SDG 08: Decent Work and Economic Growth

This Learning World focuses on understanding the role of decent work as well as the shortcomings of economic growth and possible implications for our planet and the well-being of people. The Learning World provides ideas and components that you can integrate into your teaching: An interactive boardstory with complementary exercises, a glossary with the most important terms of the Learning World, additional exercises to consolidate and further reflect on the contents of SDG 8 as well as examples of the connections between this SDG and others.
Boardstory for interactive learning
Educational Material
The Learning Objectives outline the key competencies students will develop by completing this Learning World. They also highlight connections to other topics, encouraging further exploration and discussion beyond this module.
Learning Objectives
Acquiring competencies for sustainable development is part of a lifelong learning process. The boardstory and exercises provided in this learning world initiate this process and help students gain knowledge, reflect and think critically, and take meaningful action. After completing this unit, it is recommended to foster the development of the desired competencies for sustainable development e.g. by teaching further learning worlds. Thus, expanding students’ skill sets further.
With this in mind, the learning objectives of this specific learning world first and foremost aim to develop a basic understanding of the respective SDG and related connections for students aged nine to eleven. Gaining and expanding competencies for sustainable development further is desirable, but can only be achieved through continuous immersion and persistence.
Following the interaction with this Learning World, the students will be able to:
explain the concept of prosperity and why people work.
describe what unemployment is and which social groups are especially
affected as well as describe the social and individual effects this might entail.distinguish decent work, including the advancement of gender parity and equality.
summarize bad working conditions such as unfair wages, unequal pay for equal
work, poor health and security standards etc. and speak up for workers rights.compare inequalities in the labor market: representation and participation of
different social groups, and different income/wages and weekly worktime
between countries, sectors, social groups, genders.identify and explain unpaid work.
explain care work as one form of unpaid labor and how it is essential for sustaining economies but is not valued as work and thus, often unpaid, which leads to further inequalities.
explain the concepts of common good vs. individual wealth and unfair remuneration
(prosperity for who?).state shortcomings of economic growth and express the need for resource efficiency and sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
analyze how ones own consumption affects working conditions of others in the global economy and that responsible consumption choices are a means to support fair working conditions and efforts to decouple production from negative environmental impacts.
Connection to other SDGs
The 17 SDGs complement each other and should not be viewed in isolation. As such synergy effects can occur, for example an improvement in one of the SDGs can in turn have a positive effect on another. At the same time, prioritizing measures for one SDG can also lead to another goal being neglected. The following overview provides examples of connections between SDGs which can be used to open up new conversations and linking points to take the topic beyond this learning world.
Learning World
SDG 01: No Poverty
Learning World
SDG 02: Zero Hunger
Learning World
SDG 03: Good Health and Well-being
Learning World
SDG 04: Quality Education
Learning World
SDG 05: Gender Equality
Learning World
SDG 07: Affordable and Clean Energy
Learning World
SDG 09: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
Learning World
SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
Learning World
SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Learning World
SDG 13: Climate Action
Learning World
SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Learning World
SDG Dilemmas
Learning World
SDG Wedding Cake Model