Modern History · Year 12

Active learning ideas

The Bandung Conference and Non-Alignment

Active learning works well for this topic because students must grapple with abstract Cold War geopolitics through concrete historical examples. The Bandung Conference and NAM involve complex decisions about sovereignty and neutrality, which students best understand by engaging directly with primary sources and role-playing negotiations.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9HI12K25

• 40–60 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Jigsaw
• 50 min · Small Groups

Jigsaw: Bandung Principles

Assign each small group one principle from the Bandung Communiqué, such as sovereignty or disarmament. Groups research and create posters explaining it with evidence. Then regroup so students teach their principle to mixed teams, who synthesise all into a class chart.

Analyze the primary goals and principles established at the Bandung Conference.

Facilitation Tip

In the Jigsaw Protocol, assign each expert group a Bandung principle to teach, then require them to explain it to their home group using only a single index card of notes.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'To what extent did the Bandung Conference and the Non-Aligned Movement successfully challenge the bipolar world order of the Cold War?' Students should use evidence from the conference's goals and the subsequent actions of NAM members to support their arguments.

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

Activity 02

• Town Hall Meeting
• 45 min · Whole Class

Fishbowl Debate: NAM Neutrality

Half the class debates 'NAM succeeded in neutrality' inside the fishbowl; the outer circle observes and notes evidence. Switch roles after 15 minutes. Debrief with whole class voting and evidence justification.

Evaluate the success of the Non-Aligned Movement in maintaining neutrality during the Cold War.

Facilitation Tip

For the Fishbowl Debate, prompt students to reference specific historical events or speeches when arguing NAM neutrality, such as India's tilt toward the USSR during the 1971 Bangladesh War.

What to look for

Provide students with a short excerpt from a speech by a Bandung Conference leader (e.g., Nehru, Nasser). Ask them to identify one key principle of non-alignment mentioned and explain how it aimed to counter superpower influence.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Town Hall Meeting
• 40 min · Pairs

Document Stations: Cold War Challenges

Set up stations with sources on NAM events like the Cuban Missile Crisis or Vietnam War. Pairs rotate, analysing bias and impact on non-alignment, then share findings in a gallery walk.

Explain the challenges faced by newly independent nations in resisting superpower influence.

Facilitation Tip

Set clear time limits in the Bandung Negotiation Simulation to mimic the pressure of real diplomacy, such as five minutes for opening statements and ten minutes for compromise discussions.

What to look for

On an index card, have students write two challenges faced by newly independent nations during the Cold War that the Bandung Conference sought to address, and one specific principle proposed by NAM to overcome these challenges.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Social Awareness

Activity 04

• Simulation Game
• 60 min · Small Groups

Simulation Game: Bandung Negotiation

Assign roles as leaders from attending nations. In small groups, negotiate a modern communiqué addressing current issues like climate change. Present outcomes and compare to 1955 original.

Analyze the primary goals and principles established at the Bandung Conference.

Facilitation Tip

At Document Stations, assign each station a different challenge (e.g., economic dependency, ideological pressure) and ask students to identify how Bandung principles addressed it in the primary sources.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'To what extent did the Bandung Conference and the Non-Aligned Movement successfully challenge the bipolar world order of the Cold War?' Students should use evidence from the conference's goals and the subsequent actions of NAM members to support their arguments.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

A few notes on teaching this unit

Start with a brief overview of the Cold War bipolarity to frame the stakes, then introduce Bandung as a counter-movement. Avoid framing NAM as a unified bloc; instead, emphasize its diversity in approaches. Research shows that students grasp decolonization better when they see it as a series of negotiated compromises rather than a clear victory over colonialism.

Successful learning looks like students articulating how newly independent nations balanced superpower pressures with their own interests. They should explain the Bandung principles in their own words and evaluate why pure neutrality proved difficult, using evidence from simulations or document analyses.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Fishbowl Debate, watch for students claiming that NAM achieved complete neutrality.

  Use the Fishbowl Debate to redirect claims of neutrality by asking students to cite specific examples where NAM nations compromised their principles, such as Cuba’s alignment with the USSR during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

• During the collaborative timeline activity, watch for students assuming Bandung had no global impact beyond Asia and Africa.

  In the timeline groups, have students add annotations linking Bandung principles to later global events, such as the 1960 UN Declaration on Decolonization or the 1973 oil crisis, to show its broader influence.

• During the Document Stations activity, watch for students believing that newly independent nations easily resisted superpower influence.

  At the stations, ask students to highlight language in primary sources that reveals economic or military pressures, then discuss as a class how these pressures shaped NAM’s compromises.

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Methods used in this brief

• Jigsaw
• Town Hall Meeting
• Simulation Game