DivisionofLabor:PumpkinCreation

InEconomicsclass,wemodeledtheconceptsofspecializationanddivision
oflaborthroughthepumpkinraceactivity.Ingroupsoffour,studentscompeted
tomakeasmanypumpkinsintenminuteroundsas
possiblehowever,eachroundhadspecificand
contentorientedrules.
InRound1,eachstudentwasresponsibleforeach
stepofthepumpkinproductionprocessnotes,
cutting,coloring,andgluingthepumpkintothe
groupsposter.Attheendoftheround,thegroup
countedthetotalnumberofpumpkinstheyproduced.
InRound2,ourgroupsweredividedintojobscutter,
colorist,scribe1andscribe2.Eachstudentwas
responsiblefortheirjobandonlytheirjob.Again,at
theendofthetenminuteround,wetalliedupthetotal
producedbyeachgroup.
Thisactivitydemonstratedtheconceptsofdivisionof
laborandspecializationinahandsonmannerbyfirst,
havingstudentsproduceaproductinatraditional
manner(Round1)andthenutilizingdivisionoflabor
andspecialization(Round2).Asawholestudentsfoundthatthrough
specializationanddivisionoflabortheywereabletoproducemorepumpkinsin
thesameamountoftime.
Byillustratinghowspecializationenhancedtheefficiencyofthe
productionprocess,ourclasswasabletodeterminehowpeople,andonalarger
scalenations,canbenefitbyspecializingproductionandtradingforwhatthey
didntorcouldntproduce.