Geography · Year 11

Active learning ideas

Earthquake Case Study: HIC vs. LIC

Active learning works for this topic because comparing high-income countries (HICs) and low-income countries (LICs) during earthquakes demands critical thinking about human systems, not just hazard mechanics. Students need to analyze real-world constraints like funding, governance, and infrastructure, which are best explored through discussion, role play, and structured investigation.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• GCSE: Geography - Tectonic Hazards
• GCSE: Geography - Natural Hazards

• 45–60 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Case Study Analysis
• 60 min · Small Groups

Role-Play: Disaster Response Summit

Divide students into groups representing HIC and LIC governments, international aid organizations, and affected communities. Each group prepares a brief on their challenges and proposed solutions following a simulated earthquake, followed by a negotiation session to allocate resources and coordinate efforts.

Compare the immediate and long-term impacts of earthquakes in contrasting economic settings.

Facilitation Tip

During the Collaborative Investigation, assign each group a specific case study to analyze, then have them present a one-minute summary to the class to ensure everyone engages with both HIC and LIC examples.

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

Activity 02

• Case Study Analysis
• 45 min · Pairs

Comparative Data Analysis: Impact Metrics

Provide students with datasets (e.g., death tolls, economic losses, infrastructure damage, recovery timelines) from HIC and LIC earthquake case studies. Students work in pairs to analyze the data, identify key differences, and present their findings visually using charts or infographics.

Analyze how a country's level of development influences its capacity to respond to seismic events.

Facilitation Tip

While running the Role Play, circulate with a checklist to note which students reference building codes, emergency drills, or community education in their arguments.

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

Activity 03

• Case Study Analysis
• 50 min · Individual

News Report Creation: Post-Earthquake Response

Students research a specific earthquake in an HIC and an LIC. They then create a short news report, either written or as a video, comparing the immediate aftermath and the ongoing recovery process, highlighting the role of government and international aid.

Evaluate the effectiveness of different disaster preparedness strategies in HICs and LICs.

Facilitation Tip

For the Gallery Walk, place printed timelines at eye level and provide sticky notes for students to add questions or corrections as they move through the stations.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teaching this topic effectively means balancing the scientific causes of earthquakes with the social and economic factors that determine their impacts. Avoid presenting HICs and LICs as simply 'better' or 'worse'—instead, focus on the trade-offs in preparedness strategies. Research shows that students retain these comparisons better when they analyze real data and role-play policy decisions rather than passively reading case studies.

Successful learning looks like students explaining the differences in earthquake impacts between HICs and LICs using specific examples from case studies and justifying their reasoning with evidence about infrastructure, preparedness, and response. They should also propose targeted solutions that reflect the unique challenges of each country type.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Collaborative Investigation, watch for students attributing earthquake impacts solely to the size or depth of the quake without considering the country's economic status.

  Use the case study summaries to prompt students to list at least two human factors (e.g., building codes, emergency services) that influenced the outcomes, and have them compare these across the HIC and LIC examples.

• During the Gallery Walk, watch for students assuming that LICs always suffer worse impacts because they have fewer resources.

  Have students identify specific preparedness strategies used in LICs, such as community-based early warning systems, and compare their effectiveness to HIC strategies like retrofitting buildings.

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Methods used in this brief

• Case Study Analysis