Snickers Bars increases to €2, and all of the other
product prices remain unchanged. Once again write down the number of each product you decide to
buy next to the product price (below) allowing only for the change in the price of Snickers Bars, your
income is still €5.
Individual Quantities Market Quantities
Can of Coke =$1
Snickers Bar =$2
Twinkie =$1
Carton of Milk =$1
Situation 3 - "Another New Day"
The peanut production catastrophe gets all straightened out (i.e., the price of Snickers Bars
decreases to its original market price of €1). Further, a university donor has offered more scholarship
grants to students, leading to increased income for all students. Once again, log your purchases next
to the product price (below) remembering to spend all of your income (€8).
Individual Quantities Market Quantities
Bottle of water
Snickers Bar
Crisps
Carton of Milk
The students then form groups of 5 or 6 (groups may be larger if necessary, larger groups simply
necessitate more time to organize). Each group develops a market demand curve for the product
that changed price during the second stage (i.e., the Snickers bar). Students simply sum the total
purchases of that product at each price and then plot the two points. This turns out to be a
significant learning experience for a large number of students. Deriving the market demand curve
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and actualizing ownership helps students to internalize the concept of market demand, often for the
first time. Once the market demand curve is graphed according to the instruction sheet, a price
elasticity of demand is then calculated.
Although students do not have much of an understanding as to what they are doing when they
originally calculate elasticity of demand, these initial calculations lead to a lively dialogue and
thoughtful discussion at the end of the experiment. We are able to discuss when the quantity of a
product might be considered "elastic" or "responsive" to given changes in price. Invariably
someone comes up with the idea that when the numerator (percentage change in quantity
demanded) is greater than the denominator (percentage change in price) then certainly the
product should be considered "elastic" or "responsive".
Finally, each group of students examines how the change in one product’s price affects the quantity
demanded of another product (cross-price elasticity). The group is asked to examine the
responsiveness of each of the other three product’s quantity to the given change in the price of the
Snickers bar. A cross-price elasticity is calculated and the students formulate ideas about how the
other three products are related to Snickers bars (i.e., complementary goods, substitute goods, or
non-related goods).
Appendix A: Market Demand Experiment Instructions
Situation 1
You are a consumer of goods for sale in our classroom "store". You have a total income of $5 to
spend on goods. You may buy any number of the products that you desire (as long as you spend only
$5) and you certainly don’t have to purchase all of the products, but you must spend all of your
income. The prices of the products for sale are listed below.
Write down the number of each product you decide to buy next to the product price in the
"Individual Quantities" column (the "Market Quantities" column will be dealt with later).
Individual Quantities Market Quantities
Bottle of water
Snickers Bar
Crisps
Carton of Milk
Situation 2- "A New Day"
Due to a peanut production catastrophe the price of Snickers Bars increases to €2, and all of the
other product prices remain unchanged. Once again write down the number of each product you
decide to buy next to the product price (below) allowing only for the change in the price of Snickers
Bars, your income is still €5.
Individual Quantities Market Quantities
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Individual Quantities Market Quantities
Bottle of water
Snickers Bar
Crisps
Carton of Milk
Situation 3 - "Another New Day"
The peanut production catastrophe gets all straightened out (i.e., the price of Snickers Bars
decreases to its original market price of €1). Further, a university donor has offered more scholarship
support to students, leading to increased income for all. Once again, log your purchases next to the
product price (below) remembering to spend all of your income (€8).
Individual Quantities Market Quantities
Bottle of water
Snickers Bar
Crisps
Carton of Milk
Now develop a market demand curve.
Get in a group of 5 people, and determine the "Market Quantities" for situation 1 and situation 2
only (simply sum the quantities demanded for each product at each price level over all individuals)
and log the values in the spaces provided above.
We will deal with situation 3 later.
You now have the ability to develop a demand curve for Snickers bars (remember that a market
demand curve is simply the summation of individual demands at various prices).
Draw the demand curve below.




