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The Labour Market: Flexibility - Lesson Plan: 3 x 1 hour lessons

A series of 'off the shelf' lesson plans and resources for use in the classroom. These lessons deal with the Labour Market: Flexibility and are relevant to the following specifications:

  • AQA: Module 5, 14.4
  • Edexcel: Unit 5A
  • OCR: Unit 2884, 5.4.3 and 5.4.4

Aim:

These lessons look at the issues surrounding labour market flexibility. There is a close link with work on supply side policies in this respect, given that the aim of labour market flexibility is to increase the efficiency of the market and improve capacity.

Some background information is provided on the difference between flexible working and flexible labour markets. The Activity then outlines the aim and lists the key areas that students will need to investigate.

The class should be split into appropriate groups, with each group taking one of the areas listed as bullet points. The students should aim to produce a short summary outlining the relevance of the factor to the operation of the labour market. They are to be encouraged to use supply and demand diagrams to illustrate their discussion.

They should then think about what would need to happen to their factor to help improve the flexibility of the labour market. Crucially, they are asked to consider the consequences of their decision. An example is given to highlight the point, which is intended to get students to appreciate the complexity of economic policy-making when the answer is often fairly straightforward. For example, we know that geographical mobility is hampered because of the lack of affordable housing in certain parts of the country where jobs might be available. Doing something to make housing more affordable is quite a different matter.

Many of these issues are topical so there should be news items available to help illustrate the problems and issues the students raise. Students will present their findings to the rest of the groups and discuss some of the issues raised.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the lessons, students should demonstrate an understanding of the following:

  • The difference between flexible working and flexible labour markets
  • The factors influencing the demand for labour and the supply of labour
  • The concept of derived demand
  • The theory of the determination of wage rates
  • Factors causing a shift in the demand and supply of labour
  • Factors influencing the flexibility of labour markets and labour market failure

Resources:

Lesson Structure:

Lesson 1

  1. Begin the lessons by outlining the subject matter - use the Mind Map. (5 minutes)
  2. Ask students to think about and write down four reasons why wages might differ between different occupations. Get feedback (post the suggestions on the wall?) and highlight the key reasons on the board. (15 minutes)
  3. Introduce the PowerPoint Presentation. Go through the slides relating the different points to the suggestions made by students in the first 'activity' to develop discussion on the issues raised. (35 minutes)
  4. Review main points of the lesson and outline the task for the next lesson. (5 minutes)

Lesson 2

  1. Review main points from the last lesson through short question and answer session. (Don't forget to use the soft ball to throw to 'select' students who you want to respond - good way of getting students in touch with their kinaesthetic side!) (5 minutes)
  2. Introduce the Activity and split the class into appropriate groups. Explain the aims of the Activity and the outcome. (10 minutes)
  3. Students spend the remainder of the lesson carrying out their research in their groups. Educator should guide and offer support for students in this process. (40 minutes)
  4. Outline the strategy for the next lesson to ensure those going first are aware of their responsibilities. (5 minutes)

Lesson 3

  1. Outline the aim of the lesson and settle on the order in which the presentations will be done. (5 minutes)
  2. Each group takes turns to give their presentation - 5 minutes each. (45 minutes) (This can of course be extended in which case the Activity will carry on into a fourth lesson to allow more time for discussion. The emphasis though is on a short summary of the key points.)
  3. Summarise and draw together the key points raised. (10 minutes)

Extension Task:

To reinforce the work done in the lessons, it is advisable to set a past exam paper question on labour market economics for homework.