Voices of Change: Ireland and the Wider World · 6th Year

Active learning ideas

Guerrilla Warfare and Key Figures

Active learning helps students grasp the unpredictable nature of guerrilla warfare, where strategy and local knowledge outweighed sheer force. By moving beyond textbooks, students experience the split-second decisions and teamwork that defined flying columns and intelligence networks in Ireland's War of Independence.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Primary - Politics, conflict and society
• NCCA: Primary - Story

• 30–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Simulation Game
• 45 min · Small Groups

Role-Play: Flying Column Ambush

Assign roles as IRA volunteers, British soldiers, and civilians. Groups plan an ambush using a classroom map, execute it with props, then debrief on outcomes. Rotate roles for multiple trials.

Analyze the effectiveness of guerrilla warfare tactics against a larger, conventional army.

Facilitation Tip

During the Role-Play: Flying Column Ambush, assign roles beforehand and set a strict five-minute ambush window to force quick decision-making under pressure.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Was Michael Collins primarily a military leader or a political strategist?' Facilitate a class debate where students must use evidence from the period to support their arguments, referencing specific actions and roles.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Simulation Game
• 30 min · Pairs

Intelligence Network Mapping

Students use string and pins on a large map to connect Collins' spies, safe houses, and targets. Discuss how information flow enabled tactics. Present findings to the class.

Explain the importance of intelligence gathering in the War of Independence.

Facilitation Tip

For Intelligence Network Mapping, provide colored pencils and large paper so students can visually trace connections and identify central nodes like Collins.

What to look for

Ask students to write down one specific guerrilla tactic used by the IRA and explain how it was effective against the British forces. Then, have them identify one key figure and describe their primary contribution to the War of Independence.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Formal Debate
• 40 min · Whole Class

Formal Debate: Tactics vs. Conventional War

Divide class into pro-guerrilla and pro-conventional sides. Provide evidence cards on strengths and weaknesses. Vote and reflect on historical impact.

Differentiate between the roles of military leaders and political leaders during the conflict.

Facilitation Tip

In the Debate: Tactics vs. Conventional War, require each student to cite one primary source or historical fact before speaking to ground arguments in evidence.

What to look for

Provide students with a short, declassified document or a fictionalized primary source excerpt related to intelligence gathering. Ask them to identify two pieces of information that would have been valuable to the IRA and explain why.

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

Activity 04

• Jigsaw
• 35 min · Small Groups

Jigsaw: Key Figures

Cut timelines of Collins and others into segments. Groups reconstruct and add tactic examples, then teach their section to others.

Analyze the effectiveness of guerrilla warfare tactics against a larger, conventional army.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Was Michael Collins primarily a military leader or a political strategist?' Facilitate a class debate where students must use evidence from the period to support their arguments, referencing specific actions and roles.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers find that starting with the Timeline Jigsaw helps students anchor key figures in a clear sequence before tackling complex tactics. Avoid presenting guerrilla warfare as chaotic by using the flying column role-play to show how discipline and planning made these units effective. Research suggests that connecting abstract ideas like 'asymmetric warfare' to concrete simulations improves retention and critical thinking.

Students will demonstrate understanding by identifying how mobility and intelligence shaped IRA tactics, analyzing the roles of key figures, and evaluating why these methods frustrated conventional forces. Success looks like confident discussions, accurate maps, and precise historical analysis in both written and verbal forms.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Role-Play: Flying Column Ambush, watch for students describing the IRA's actions as random or unplanned. Redirect them by asking how the flying column used local knowledge and intelligence to choose the ambush site and timing.

  After the role-play, ask students to identify one piece of information the IRA had that the British lacked, reinforcing how intelligence shaped their tactical advantage.

• During the Intelligence Network Mapping activity, watch for students focusing only on Collins as a military leader. Redirect them by prompting them to trace how intelligence flowed through local networks, not just command chains.

  During the mapping activity, ask students to highlight where Collins's role overlapped with local informants, showing his organizational rather than just military contributions.

• During the Debate: Tactics vs. Conventional War, watch for students assuming the IRA always had local numerical superiority. Redirect them by pointing to the flying column role-play where smaller, faster units defeated larger but slower forces.

  After the debate, have students revisit the flying column scenario and calculate how many British soldiers were likely at the ambush site compared to the IRA, using the map to visualize the advantage in speed and surprise.

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Methods used in this brief

• Simulation Game
• Formal Debate
• Jigsaw