Put a title on the graph
Label the axes (i) price (ii) quantity
Plot the points from the information gathered
Join the dots and label the derived demand curve
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You know that when the price of one good changes, that change often affects the demand for
another good (e.g., a price change in Pepsi affects the demand for Coke).
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Go back and look at the Market Quantities columns in situation 1 and situation 2 again. Examine
specifically how the market quantities of the other goods changed when the price of Snickers Bars
changed, ceteris paribus.
Remember, when the price of one good changes, it causes a shift in the demand for a related good.
Therefore, the two different market quantities that you have for each product (in situation 1 and 2)
are points on two different demand curves. You do not have any information regarding the slopes of
the demand curve, you simply need to draw them with some kind of a negative slope.
This specifically gives us information regarding the responsiveness of quantity of one product to a
given price change in a related product. This is known as cross-price elasticity of demand .
Draw the demand curve below.




Put a title on the graph
Label the axes (i) price (ii) quantity
Plot the points from the information gathered
Join the dots and label the derived demand curve
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Some suggested methodologies
1. For discussion use Think-Pair-Share
THINK-PAIR-SHARE
Think about the question on your own and write down your
thoughts
Share your thoughts with your partner
Listen to your partner’s ideas
Combine your ideas
QUESTION
MY THOUGHTS/IDEAS
MY
PARTNERS COMBINED
THOUGHTS/IDEAS
IDEAS
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2. Consider All Factors
This methodology encourages pupils to think about all the relevant factors when making a
decision or considering an idea. It is a useful tool before deciding and planning a particular
course of action to gather together a comprehensive list of factors which may determine a
decision or idea.
1. The teacher discusses with students the importance of considering all factors in decisionmaking and planning. For example, if an important factor is forgotten, a route of action
which may seem right at the time may ultimately turn out to be wrong.
2. In groups students fill out the Consider All Factors template.
3. Once the CAF sheets are completed, students rotate in groups and view the factors which
other groups have noted. They may wish to use the Two Stars and a Wish strategy as a
means of peer assessment.
4. Students could then be given time to modify or add to their original factors based on
what other groups have written on their sheets.
5. A debrief afterwards in order to bring together all factors as a whole group is always
useful.
‘Consider all Facts’ sample Template:
Idea/issue to be discussed
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Factor 1
• Advantages
• Disadvantages
Factor 2
• Advantages
• Disadvantages
Factor 3
• Advantages
• Disadvantages
Conclusion
Example
Beauty School Drop Out
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Stay in school
• Advantages
• Disadvantages
Leave the course
• Advantages
• Disadvantages
Other options?
• Advantages
• Disadvantages
Conclusion-what should she do?
3. Group Presentations
Students prepare a presentation on a topic in groups. It helps if the topic being studied can
be divided up so each group presents a different sub-topic. Don’t tell students what their
subtopic is until after they have studied the topic as a whole, to ensure that they learn the
whole topic.
Often junior students will not have the IT skills to make good presentations. Why not create
IT Buddies to overcome this. Create a mentor group with students who have advanced IT
skills. This could be a TY or senior class who make themselves available one day a week to
junior classes. It could also be a student whose IT and mentor skills comes to the attention
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of a teacher. Mentors can help Junior Cycle students create power-point presentations. Set
success criteria and allocate marks to each of the criteria.
How does it work?
• All groups assess each presentation using the agreed and explained success criteria
allocating marks after each performance on their scoring grid or rubric.
• Students then give their mark sheet to a group member to whom they offered summative
and formative feedback, meaning no one keeps the mark sheet they were scoring on as it
has gone to the person you were writing about.
• This mark sheet is stuck in the portfolio of the person being assessed.. This helps to raise
the quality of the comments.
4. Walking Debate
The walking debate will give every student the opportunity to express their opinion on the
issues under discussion.
How does it work?

Place agree and disagree signs on either side of the room. Gather all students in the
centre of the room.

