Canadian & World Studies · Grade 12

Active learning ideas

The Rise of the BRICS Nations

This topic requires students to move beyond memorizing facts about five countries and instead analyze power dynamics and competing economic visions. Active learning works because it forces students to confront BRICS' internal contradictions, test their assumptions through role-play, and weigh trade-offs in real-world decision making. Simulations and debates make abstract shifts in global power tangible and personal.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• ON: Global Economic Issues - Grade 12
• ON: Interactions and Interdependence - Grade 12

• 25–90 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Simulation Game
• 90 min · Whole Class

Simulation Game: The BRICS Summit

Students represent the five BRICS nations. They must identify three common economic goals and negotiate a joint statement on a global issue like 'reforming the UN Security Council' or 'creating a new global currency,' experiencing the challenges of finding consensus among diverse nations.

Analyze how the rise of BRICS nations is challenging Western economic dominance.

Facilitation Tip

In the Think-Pair-Share on multipolar stability, give students a 3-minute silent writing prompt with sentence stems to ensure quieter students enter the conversation prepared.

What to look for

Pose the following to students: 'Imagine you are a diplomat representing Canada at a UN climate summit. How would the growing economic power and differing priorities of the BRICS nations influence your negotiation strategy on climate finance?' Allow students 5 minutes to jot down points before facilitating a class discussion.

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

Activity 02

• Inquiry Circle
• 50 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Rise of China

Small groups research the specific factors that led to China's rapid economic growth over the last 40 years. They create a visual 'Growth Map' and analyze how China's economic power is being used to influence other regions through projects like the 'Belt and Road Initiative.'

Evaluate whether these diverse nations can maintain a unified economic and political front.

What to look for

Provide students with a short news article (approx. 300 words) detailing a recent economic development involving a BRICS nation. Ask them to identify: 1) The specific BRICS country involved, 2) The economic issue discussed, and 3) One potential implication for global economic balance. Collect responses for review.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 25 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: A Multipolar World, More or Less Stable?

Students discuss with a partner whether a world with multiple major economic powers (multipolar) is likely to be more stable and fair than a world dominated by one or two powers (unipolar/bipolar), and what the risks might be.

Predict what a 'multipolar' economic world order might look like.

What to look for

On an index card, ask students to write: 'One way the rise of BRICS challenges Western economic dominance is...' and 'One reason why BRICS nations might struggle to maintain a unified front is...'. This checks their understanding of the core tensions in the topic.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers approach this topic by treating BRICS as a lens to study globalization’s complexities rather than a fixed category. They intentionally avoid presenting the bloc as a unified alternative to the West, instead using role-play and data analysis to reveal internal divides. Research shows students grasp shifting power structures better when they compare concrete metrics like GDP growth, currency reserves, and military budgets across countries, rather than relying on broad generalizations.

By the end of these activities, students will articulate how BRICS reshapes global economics without treating the bloc as a monolithic force. They should identify specific cooperation areas, competitive tensions, and structural barriers to unity while evaluating Western power remains relevant. Evidence-based discussions and simulated negotiations demonstrate this understanding.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the BRICS Summit simulation, watch for students treating BRICS as a unified block. Correction: Use the role cards to force students to defend their nation’s contradictory positions (e.g., India’s protectionism versus China’s export-led growth) and require treaty drafts to reflect these tensions.

  During the BRICS Summit simulation, watch for students treating BRICS as a unified block. Correction: Use the role cards to force students to defend their nation’s contradictory positions like India’s protectionism versus China’s export-led growth, and require treaty drafts to reflect these tensions.

• During the Collaborative Investigation: The Rise of China, watch for students assuming Chinese economic success equals Western decline. Correction: Provide the 'Global Power Indicators' chart and ask students to calculate combined BRICS shares versus Western dominance in GDP, tech patents, and military spending to challenge this zero-sum thinking.

  During the Collaborative Investigation: The Rise of China, watch for students assuming Chinese economic success equals Western decline. Correction: Provide the 'Global Power Indicators' chart and ask students to calculate combined BRICS shares versus Western dominance in GDP, tech patents, and military spending to challenge this zero-sum thinking.

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Methods used in this brief

• Simulation Game
• Inquiry Circle
• Think-Pair-Share