Debate the Causes of the Industrial Revolution

Develop critical thinking by evaluating competing explanations for a major historical change.

Teaching Context:
Designed for Year 9 to Year 11 History when exploring global industrialisation.

Basic AI Prompt:
What caused the Industrial Revolution?

Enhanced AI Prompt:
You are learning to evaluate historical causes. Ask AI to list the main causes of the Industrial Revolution (e.g. new inventions, access to coal, population growth, colonial wealth). Rank them from most to least significant, explaining why. Then, ask AI to write a short argument defending the most important cause, and a counter-argument defending a less important cause. Finally, ask AI to suggest how geography, technology and economics worked together to cause change.

Spice it Up (Optional Extension):
Ask AI to role-play as an inventor, factory worker, and factory owner debating what caused industrialisation.

Lesson Implementation:
Start with a class brainstorm on possible causes. Model how to ask AI for cause-and-effect explanations. Students use AI to develop arguments for and against each cause’s importance. They then create a debate outline, preparing to argue different viewpoints in a structured class debate.

Hold the debate, encouraging students to listen, challenge and respond respectfully. Finish with a reflective writing task: “Which cause do you think mattered most—and why?” This lesson develops historical argumentation and weighing of evidence.

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