Modern History · Year 12

Active learning ideas

'Bringing Them Home' Report and the Apology

Active learning works well for this topic because it involves complex, emotionally charged history and policy that students need to process through discussion, collaboration, and critical analysis. When students engage with primary sources, debate perspectives, and construct timelines, they move beyond abstract facts to understand human impacts and political processes.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9HI12K49
• AC9HI12K50

• 35–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Jigsaw
• 50 min · Small Groups

Jigsaw: Report Recommendations

Assign small groups to study one key recommendation from the report, such as reparations or apologies. Groups prepare summaries and evidence of outcomes. Regroup into mixed 'teaching' teams where experts share, then discuss overall impact on reconciliation.

Assess the significance of the 'Bringing Them Home' report in raising national awareness.

Facilitation Tip

In Jigsaw Expert Groups, assign each group one recommendation from the report so students focus on specific evidence before synthesizing the full picture.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Beyond the symbolic act, what were the most critical practical recommendations of the 'Bringing Them Home' report, and how effectively have they been addressed since 1997?' Facilitate a class discussion where students cite evidence from the report and subsequent government actions.

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

Activity 02

• Philosophical Chairs
• 45 min · Small Groups

Carousel Rotation: Apology Sources

Set up stations with Rudd's speech excerpts, Indigenous responses, media clippings, and policy documents. Small groups spend 8 minutes per station noting symbolic vs practical elements. Conclude with whole-class synthesis of significance.

Analyze the symbolic and practical importance of the 2008 National Apology.

Facilitation Tip

For Carousel Rotation, place apology sources at stations so students move between documents, noting patterns and contradictions in language and tone.

What to look for

Ask students to write on an index card: 'One key finding from the 'Bringing Them Home' report that surprised me is...' and 'One question I still have about the National Apology or reconciliation is...'

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Formal Debate
• 40 min · Pairs

Formal Debate: Reconciliation Progress

Pairs prepare arguments for and against the Apology's effectiveness using report data and current stats. Debate in whole class with timed rebuttals. Vote and reflect on evidence gaps.

Critique the ongoing challenges in achieving full reconciliation for the Stolen Generations.

Facilitation Tip

During Structured Debate, provide students with a clear rubric that rewards evidence-based reasoning over rhetorical flourish to keep discussions focused.

What to look for

Present students with three short historical statements related to the Stolen Generations or the Apology. Ask them to identify each statement as 'Fact', 'Opinion', or 'Interpretation', and briefly justify their choice for one statement.

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

Activity 04

• Philosophical Chairs
• 35 min · Small Groups

Interactive Timeline: From Inquiry to Apology

Small groups research and plot events on a class timeline, adding quotes, images, and 'what if' branches for unheeded recommendations. Present to class for critique.

Assess the significance of the 'Bringing Them Home' report in raising national awareness.

Facilitation Tip

Use the Interactive Timeline to have students physically place key events on a classroom wall timeline, which helps them visualize gaps and causality.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Beyond the symbolic act, what were the most critical practical recommendations of the 'Bringing Them Home' report, and how effectively have they been addressed since 1997?' Facilitate a class discussion where students cite evidence from the report and subsequent government actions.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should approach this topic with sensitivity to trauma and avoid reducing it to a linear narrative of progress. Use primary sources to humanize the experience while maintaining academic rigor. Research shows that when students engage with multiple perspectives—including government responses and survivor testimonies—they develop critical thinking about reconciliation. Avoid oversimplifying the apology as a solution; frame it as one step in an ongoing process.

Successful learning looks like students accurately interpreting primary sources, distinguishing between symbolic acts and substantive change, and connecting historical injustices to contemporary issues. They should articulate how policy choices reflect or fail to reflect the needs of affected communities.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Jigsaw Expert Groups, watch for statements that assume the 2008 Apology fully addressed Stolen Generations injustices.

  After groups share their recommendations, ask them to evaluate which ones were implemented and which were not, using Rudd’s speech as evidence to contrast symbolic language with policy gaps.

• During Structured Debate, watch for claims that the 'Bringing Them Home' report immediately led to the Apology.

  Provide students with a decade timeline of political responses to the report and have them cite specific events, such as Howard’s rejection, to build causal reasoning.

• During Carousel Rotation, watch for assertions that Stolen Generations impacts ended decades ago.

  Ask students to find contemporary data or testimonies in the sources, then have them link these to long-term effects discussed in the report’s findings.

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Methods used in this brief

• Jigsaw
• Philosophical Chairs
• Formal Debate