Refugees and Asylum Seekers

Active learning helps students grasp complex human rights concepts by putting definitions into practice and testing their own assumptions. When students move, discuss, and debate, they confront misconceptions directly and retain legal distinctions through peer teaching and lived scenarios.

• Year 8
• Geography
• 4 activities
• 35 min–50 min

Learning Objectives

1. Differentiate between a refugee, an asylum seeker, and an economic migrant using the criteria established by international law.
2. Analyze the primary challenges faced by refugees in displacement camps and host countries, citing specific examples.
3. Evaluate the effectiveness of international agreements, such as the 1951 Refugee Convention, in protecting refugee rights.
4. Compare the push and pull factors that lead to forced migration versus voluntary migration.

Jigsaw

⏱ 45 min·Small Groups

Jigsaw: Legal Definitions

Divide class into expert groups on refugee, asylum seeker, and economic migrant; each researches one definition using provided sources. Regroup into mixed teams to teach peers and create comparison posters. Conclude with a class vote on trickiest distinctions.

Prepare & details

Differentiate between a refugee, an asylum seeker, and an economic migrant under international law.

Facilitation Tip: During Jigsaw Expert Groups, assign each home group a specific legal criterion so students master one concept before teaching others.

Setup: Flexible seating for regrouping

Materials: Expert group reading packets, Note-taking template, Summary graphic organizer

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

Stations Rotation

⏱ 50 min·Small Groups

Stations Rotation: Refugee Challenges

Set up stations for camps (overcrowding models), host countries (integration case studies), legal rights (Convention extracts), and responses (UN timelines). Groups rotate, noting evidence every 10 minutes, then share key findings in a whole-class discussion.

Prepare & details

Analyze the primary challenges faced by refugees in displacement camps and host countries.

Facilitation Tip: At each Station Rotation station, place a data sheet and a blank challenge card so students document both facts and personal responses.

Setup: Tables/desks arranged in 4-6 distinct stations around room

Materials: Station instruction cards, Different materials per station, Rotation timer

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Role Play

⏱ 40 min·Pairs

Debate Pairs: Agreement Effectiveness

Pairs prepare arguments for and against international agreements like the Global Compact, using data cards on successes and failures. Switch sides midway for perspective-taking, then vote in whole class with justification.

Prepare & details

Evaluate the effectiveness of international agreements in protecting the rights of refugees.

Facilitation Tip: Before the Debate Pairs, provide a sentence starter bank to keep arguments grounded in the 1951 Convention and current examples.

Setup: Open space or rearranged desks for scenario staging

Materials: Character cards with backstory and goals, Scenario briefing sheet

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Role Play

⏱ 35 min·Whole Class

Refugee Journey Mapping: Whole Class

Project a world map; students add sticky notes on migration routes, push factors, and host destinations from case studies. Discuss patterns and evaluate support systems as a class.

Prepare & details

Differentiate between a refugee, an asylum seeker, and an economic migrant under international law.

Setup: Open space or rearranged desks for scenario staging

Materials: Character cards with backstory and goals, Scenario briefing sheet

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Teaching This Topic

Start with a simple sorting task so students immediately confront the refugee vs economic migrant divide. Use role-play to humanise legal processes, as research shows empathy deepens conceptual understanding of rights. Avoid starting with historical timelines, which can obscure the immediacy of today’s crises.

What to Expect

Successful learning looks like students using precise legal language to sort case studies and defend positions in role-plays. Evidence-based maps and Venn diagrams show they can apply definitions to real crises and recognise nuanced challenges faced by displaced people.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During Jigsaw Expert Groups, watch for students assuming all people leaving their country are refugees.

What to Teach Instead

Direct groups back to the 1951 Convention criteria on the expert sheet. Have them sort example cards into three columns: refugee, asylum seeker, economic migrant, explaining each placement in their final presentation.

Common Misconception

During Station Rotation, watch for students saying asylum seekers enter countries illegally.

What to Teach Instead

At the legal rights station, ask pairs to locate Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and craft a two-sentence argument using the mock asylum claim form provided.

Common Misconception

During Refugee Journey Mapping, watch for students believing displacement camps provide full safety and services.

What to Teach Instead

Provide a UNHCR data poster at the station. Require groups to annotate their maps with three specific shortages and one service available, then present these findings to the class.

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

After Jigsaw Expert Groups, ask students to advise a government on distinguishing asylum seekers from economic migrants. Collect their three key questions and justifications on a shared slide to review as a class.

Quick Check

During Station Rotation, circulate with a checklist of three criteria: correct label, one sentence justification, and evidence source. Mark ticks as you observe each student’s challenge card.

Peer Assessment

After the Debate Pairs, have students swap Venn diagrams and write one question focusing on accuracy or missing examples. Collect diagrams to assess both content and peer feedback quality.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge students to create a podcast episode interviewing an asylum seeker, drawing on case studies from the Journey Mapping activity.
• For students who struggle, provide a partially completed Venn diagram with gaps to fill before peer comparison.
• Deeper exploration: invite a local refugee support worker to share current local data, then ask students to revise their maps with new evidence.

Key Vocabulary

Refugee	A person who has fled their country due to a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion.
Asylum Seeker	A person who has applied for protection as a refugee and is awaiting a decision on their claim. They are not yet recognized as a refugee under international law.
Economic Migrant	A person who moves from one country to another primarily for economic reasons, such as seeking employment or better living standards, and is not fleeing persecution.
Internally Displaced Person (IDP)	Someone who is forced to flee their home but remains within their country's borders, often due to conflict or natural disaster.
1951 Refugee Convention	A key international treaty that defines who is a refugee, outlines their rights, and sets legal standards for how signatory countries should treat refugees.