Global Explorers: Our Changing World · 6th Class

Active learning ideas

Push and Pull Factors of Migration

Active learning works for this topic because students need to test abstract ideas against real experiences to grasp how push and pull factors interact. Moving beyond listening to a lecture, they manipulate data and debate choices, which builds empathy and analytical clarity at the same time.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Primary - Human Environments
• NCCA: Primary - People and Other Lands

• 20–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Decision Matrix
• 30 min · Pairs

Pairs: Build a Decision Matrix

Pairs receive a migrant scenario, like a family facing drought. They list 5 push and 5 pull factors for two destinations, score each 1-5 on importance, then select and justify the best choice. Share one matrix with the class.

Differentiate between economic, social, political, and environmental push factors.

Facilitation Tip

For the Pair: Build a Decision Matrix activity, give each pair a ruler and colored pencils to keep their table neat and visible for quick checks.

What to look for

Provide students with a brief scenario about a person considering migration. Ask them to list two push factors and two pull factors from the scenario, labeling each as economic, social, political, or environmental.

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

Activity 02

• Decision Matrix
• 40 min · Small Groups

Small Groups: Case Study Sort

Provide cards with real migration factors from cases like Syrian refugees. Groups sort into push/pull categories, discuss influences, and present one economic vs. environmental debate. Use visuals for support.

Explain how pull factors influence migration decisions.

Facilitation Tip

During Small Groups: Case Study Sort, circulate with a checklist of the four categories so groups can self-correct as they classify.

What to look for

Show images or short video clips depicting different migration scenarios (e.g., a family leaving a war-torn region, a person moving for a job). Ask students to hold up cards labeled 'Push' or 'Pull' to identify the primary force shown.

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

Activity 03

• Decision Matrix
• 35 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Migration Role-Play

Assign roles as migrants facing push factors. Class votes on pull destinations using a shared projector matrix. Debrief on decisions and real outcomes.

Construct a decision-matrix to illustrate a migrant's choices.

Facilitation Tip

In Migration Role-Play, provide a one-sentence script card for each character to keep the scenes focused and fair for all participants.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'If you had to move to a new country, what would be the most important factor influencing your decision?' Facilitate a class discussion where students share their chosen factor and explain why it is more significant to them than others.

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

Activity 04

• Decision Matrix
• 20 min · Individual

Individual: Factor Journal

Students reflect on a video clip of migration, noting 3 push/pull factors personally. Pair-share then class chart to connect ideas.

Differentiate between economic, social, political, and environmental push factors.

What to look for

Provide students with a brief scenario about a person considering migration. Ask them to list two push factors and two pull factors from the scenario, labeling each as economic, social, political, or environmental.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers find that framing migration as a series of trade-offs—rather than a single cause—helps students avoid deterministic views. Avoid presenting push and pull as a balanced equation; instead, highlight that fear and urgency often outweigh comfort. Research suggests role-play and matrix tasks reduce stereotyping by making abstract reasons concrete and personal.

Successful learning looks like students confidently sorting factors into categories, explaining overlaps, and weighing trade-offs in their own words. They listen to peers, revise their thinking when evidence shifts, and connect classroom work to real-world stories.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Small Groups: Case Study Sort, watch for students who label every factor as economic because it is the easiest to identify.

  Circulate during Case Study Sort and ask groups to justify each label, pointing to specific words in the case that show political or environmental causes as well.

• During Pairs: Build a Decision Matrix, watch for students who treat push and pull factors as equally weighted in every scenario.

  Prompt pairs to assign a value from 1 to 5 for each factor to make imbalances visible, then ask them to explain why a high score on a push factor outweighs a pull factor.

• During Migration Role-Play, watch for students who assume migrants always plan to stay permanently.

  Give role cards that include temporary moves or return plans, then ask players to explain their character’s timeline during the debrief.

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Methods used in this brief

• Decision Matrix