Invite students to indicate whether they agree or disagree with the following
statements by standing under the agree or disagree signs:

Draw feedback from students after each statement is read. Ask why they took the
position they did – note if any students changed position based on the contributions
of others.
5. Jigsaw Groups
Jigsaw groups are a very effective way of organising group work. In this scenario, students
are arranged into groups and each group is given a different subtopic related to the one
topic. They must become ‘expert’ on their subtopic and agree how they are going to teach it
to their classmates. When they are ready, the groups are mixed up so that there is now one
expert on each subtopic in each group. They now take turns ‘teaching’ their subtopic to the
other members of the group.
6. Placemat Technique
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The Placemat Technique can be used with a wide variety of questions and prompts or for a
wide range of learning goals, e.g.





To encourage students to share ideas and reach a consensus about a topic/idea
To activate the prior knowledge of a topic among students
To help students share problem-solving techniques
To take group notes during a video or oral presentation
To summarise learning after the class and/or to be used as an opening review for the
subsequent lesson
Groups of four students are ideal for the placemat technique but it can also work with 3 – 6
students by amending the template.
Tips
1. Discuss, record and post a labelled diagram of the Placemat on the board so that
students always have a visual reference of the organisation and required actions.
2. Consider the composition of the small groups and vary the membership according to
the students’ learning styles and interaction, subject-matter expertise, etc. Some
groups will require more teacher support in carrying out the task in other groups.
3. Use the placemats as a record of collective student thinking and post the ideas for
other groups to see.
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Placemat Technique: Step-by-Step Instructions
What teachers do…
Before




During


After


Divide students into groups
(ideally of 4)
Decide on a question/concept/
problem for the centre of the
placemat
Distribute
the
placemat
template to each group
If using more or less than 4
students per group, ask the
students to divide a blank sheet
of paper into sections equal to
the number of students in the
group, leaving a rectangle in
the centre of the sheet for the
recording
of
the
group
consensus
Direct each group member to
think about, then silently write
ideas/information that relate to
the question in their personal
area of the chart paper
Give students a pre-determined
amount of time
Give a signal for students in
each group to discuss their idea
and information and to agree
on a response to be shared with
the entire class
Call on one member from each
group to share their group’s
What students do…

Organise
the
placemat
according to the number of
students in their group so that
there are sufficient sections for
the students and a centre
rectangle for recording their
group consensus ideas

Gather their thoughts about the
chosen question
Write silently in their own area
of the paper, respecting the
space and silence of all
members of the group




Take turns sharing their ideas
with the group
Engage in discussion with all
group members to reach
consensus on a group response
Use communication skills such
as
active
listening
and
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


response with the whole class
Assess for understanding by
listening to student responses
Use
information
gained
throughout the activity to
inform
further
teaching
decisions and strategies
Have students post the charts
on notice boards/class wall to
further share their group’s
thinking with the class



requesting clarification
Record the group response in
the centre of the placemat
Actively listen as each group’s
placemat is presented
Post the chart for further
sharing with the class and as a
record of the topic learned so
that the students and teacher
can make reference to it in
future lessons
7. In the Hot Seat
This creative in-role activity can be a useful tool to encourage discussion about a particular
issue and share information. A single hot seat should be placed facing the group.
Alternatively, in order to facilitate more relaxed interaction between students, the hot seat
might be placed in the middle of a circle.
How does it work?

Students are allocated a particular character, or alternatively they think of a role
themselves relevant to the issue in question. The role can be researched by a group
or individually.

Other students in groups think up challenging questions for the person in the hot
seat. This can be done with the help of the teacher.

The character in question is put in the hot seat and questioned by the other
students. This can help students to feel empathy for a particular person or
viewpoint, particularly a view which they do not normally share.

An idea or issue could also be placed on the hot seat, instead of a student. Using this
technique, answers can come from anyone in the class.

A mystery game could also be played out using this technique, with class members
having to guess the identity of the person in the hot seat.

