Civics & Citizenship · Year 10

Active learning ideas

Community Organising

Active learning turns abstract concepts like power structures and relationship-building into concrete, student-led experiences. When students role-play campaign tactics or map power networks, they move beyond memorization to see how organising works in real time. This hands-on approach builds both civic knowledge and collaborative skills they can use in any community setting.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9C10S04

• 30–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Jigsaw
• 45 min · Small Groups

Jigsaw: Key Organising Principles

Assign small groups to research one principle: relationships, power mapping, strategy, or action. Each expert shares with a new home group, then home groups apply all principles to a local issue like park maintenance. Groups create a shared action plan poster.

Analyze the key elements of successful community organizing.

Facilitation Tip

During the Jigsaw, assign each expert group a distinct principle so students teach and learn from each other without overlap.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine your school needs a new, accessible playground. What are the first three steps you would take to organize students, parents, and teachers to advocate for this?' Guide students to discuss identifying key stakeholders, defining the core message, and planning initial actions.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Activity 02

• Case Study Analysis
• 30 min · Pairs

Pairs: Power Mapping Workshop

Pairs select a community issue, such as reducing plastic waste. They draw maps of stakeholders, allies, and opponents, noting influence levels. Pairs present maps to the class for feedback and refinement.

Design a strategy to mobilize a local community around an issue.

Facilitation Tip

For the Power Mapping Workshop, provide a blank template and colored sticky notes to visually layer allies, opponents, and neutral parties.

What to look for

Provide students with a short case study of a past community organizing effort (e.g., a local campaign for a new library). Ask them to identify: 1. The main issue. 2. At least two groups that were mobilized. 3. One potential challenge they might have faced.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

Activity 03

• Case Study Analysis
• 50 min · Small Groups

Small Groups: Campaign Pitch Challenge

Groups choose a local problem and design a full organising strategy, including goals, tactics, and evaluation. They pitch to the class in 3 minutes, with peers voting on most feasible plans.

Evaluate the challenges and rewards of grassroots activism.

Facilitation Tip

In the Campaign Pitch Challenge, require groups to use props like mock petitions or role-played meetings to make their strategies tangible.

What to look for

In small groups, students brainstorm a community issue they care about and outline a basic organizing strategy. They then present their idea to another group. Peers provide feedback using a checklist: Is the issue clearly defined? Are potential allies identified? Is the proposed action realistic?

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

Activity 04

• Case Study Analysis
• 40 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Grassroots Debate

Divide class into teams to debate challenges versus rewards of organising, using case studies. Rotate speakers and vote on strongest arguments, followed by reflection journal.

Analyze the key elements of successful community organizing.

Facilitation Tip

Set a strict 3-minute timer for each debate rebuttal in the Grassroots Debate to keep energy high and prevent over-talking.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine your school needs a new, accessible playground. What are the first three steps you would take to organize students, parents, and teachers to advocate for this?' Guide students to discuss identifying key stakeholders, defining the core message, and planning initial actions.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

A few notes on teaching this unit

Start with local examples so students see organising as something they can do, not just study. Use backward design: decide what a successful campaign looks like, then build activities that teach those skills. Avoid lecturing about tactics—instead, let students test strategies and reflect on what worked. Research shows experiential learning cements civic knowledge better than passive reading, and Australian case studies give students relatable role models.

By the end of these activities, students should articulate the steps of effective organising and apply them to a local issue. They should move from identifying stakeholders to proposing realistic actions, showing they understand both the theory and practice of change-making. Clear outputs—like strategy maps or campaign pitches—prove their learning is active, not just theoretical.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Jigsaw activity, watch for students who assume protests are the only way to create change.

  Use the expert group materials to highlight relationship-building and varied tactics. After the jigsaw, have groups list at least three different actions they learned and explain why each one matters in a long-term campaign.

• During the Power Mapping Workshop, some students may focus too much on a single leader.

  Ask them to map roles like ‘outreach coordinator’ or ‘data gatherer’ to show how power is shared. Use the sticky-note template to physically spread roles across the board, making distributed leadership visible.

• During the Campaign Pitch Challenge, students may expect immediate success.

  Require them to include a ‘potential setback’ slide in their pitch. Use the debrief to discuss timelines and persistence, normalising the messiness of organising before celebrating any progress.

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Methods used in this brief

• Jigsaw
• Case Study Analysis