Geography · Grade 8

Active learning ideas

Migration Push and Pull Factors

Active learning strategies help students move beyond abstract concepts by engaging with real data and human stories. When students map refugee routes or debate global responsibilities, they connect geographic patterns to lived experiences, making the complexity of migration tangible and memorable.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• ON: Global Settlement: Patterns and Sustainability - Grade 8
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.3

• 20–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Inquiry Circle
• 50 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: Mapping the Journey

Using real-time data from organizations like the UNHCR, small groups map the journey of refugees from a specific conflict zone. they identify the geographic obstacles (mountains, seas, borders) and the 'host countries' along the way, presenting a digital map of their findings.

Explain how environmental disasters create new waves of forced migration.

Facilitation Tip

During Collaborative Investigation: Mapping the Journey, circulate quietly to listen for students identifying inaccuracies in their initial route assumptions before guiding them to UNHCR or government migration data.

What to look for

Present students with a case study of a specific migration event (e.g., the Syrian refugee crisis, or internal displacement after Hurricane Katrina). Ask: 'Identify at least two push factors and two pull factors at play in this scenario. Discuss whether this migration was primarily voluntary or forced, and justify your reasoning.'

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

Activity 02

• Formal Debate
• 45 min · Whole Class

Formal Debate: Global Responsibility

Students debate the question: 'Should neighboring countries bear the primary responsibility for hosting refugees, or should it be a shared global responsibility?' Groups must use geographic and economic data to support their arguments about capacity and resources.

Differentiate between voluntary and forced migration in a globalized world.

Facilitation Tip

During Structured Debate: Global Responsibility, assign roles in advance so students prepare arguments based on assigned perspectives (e.g., host country, origin country, international organization).

What to look for

Provide students with a list of migration scenarios. For each scenario, ask them to categorize it as primarily driven by push or pull factors and to identify if it represents voluntary or forced migration. Example: 'A family moves from a rural village to a city for better job prospects.' (Pull, Voluntary).

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

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Environmental Refugees

Students read a short article about 'climate refugees', people displaced by rising sea levels or desertification. They discuss in pairs whether international law should be updated to give these individuals the same legal status as political refugees. Pairs share their conclusion with the class.

Analyze how migration benefits both the source and destination countries economically and culturally.

Facilitation Tip

During Think-Pair-Share: Environmental Refugees, provide a short video clip of an environmental disaster to ground the discussion in concrete evidence before asking students to hypothesize migration outcomes.

What to look for

On an index card, have students write one sentence explaining how an environmental disaster can act as a push factor for migration. Then, ask them to name one country that has experienced significant environmental migration in the last decade.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers approach this topic by balancing geographic analysis with empathy-building strategies. Start with local, relatable examples before expanding to global cases to avoid overwhelming students. Use primary sources like refugee testimonies to humanize data, and explicitly teach the difference between voluntary and forced migration to prevent oversimplification. Research shows that when students engage with firsthand accounts, their retention of push-pull factors improves significantly.

Students will demonstrate understanding by accurately categorizing push and pull factors, analyzing spatial data to identify displacement patterns, and articulating the ethical dimensions of global migration. Success is measured by their ability to critique assumptions and support arguments with evidence from case studies.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Collaborative Investigation: Mapping the Journey, watch for students assuming that wealthier Western countries host the most refugees.

  Use the infographics provided in the activity to redirect students to UNHCR data showing that developing countries host the majority of refugees. Ask them to calculate the ratio of refugees to host population for countries like Turkey or Uganda to correct this misconception.

• During Collaborative Investigation: Mapping the Journey, watch for students assuming that all refugees live in large tent camps.

  Provide case studies of urban refugees from the activity packet (e.g., Syrians in Istanbul, Rohingya in Kuala Lumpur) and ask students to map these urban locations alongside camp data. Have them compare living conditions and host country policies to challenge the stereotype.

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Methods used in this brief

• Inquiry Circle
• Formal Debate
• Think-Pair-Share