A debrief afterwards could involve asking pupils what they learned, what they found
interesting and if they would challenge anything which the person in the hot seat
said.
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8. Oral Presentation Evaluation Form for Peer or SelfAssessment
Name:
Date:
Topic:
Content
Rating*
1. Began in an interesting and attention-getting manner.
2. Stayed with the topic throughout.
3. Supported opinion with at least three facts and/or examples.
4. Presented facts and/or examples in a logical manner.
5. Had a strong ending.
Total number of content points possible = 25
Delivery
1. Stood straight and tall.
2. Maintained good eye contact with the audience.
3. Spoke in a voice that was clear, and could be easily heard and understood.
4. Varied expression to make the speech/presentation interesting.
5. Spoke at a pace that was neither too fast or too slow.
Total number of delivery points possible = 25
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9. Reflection sheet for group-work
What I did that helped the group
What I did that hindered the group
What others did that helped the group
What others did that hindered the group
From The Teacher’s Toolkit , Paul Ginnis, 2002
Basic Elements of Cooperative Learning Groups
1.
POSITIVE INTERDEPENDENCE
The teacher arranges work in such a way that students need each other to complete the
task or activity and to maximise the learning. Students sink or swim together. This can be
achieved by:
 Using a joint or shared reward for the group
 Using distributed leadership so that every team member has a leadership role
 Using shared resources, e.g. only one handout per team which ensures students
must all agree answers before they write anything
 Establishing shared goals for the team
2.
INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNTABILITY
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Students are assessed individually on the quality and quantity of their learning. The results
are given to both the team and the individual. Rewards are given for team results. If the
team improves on its own previous results, rewards can be given for this improvement.
3.
GROUP PROCESSING
Teams need specific time to discuss how well they are achieving their goals and reflect on
how they are working together. They need to maintain effective working relationships
among team members. They need to be aware of behaviours that help the team most and
increase their use of these behaviours. Teachers structure group processing by posing
questions to students, e.g. what worked well in our team today? What helped me (as a
student) most in my learning? Teachers can monitor the teams and give feedback to
students. This feedback should always be positive.
4.
INTERPERSONAL AND SMALL GROUP SKILLS
Teams cannot function effectively if team members don’t have (or use) the necessary social
skills. Teachers need to emphasise the use of these skills and teach them as they would
academic skills. Small Group Skills include listening, summarising, encouraging,
communication, leadership, decision making, building trust, conflict management,
disagreeing with the argument and not the person, consensus building, contributing ideas
and checking for understanding.
5.
FACE-TO-FACE PROMOTIVE INTERACTION
A culture of encouragement and support is established with students. Team members
promote each other’s work by encouraging and helping each other and by sharing resources
with each other. Team members explain, discuss and teach what they know to their teammates. Teams should be structured so that team-members sit knee-to-knee, eye-to-eye, so
that they can easily talk about the tasks they are working to complete. Unnecessary barriers
are removed to ensure noise levels are kept to a minimum.
10. K-W-L?
Know - Want to Know - Learned
K-W-L is an introductory strategy that provides a structure for recalling what students know about a topic,
noting what students want to know, and finally listing what has been learned and is yet to be learned
30
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Self –reflection
Teachers may like students to answer some or all of the following at the end of
each section or at the end of the module
•
The most important thing I learned was…
•
The way I learned was…
•
What I found difficult was…
•
What I enjoyed most was…
•
What I want to find out more about is…
•
What I need more help with is…
•
What still puzzles me is…
•
What surprised me was…
•
What I have learned that is new is…
•
What helped me when something got tricky was…
•
What really made me think was…
•
I might have learned better if…
•
What I would change about this activity to help another class learn is…
