Geography · Year 9

Active learning ideas

The Process of Urbanisation

Dive into the dynamic process of urbanisation, exploring why more than half of the world's population now lives in cities and what this rapid change means for people and the planet.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• The National Curriculum for England: Geography KS3 - Human Geography: Urbanisation

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

Activity 01

• Inquiry-Based Learning
• 20 min · Pairs

Push and Pull Factor Card Sort

Students are given a set of cards, each with a reason for migration (e.g., 'more jobs', 'lack of clean water', 'better schools', 'crop failure'). In pairs, they must sort these into 'push factors' and 'pull factors', and can further categorise them as social, economic, or environmental.

Explain the difference between urbanisation and urban growth.

Facilitation Tip

Encourage students to justify their choices and discuss which factors they believe are the most influential.

What to look for

An exit ticket task where students must write down two push factors and two pull factors for a named LIC city.

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

Activity 02

• Inquiry-Based Learning
• 50 min · Small Groups

Megacity Infographic Challenge

In small groups, students research a specific megacity in an LIC or NEE (e.g., Lagos, Mumbai, Dhaka). They then create a one-page digital or physical infographic summarising its population growth, key challenges, and one innovative solution being implemented.

Analyse the main causes of rapid urbanisation in LICs and NEEs.

Facilitation Tip

Provide a template or a list of required elements to structure their research and design.

What to look for

An extended writing question, such as: 'Using a named example of a city in an LIC or NEE, explain the causes of its rapid growth.'

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

Activity 03

• Inquiry-Based Learning
• 25 min · Individual

Urbanisation Patterns: Map Annotation

Provide students with a world map showing levels of urbanisation. They use different colours or symbols to annotate the map, identifying continents with high/low levels of urbanisation and arrows to show major historical and current trends of urban growth.

Compare the patterns of urbanisation in Europe with those in Africa.

Facilitation Tip

Start by modelling how to annotate one region, for example Europe, to show its historical urbanisation.

What to look for

Students use a 'traffic light' system to rate their confidence in defining key terms and explaining the main processes before a formal assessment.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Start by cementing the distinction between urbanisation and urban growth using clear, contrasting examples. Use a specific case study, like Lagos in Nigeria, to bring the abstract concepts of push and pull factors to life. Use visual aids like photos and videos to help students empathise with the challenges and opportunities faced by people in rapidly growing cities.

Following these activities, students will be able to confidently explain the causes of urbanisation and compare the different patterns of city growth around the world.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• Urbanisation is the same as a city getting bigger (urban growth).

  Urbanisation is the increase in the *proportion* or percentage of a country's population living in urban areas. Urban growth is the increase in the *absolute number* of people living in urban areas. A country's cities can grow, but if the rural population grows at a faster rate, the level of urbanisation can actually decrease.

• Everyone who moves to a city finds a good job and has a better life.

  While many people are drawn by the hope of opportunities, the reality can be very different. Many migrants end up in low-paid, informal jobs and live in overcrowded, poor-quality housing, such as shanty towns, with limited access to clean water, sanitation, and electricity.

• Urbanisation is a new phenomenon that only happens in poorer countries.

  Urbanisation has been happening for centuries. High-Income Countries like the UK experienced their most rapid period of urbanisation during the Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries. The process is happening now at a much faster rate in LICs and NEEs.

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Methods used in this brief

• Inquiry-Based Learning