Lesson Plan

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Lesson Plan
Grade: Year 12 (A‑Level) Date: 17/01/2026
Subject: Economics
Lesson Topic: international aid: forms of aid
Learning Objective/s:
  • Describe the main types of international aid (grants, concessional loans, technical assistance, in‑kind aid, debt relief).
  • Explain the advantages and disadvantages of each aid form.
  • Analyse how aid can affect a recipient country’s income and balance of payments using the aid‑multiplier concept.
  • Evaluate the conditions under which aid is likely to be effective or ineffective.
Materials Needed:
  • Projector and screen for slides
  • Whiteboard and markers
  • Handout summarising aid forms, pros and cons
  • Worksheet with a case‑study and multiplier calculation
  • Calculators
  • Sticky notes for the opening poll
 Introduction:
Begin with a quick poll: “If your country received a gift of money or goods, what would you expect?” Connect this to prior knowledge of trade and development. Explain that today we will explore the different ways aid is delivered and how economists assess its impact. Success criteria: students will be able to categorise aid types, weigh their strengths and weaknesses, and apply the aid‑multiplier to a simple example.
Lesson Structure:
  1. Do‑now (5') – Students write their poll responses on sticky notes and share briefly.
  2. Mini‑lecture (15') – Define international aid, why it is given, and introduce the five main forms.
  3. Group activity (20') – Using the handout, groups fill a comparative chart of advantages and disadvantages for each aid type.
  4. Case‑study worksheet (15') – Calculate the income change (ΔY = k × A) for a given aid amount and discuss implications.
  5. Whole‑class discussion (10') – Debrief on aid effectiveness, conditionality, and real‑world examples.
  6. Exit ticket (5') – Each student writes one key advantage and one limitation of a chosen aid form.
Conclusion:
Recap that aid can be financial or in‑kind, each with trade‑offs, and that its impact depends heavily on institutional context and programme design. Collect the exit tickets to gauge understanding of the most critical factor for aid effectiveness. For homework, assign a brief research task: find a recent debt‑for‑development swap and evaluate its outcomes.