Reflection Sheet
At the end of the section please describe how students have
demonstrated any of the elements of the key skills listed below.
Key skills
Essential Elements
Brief comment on how skill
was evident
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Communicating
•Analysing and interpreting
texts and other forms of
communication
• Expressing opinions,
speculating, discussing,
reasoning and
engaging in debate and
argument
• Engaging in dialogue,
listening attentively and
eliciting opinions,
views and emotions
• Composing and
performing in a variety of
different ways
• Presenting using a variety
of media
Working with Others
Working with others in a
variety of contexts with
different goals
and purposes
• Identifying evaluating,
achieving collective goals
• Identifying responsibilities
in a group and establishing
practices associated with
different roles in a group
• Developing good
relationships with other and
a sense of wellbeing
in the group
• Acknowledging individual
differences, negotiating and
resolving
conflicts
• Checking progress and
reviewing the work of the
group, and
personally reflecting on
33
one’s own contribution
Being Personally
Effective
• Being able to appraise
oneself, evaluate one’s own
performance, receive and
respond to feedback
• Identifying, evaluating and
achieving personal goals,
including developing and
evaluating action plans
• Developing personal
qualities that help in new
and difficult situations, such
as taking initiatives, being
flexible, being reliable and
being able to persevere
when difficulties arise
• Being able to asset oneself
as a person and to become
more confident
Critical Thinking
• Examining patterns and
relationships and classifying
and ordering information
• Analysing and making
good arguments,
challenging assumptions
• Hypothesising and making
predictions, examining
evidence and reaching
conclusions
• Identifying and analysing
problems and decisions,
exploring options and
alternatives, solving
problems and evaluating
outcomes
• Thinking imaginatively,
actively seeking out new
points of view, problems
34
and/or solutions, being
innovative and taking risks
Information
Accessing information from
a range of sources
Processing
• Selecting and
discriminating between
sources based on
their reliability and suitability
for purpose
• Recording, organising,
summarising and integrating
information
• Presenting information
using a range of information
and communication
technologies
NCCA key skills student reflection sheet
Student reflection on learning
Skill: Information Processing
In studying this topic you hoped to develop your skills of Information Processing.
Please fill in this questionnaire to see how this has been achieved.
Give yourself 1 where if you answer no to the statements below, give a medium score if
you did it a bit and a high score if you did it a lot.
1
2
3
4
5
I got information
from different
sources
I had to sort
through
different
accounts/texts
and select what
was
best and be able
to say why
35
I had to make
my own notes in
my
own words
I had to present
information in
different ways
(e.g. lists,
diagrams,
maps, charts,
poster, etc)
I had to present
a summary of
the
most important
points
I had to choose
how to present
information
most effectively
I used ICT (e.g.
computer, video
clips, digital
camera)
Where you have given yourself a high score please explain why. Describe in some detail
what you did.
The thing I liked most was…
36
The main thing I learned is…
The skill I want to develop more is…
37
Student reflection on learning
Skill: Critical and creative thinking
In studying this topic you hoped to develop your skills of critical and creative thinking. Please fill in
this questionnaire to see how this has been achieved.
Give yourself 1 where if you answer no to the statements below, give a medium score if you did it
a bit and a high score if you did it a lot.
1
2
3
4
5
I had to look
carefully to find
information
I had to find the
pattern in
information
I examined
similarities and
differences
I asked critical
questions
I used critical
thinking to
understand
problems
I tried to see
things from a
variety of
perspectives
I looked at
different ways of
solving
a problem
I examined the
evidence and
reached my own
conclusion
38
I put forward my
opinion/ideas
I used my
imagination
I reflected
critically on the
ideas
raised in class
when class was
over
Where you have given yourself a high score please explain why. Describe in some detail
what you did.
The thing I liked most was…
The main thing I learned is…
The skill I want to develop more is…
39
Student reflection on learning
Skill: Communicating
In studying this topic you hoped to develop your skills of communication. Please fill in this
