Protest and Civil Disobedience

Active learning is essential for this topic because students need to grapple with the tension between individual rights and collective action in a democracy. By engaging directly with historical examples and ethical dilemmas, students develop critical thinking skills that go beyond textbook definitions of protest and civil disobedience.

• Year 10
• Civics & Citizenship
• 3 activities
• 25 min–50 min

Learning Objectives

1. Analyze the historical impact of specific protest movements on Australian legislation and social attitudes.
2. Evaluate the ethical considerations and potential consequences of engaging in civil disobedience within a democratic framework.
3. Compare and contrast the strategies employed by different protest groups in achieving their objectives.
4. Design a policy proposal for managing public demonstrations that balances citizen rights with public order.
5. Critique the effectiveness of various protest tactics, considering factors such as media coverage and public opinion.

Gallery Walk

⏱ 45 min·Small Groups

Gallery Walk: Protests That Changed Australia

Stations feature different historical protests (e.g., Wave Hill Walk-off, Green Bans). Students identify the goal, the method used, and whether the protest was 'successful' in changing the law or public opinion.

Prepare & details

Evaluate the legitimacy of civil disobedience in a democracy.

Facilitation Tip: During the Gallery Walk, place key images and excerpts at eye level and space them evenly to ensure all students have space to read and reflect without crowding.

Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter

Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Formal Debate

⏱ 50 min·Whole Class

Formal Debate: The Right to Disrupt

Students debate: 'Should protesters be allowed to block major roads to draw attention to their cause?' They must balance the right to protest against the rights of other citizens to go about their daily lives.

Prepare & details

Analyze the boundaries between state authority and citizen protest.

Facilitation Tip: For the Structured Debate, assign roles clearly and provide a timekeeping device visible to all students to maintain the pace and fairness of the discussion.

Setup: Two teams facing each other, audience seating for the rest

Materials: Debate proposition card, Research brief for each side, Judging rubric for audience, Timer

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

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 25 min·Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: What is 'Civil' Disobedience?

Students brainstorm the difference between a 'protest' and 'civil disobedience.' They discuss whether it is ever okay to break the law to change the law, using examples like Rosa Parks or Eddie Mabo.

Prepare & details

Design a just policy for regulating public demonstrations.

Facilitation Tip: In the Think-Pair-Share activity, give students exactly two minutes to pair up and share responses with their partner before bringing the class back together to avoid losing momentum.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Teaching This Topic

Teachers should approach this topic by grounding discussions in concrete examples from Australian history, such as the 1938 Day of Mourning or the 1971 Aboriginal Tent Embassy. Avoid abstract lectures on civil disobedience; instead, use role-playing and primary sources to help students internalize the perspectives of protestors and authorities. Research shows that students retain ethical reasoning better when they debate real cases rather than hypothetical ones.

What to Expect

Successful learning occurs when students can distinguish between legal protest and civil disobedience, explain the ethical reasoning behind protestors' actions, and analyze the impact of protests on social and political change. They should also understand the legal boundaries and consequences of breaking laws for moral reasons.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During the Think-Pair-Share activity on civil disobedience, watch for students who conflate protest with voting. Redirect them by asking: 'How might a protest keep an issue alive between elections when voting happens only once every few years?'

What to Teach Instead

During the Structured Debate, address this by having students compare the effectiveness of voting versus protesting in achieving specific policy changes, using examples like the 1967 referendum on Aboriginal rights.

Common Misconception

During the Gallery Walk, watch for students who assume all protests without permits are illegal. Redirect them by having them read the state-specific 'Summary Offences' acts displayed alongside protest images to identify where protests are protected even without permits.

What to Teach Instead

During the Structured Debate, clarify this by asking students to debate whether a protest without a permit is justified if it draws attention to an urgent moral issue, such as climate change or Indigenous land rights.

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

After the Structured Debate, pose the question: 'When, if ever, is it justifiable for citizens to break the law to protest?' Assess students’ arguments based on their use of historical examples, ethical reasoning, and consideration of consequences for both protestors and society.

Quick Check

During the Gallery Walk, provide students with a worksheet to record the goals, methods, and outcomes of three different protests. Use these responses to check their ability to analyze protest effectiveness and identify patterns in how protests drive change.

Exit Ticket

After the Think-Pair-Share activity, ask students to write down one key difference between a legal protest and an act of civil disobedience, and briefly explain one potential challenge faced by authorities when managing a large public demonstration. Collect these to assess their understanding of core concepts.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge students who finish early to research a recent Australian protest (within the last five years) and compare its methods and outcomes with a historical protest.
• For students who struggle, provide a graphic organizer with pre-selected examples to help them categorize protests as legal or civil disobedience before forming their own arguments.
• Deeper exploration: Invite a guest speaker, such as a local activist or historian, to discuss how social media has changed the nature of protest and civil disobedience in the 21st century.

Key Vocabulary

Civil Disobedience	The active, professed refusal to obey certain laws, demands, or commands of a government, undertaken as a form of protest. It is often based on moral or political objections.
Rule of Law	The principle that all people and institutions are subject to and accountable to law that is fairly applied and enforced. It ensures that no one is above the law.
Dissent	The expression of opinions that are at variance with official policy or established beliefs. It is a fundamental aspect of democratic societies.
Social Movement	A large, sometimes informal, grouping of individuals or organizations which focuses on specific political or social issues. They work towards bringing about or resisting change.
Public Demonstration	An organized event where people gather in public to express their views on a particular issue. This can include marches, rallies, and protests.