Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune In: Australian clean energy policies

20 minutes

Find Out: Jigsaw

25 minutes

Take Action: Communication plan

5 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions

Students will:

evaluate the role of policies and advocacy in science adoption
analyse the effectiveness of real-world examples of clean energy policies.

Success criteria

Students can:

evaluate the impact of policies and advocacy on clean energy adoption
design an advocacy campaign to support or improve a clean energy policy.

Tune In: Australian clean energy policies

Step 1

Give students a copy of the factsheet on Australia’s clean energy policies and read it as a class.

Step 2

Conduct the thinking routine, ‘Think, Pair and Share’. Begin by posing the following question to students:

Which policy would have the most impact on improving Australia’s clean energy? Why?

Step 3

During the share section, write key discussion points for each policy on the whiteboard for students to refer to throughout the lesson.

Find Out: Jigsaw

Step 1

Split the class into 5 groups. Each group will be assigned 1 of the 5 policies outlined in the factsheet. Each group will research their assigned policy using devices. They will have 15 minutes to analyse the policy together.

Step 2

After the research time, students will be reorganised into new groups, each containing 1 representative from each of the original policy groups. Each student will then have 1 minute to present their findings to their new group, explaining the key aspects of their assigned policy.

The following points should guide the group's research (see below). However, explain to students that not every question will necessarily need to be addressed.

Overview	• What is this policy? • What are its goals? • When was it introduced, and who is responsible for implementing it?
Impact	• How has this policy contributed to Australia’s transition to renewable energy and emissions reduction? • What measurable outcomes (for example, CO₂ reduction, energy production, industry growth) can be attributed to it?
Examples	• Identify at least 1 specific project, investment, or technological development from this policy (eg, solar/wind farms, financial incentives, or research initiatives).
Challenges and improvements	• Has the policy faced any barriers to implementation? • How could it be improved or expanded? • What role might it play in Australia’s future energy transition?

Provide students with the following websites and reports to aid their research:

Take Action: Communication plan

Step 1

Following the jigsaw activity, keep students in their newly formed groups. Explain to students that now that they have learned about all 5 policies from their peers, they will need to decide on 1 policy they would like to improve and promote by creating a communication plan as a group.

Step 2

Groups will create a communication plan for their policy, which will need to include:

a strategy to counter misinformation (for example, the misconception that ‘EVs simply displace carbon emissions from roads to distant power stations’)
a method to increase public understanding of its benefits (for example, advertisements or social media campaigns)
any proposed improvements they have for their policy to increase its effect on clean energy in Australia.

Students will have a choice of how they format their communication plan, including digital platforms such as Canva, Powerpoint or Prezi, and handwritten posters and brochures.

Step 3

Once students have completed their communication plan, provide them with feedback before they share with the class.

Reflection

Invite students to present their communication plan and conduct a gallery walk. During their gallery walk, encourage students to share their thoughts, questions and feedback.

Evaluating the Impact of Policies

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Summary

Lesson Guides and Printables

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Evaluating the Impact of Policies

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Summary

Lesson Guides and Printables

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