questionnaire to see how this has been achieved.
Give yourself 1 where if you answer no to the statements below, give a medium score if you did it
a bit and a high score if you did it a lot.
1
2
3
4
5
I examined a
text1 carefully,
looking at it
from different
perspectives
I checked the
reliability and
credibility of
different sources
I gave my own
opinion
I listened
attentively to
40
what
others had to
say
I asked
questions and
responded to
what others had
to
say
I developed
empathy by
imagining the
situation from
other peoples’
point of view
I explored how
language can be
used in different
ways for
different
purposes
I expressed
myself in a
variety
to ways (tick
below)
- art
- drama/roleplay
- music
- video camera
- computer
based design
and graphics
- oral
41
presentation
- written
presentation
Where you have given yourself a high score please explain why. Describe in some detail
what you did.
The thing I liked most was…
The main thing I learned is…
The skill I want to develop more is
Student reflection on learning
Skill: Working with others
In studying this topic you hoped to develop your skills of working with others. Please fill in
this questionnaire to see how this has been achieved.
Give yourself 1 where if you answer no to the statements below, give a medium score if you
42
did it a bit and a high score if you did it a lot.
1
2
3
4
5
I worked in pairs
I worked in a small
group
I cooperated with my
partner/group
members to agree how
we would
get the task done
I played my part within
the group
and took my share of
responsibility
I communicated my
ideas
I listened to the ideas of
others and
showed respect for
other people
I helped someone else in
doing
his/her work
I made helpful
suggestions about
ways forward
I helped resolve
conflict/disagreement
I kept to our agreed task
and
deadline
43
Where you have given yourself a high score please explain why. Describe in some detail
what you did.
The thing I liked most was…
The main thing I learned is…
The skill I want to develop more is…
44
Student reflection on learning
Skill: Being personally effective
In studying this topic you hoped to develop your skills of being personally effective. Please fill in
this questionnaire to see how this has been achieved.
Give yourself 1 where if you answer no to the statements below, give a medium score if you did it
a bit and a high score if you did it a lot.
1
2
3
4
5
I set out my own
objectives and
knew what I
wanted to
achieve
I made a plan to
help me reach
my
target
I went looking
for help and
resources that I
needed to help
me
I received help
and feedback
from
my fellow
students
I received help
and feedback
45
from
my teacher
I used that
feedback to help
me to
plan my next
action and
progress
further
I persevered
even when it
was
difficult
I made mistakes
and learned
from
them
I tried different
ways/solutions
until I
was satisfied
that I had found
the
best
I kept to my
agreed task and
deadline
I felt good about
what I had done
Where you have given yourself a high score please explain why. Describe in some detail
what you did.
46
The thing I liked most was…
The main thing I learned is…
The skill I want to develop more is…
Online Resources for Transition Year Economics Module
Title of Resource
URL
California Water Crisis
1
http://tinyurl.com/TYEcon-water
California Water Crisis
2
http://tinyurl.com/TYEcon-water2
Binge drinking
http://tinyurl.com/TYEcon-binge
QR Code
47
Dublin in 60 seconds
http://tinyurl.com/TYEcon-Dublin
How to become a
millionaire
http://tinyurl.com/TYEcon-millionaire
Food glorious food
http://tinyurl.com/TYEcon-food
Title of Resource
URL
Royals
http://tinyurl.com/TYEcon-royal
Favourite things
http://tinyurl.com/TyEcon-favourite
The fear
http://tinyurl.com/TYEcon-fear
QR Code
48
Opportunity cost:
Sugar newspaper
article
http://tinyurl.com/TYEcon-sugar
Euromillions advert
http://tinyurl.com/TYEcon-lotto
Paradox of Value
http://tinyurl.com/TYEcon-paradox
Title of Resource
URL
The Best Job in the
world
http://tinyurl.com/TYEcon-bestjob
Top 10 Unfortunate
Jobs
http://tinyurl.com/TYEcon-job
Top 10 highest paying
jobs 2012
http://tinyurl.com/TYEcon-job2
QR Code
49
David Beckham
Retirement Interview
http://tinyurl.com/TYEcon-retire
Justin Bieber
http://tinyurl.com/TYEcon-fame
Grey's Anatomy Clip
http://tinyurl.com/TYEcon-grey
Title of Resource
URL
Beauty School Dropout
http://tinyurl.com/TYEcon-beauty
Opportunity cost
dinner
http://tinyurl.com/TYEcon-oc1
Opportunity cost dates
http://tinyurl.com/TYEcon-oc2
QR Code
50
Award winning short
film “No Smoking”
http://tinyurl.com/TYEcon-nosmoking
The Pearl Exchange
http://tinyurl.com/TYEcon-pearl
Economics game
show: Prisoners’
Dilemma
http://tinyurl.com/TYEcon-game
51