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

Active learning ideas

The Civil War: Causes and Conflict

Active learning works because the Irish Civil War’s divisions are best understood through direct engagement with arguments, perspectives, and consequences. Students need to move beyond textbook summaries to grapple with the human elements of this conflict, where former allies became adversaries over constitutional choices. Hands-on activities transform abstract political divides into tangible, memorable learning experiences.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Primary - Politics, conflict and society
• NCCA: Primary - Continuity and change over time

• 35–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Formal Debate
• 35 min · Pairs

Debate Pairs: Treaty Arguments

Pair students as pro-Treaty or anti-Treaty advocates. Provide source cards with quotes from Collins and de Valera. Pairs prepare 2-minute speeches, then switch roles to rebut, recording key points on shared charts.

Explain why the Anglo-Irish Treaty led to such a deep division among former allies.

Facilitation Tip

During the Debate Pairs activity, assign roles explicitly and provide students with a debate framework to ensure structured, respectful exchanges.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are a member of the Dáil Éireann in 1922. Based on the arguments presented, would you vote for or against the Anglo-Irish Treaty? Justify your decision using at least two specific points of contention.' Facilitate a structured debate where students present their chosen side.

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

Activity 02

• Formal Debate
• 45 min · Small Groups

Timeline Stations: War Escalation

Set up stations with events like Four Courts attack and executions. Small groups add cards, images, and impacts to a class timeline, then present one segment. Rotate stations twice for full coverage.

Compare the motivations of the pro-Treaty and anti-Treaty sides.

Facilitation Tip

At Timeline Stations, circulate with guiding questions that push students to explain cause-and-effect relationships between events.

What to look for

Provide students with a short, decontextualized quote from either a pro-Treaty or anti-Treaty figure. Ask them to identify which side the speaker likely belonged to and explain their reasoning based on the language and sentiment expressed in the quote.

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

Activity 03

• Jigsaw
• 50 min · Small Groups

Jigsaw: Side Perspectives

Divide class into expert groups on pro-Treaty or anti-Treaty motivations. Experts create posters with evidence, then jigsaw into mixed groups to teach and compare views through discussion.

Analyze the impact of the Civil War on Irish society and politics.

Facilitation Tip

For the Motivation Jigsaw, group students heterogeneously and require each member to teach their assigned perspective to the group before synthesizing differences.

What to look for

On a slip of paper, ask students to write one sentence explaining the primary reason for the split between former allies after the War of Independence. Then, ask them to list one significant consequence of the Civil War that still resonates today.

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

Activity 04

• Formal Debate
• 40 min · Small Groups

Source Carousel: Civil War Impacts

Place document stations around room covering society, politics, economy. Groups rotate, analyze one source per station, note evidence, then debrief whole class on patterns.

Explain why the Anglo-Irish Treaty led to such a deep division among former allies.

Facilitation Tip

During the Source Carousel, ask students to annotate each source with a brief justification for its significance before rotating to the next station.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are a member of the Dáil Éireann in 1922. Based on the arguments presented, would you vote for or against the Anglo-Irish Treaty? Justify your decision using at least two specific points of contention.' Facilitate a structured debate where students present their chosen side.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers approach this topic by emphasizing the human dimension of political divisions, using role-play and perspective-taking to counteract the tendency to simplify the conflict into good versus bad. Avoid framing the debate as a moral judgment; instead, focus on the pragmatic and ideological tensions that shaped decisions. Research suggests that when students engage with primary sources and personal narratives, they develop deeper empathy and critical thinking about historical turning points like this one.

Successful learning looks like students articulating the nuanced positions of both sides, tracing the war’s escalation through primary sources, and connecting historical decisions to long-term impacts on Irish society. They should demonstrate empathy for multiple viewpoints while maintaining historical accuracy, especially in debates and discussions. Clear evidence of this will appear in their debates, timelines, and source analyses.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Debate Pairs activity, watch for students conflating the Civil War with the War of Independence against Britain. Redirect them by asking: 'How does this debate focus on internal Irish divisions rather than British rule?'

  Have pairs reference the Treaty’s specific terms and the oath to the Crown to clarify that the split was over sovereignty within the Free State, not continued British control.

• During the Debate Pairs activity, listen for oversimplifications that Pro-Treaty supporters wanted British rule to continue. Redirect by asking: 'What evidence from the Treaty or historical context supports the claim that they saw the Free State as a stepping stone?'

  Ask students to compare the Treaty’s provisions to the 1916 Proclamation’s goals, highlighting the pragmatic acceptance of partition as a trade-off for autonomy.

• During the Timeline Stations activity, observe if students conclude the Civil War had limited long-term effects. Redirect by asking: 'How might the divisions from 1922 shape politics in the decades that followed?'

  Have students examine the timeline to identify continuity in political parties or recurring debates, such as the border issue or oath of allegiance, to highlight generational impacts.

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Methods used in this brief

• Formal Debate
• Jigsaw