Activity 01
Globalisation in My Bag
Students take out a few items from their school bag or pockets (e.g., phone, pen, notebook). In small groups, they research the origin of the brand, where the item was manufactured, and where components might have come from, then map these locations on a world map to visualise their personal connection to global supply chains.
Analyse the role of technological advancements in driving globalisation.
Facilitation TipProvide a template worksheet to guide their research for each item to keep them focused.
What to look forMind Map: Students create a mind map with 'Causes of Globalisation' at the centre and branches for 'Technological', 'Economic', and 'Political' factors, adding specific examples and details for each branch.
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Activity 02
Cause and Effect Chain
Provide students with cards listing different events or inventions (e.g., 'Invention of the Internet', 'India's 1991 Reforms', 'Formation of WTO', 'Growth of MNCs'). In pairs, students must arrange these cards in a logical sequence and draw arrows to show how one cause led to or strengthened another, demonstrating the interconnectedness of the factors.
Explain how political decisions, such as deregulation and liberalisation, have facilitated global integration.
Facilitation TipEncourage multiple correct answers, as the chains of causality can be argued in different ways.
What to look forDBQ (Document-Based Question): Provide students with a set of short documents (e.g., a graph of falling shipping costs, a quote from a WTO agreement, an article about the internet). Students must write an essay answering a prompt about the primary causes of globalisation, citing evidence from the documents.
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Activity 03
Policy Debate: The Biggest Driver
Divide the class into three teams: Technology, Politics, and Economics. Each team prepares arguments for why their assigned factor is the most significant cause of globalisation. Hold a structured debate where each team presents its case and rebuts the others.
Compare the importance of different causes of globalisation.
Facilitation TipAppoint a student moderator to keep time and ensure the debate remains on topic.
What to look forTraffic Light Reflection: Students use red, yellow, or green coloured cards or notes to indicate their level of confidence in explaining each of the three main categories of causes (political, economic, technological).
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Generate Complete Lesson→A few notes on teaching this unit
Structure the lesson around the three pillars: Technology, Economics, and Politics. Use a graphic organiser to visually sort examples under each heading. Emphasise the 'chain reaction' effect, for instance, how a political decision to liberalise an economy allows MNCs to enter, a process which is then sped up by technological advancements in communication.
Upon completing this topic, students will be able to confidently explain how technological breakthroughs, political shifts, and economic strategies have worked together to create the interconnected world we live in today.
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Globalisation is a new phenomenon that only started with the internet in the 1990s.
While the current phase of globalisation is unprecedented in its speed and scale, the process of global interconnectedness is ancient. Historical examples include the Silk Road trade routes and the era of colonialism. The internet and modern technology have dramatically accelerated the process, but they did not start it.
Globalisation is only about the economy, like trade and MNCs.
Globalisation is a multidimensional process. While economic aspects are very important, it also includes political (the influence of international organisations), cultural (the spread of food, music, and ideas), and technological dimensions that are all deeply interconnected.
Globalisation is an automatic or natural process.
Globalisation is not inevitable. It has been driven by specific technological innovations and, crucially, by conscious political and economic policy choices made by governments and international bodies, such as decisions to lower trade barriers, deregulate industries, and promote free markets.
Methods used in this brief