Liberal Reforms 1906-1918

4. Debate

Required Resources

• Student Worksheet 3-4
• Slides 17-20

Delivery

• Divide the class into groups of four and distribute a copy of Student Worksheet 3-4 to each group. Explain that students should split into two pairs within their group to conduct a debate over the importance of the reforms.
• Each pair should spend 10 minutes reading through the Student Worksheets and making notes. The Worksheets contain information which each pair can use to support their argument.
• One pair should argue that the reforms were of great significance and signified an important change whilst the other pair should argue that the reforms were not radical enough and were, in reality, ineffective.
• Circulate amongst the groups to provide guidance during the debates.
• Highlight the fact that the First World War provided a good opportunity to evaluate the success or failure of the Liberal welfare reforms. Display Slides 17-20 which provides a brief outline of British involvement in the War. The slides review whether the Liberal reforms introduced between 1906 and 1918 were effective.

Differentiation

Lower Ability:

Ask lower ability students to practice drawing out the most important points from a source by noting down three bullet points for or against each Act when preparing for the debate.

Higher Ability:

Higher ability students could be asked to write a short essay about one of the welfare reforms outlining whether they think it was a success or a failure. They should use the school library to try and find sources to corroborate their argument.