Modern History · Year 12

Active learning ideas

The Rise of China and Australian Foreign Policy

Active learning helps students confront the complexity of Australia-China relations by requiring them to analyze primary documents, debate competing claims, and simulate policy decisions. Moving beyond textbook summaries, students engage with real data and current events to see how economic interests and security concerns interact in real time.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9HI12K53
• AC9HI12K54

• 50–75 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Formal Debate
• 60 min · Whole Class

Formal Debate: Australia's China Policy

Divide the class into two groups to debate the merits and drawbacks of Australia's current foreign policy towards China. One side argues for closer economic ties, while the other emphasizes security concerns. Students research and present arguments supported by evidence.

Analyze how the rise of China has impacted Australian economic and security interests.

Facilitation Tip

During the Jigsaw, assign each expert group a specific policy document or data set so they develop deep fluency before teaching others.

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

Activity 02

• Town Hall Meeting
• 75 min · Small Groups

Simulated Diplomatic Briefing

Students role-play as Australian diplomats preparing a briefing for the Prime Minister on managing relations with China. They must consider economic, security, and political factors, proposing policy recommendations.

Compare Australia's approach to China with its traditional alliances.

Facilitation Tip

In the Fishbowl Debate, require students to cite at least one trade statistic and one security incident in their opening statements to ground abstract claims.

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

Activity 03

• Case Study Analysis
• 50 min · Individual

Case Study Analysis: Foreign Investment Review

Analyze a real or hypothetical case of Chinese investment in Australia, examining the economic benefits, potential security risks, and the government's decision-making process. Students present their findings and justify their conclusions.

Predict the future trajectory of Australia-China relations in the 21st century.

Facilitation Tip

For the Timeline Pairs, provide a mix of economic and security events on separate cards so students must actively decide which category each belongs to.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers find success when they treat this topic as a tension between competing goods rather than a choice between right and wrong. Avoid presenting Australia’s policy as a single coherent strategy; instead, highlight how different domestic actors weigh risks differently. Research shows that students grasp geopolitical complexity when they work with primary sources and contemporary data rather than relying on second-hand interpretations.

Successful learning looks like students accurately sequencing policy shifts, differentiating between episodic tensions and structural dependencies, and justifying positions with evidence from multiple perspectives. They should be able to explain why Australia’s approach has evolved from uncritical engagement to strategic hedging without reducing the relationship to a single driver.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Policy Timeline Pairs, watch for students assuming Australia’s policy toward China has remained unchanged since the 1970s.

  Have pairs arrange their cards chronologically, then annotate each event with whether it signaled engagement, hedging, or confrontation. The sequence itself reveals the shift, prompting students to revise their initial assumptions.

• During Jigsaw Strategy: Policy Perspectives, watch for students treating China’s rise as impacting only Australia’s economy.

  Require each expert group to map both economic and security impacts of their assigned event on a two-column chart. When they teach their findings, peers must identify at least one link between the two columns.

• During Future Scenarios Simulation, watch for students assuming future Australia-China conflict is inevitable.

  After roles present their positions, run a think-pair-share on diplomatic tools each side could use to de-escalate tensions. Students must propose at least two concrete options before offering predictions.

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Methods used in this brief

• Formal Debate
• Town Hall Meeting
• Case Study Analysis