Teacher preparation:

Overarching learning goal: By participating in this activity students will understand the term 'planned obsolescence' and are able to identify a range of ways that products are designed according to principles of planned obsolescence. Students will also recognise the role of consumers in the sustainability of products.

Teacher content information:

Cool Australia Presents Consumption from Cool Australia on Vimeo.

The next time a student, teacher or classroom has a product that breaks, see if you can find how to fix this product on this site: iFixit. Consider working as a class to repair the product.

Student and classroom organisation:

Preparation:

Vocabulary exercise: Ensure that students are familiar with and understand the term ‘planned obsolescence’ - a policy of producing consumer goods that rapidly become obsolete and so require replacing, achieved by frequent changes in design, termination of the supply of spare parts, and the use of non-durable materials.
Ask students to watch the Story of Stuff video below, specifically from 12.15 - 15.40 and to answer the relevant questions on the student worksheet.
If you can source the documentary The Men Who Made Us Spend - Episode 1, ask students to watch from 7:00 to 13:00 min.

The Story of Stuff from Story of Stuff Project on Vimeo.

Step 1.

Ask students to share their thoughts on the clip from The Men Who Made Us Spend by participating in an A-Z brainstorming exercise (students are asked to take turns in thinking of a word or phrase relating to the topic which commences with each letter of the alphabet). You can record the brainstorm using mindmeister or bubbl.us.

Step 2.

Engage your students in a brief discussion around the following points:

How does upgrading relate to planned obsolescence?
We are now fully accustomed to the idea of upgrading. Can you think of any products in that we use in our day to day lives that don’t need regular upgrading?

Step 3.

Working independently, ask students to undertake a brief assessment of a product they or someone in their family recently purchased. Students should use the questions on the student worksheet.

Step 4.

Working in groups, ask students to redesign a product considering the following factors:

How long it will last;
How the design will accommodate repairs and replacement parts;
How it can be upgraded with minimal environmental impact;
Where the materials to make the product come from (e.g. ethical sources).

Groups are asked to create an infographic to describe their new product. The infographic should include answers to all the points above.

Assessment/Reflection

1. Students should present their infographics to the class for discussion.

2. Ask students to watch the following advertisement and to respond to this ad by creating a meme that addresses upgrading and planned obsolescence in the context of this ad. Students can use this website to help create their meme: imgflip

Telstra 'New Phone Feeling' TVC from 2c Artist Management on Vimeo.

Extension

Ask students to write a letter to the company that produces the item that they individually assessed (in Part 2 of the Student Worksheet). The letter should address the issue of planned obsolescence.

Planned obsolescence

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