Pick a side
Choose one question. Think quietly, compare in pairs, then give a reason. Fictional examples are welcome.
- Which is worse: a broken phone, lost headphones or a ruined favourite top?
- Name something you keep although it is old.
- Would you rather learn to sew, fix a bicycle or cook five meals?
Get the story
Read to find one benefit, one problem and one idea you want to challenge.
Your headphones stop working before a trip. Your favourite hoodie has a broken zip. Your phone works, but its battery does not last until lunchtime. Replacing everything sounds easy until you see the cost. Repairing sounds sensible until you discover you have neither the tools nor a nearby repair shop. These everyday decisions connect teenagers to a much bigger debate.
Imagine that your favourite jeans have a small hole. Would you repair them, ask someone for help or buy another pair? Many people choose the last option, even when the jeans could last much longer.
Repairing things used to be a normal part of daily life for many families. People mended clothes, maintained bicycles and kept basic tools at home. However, we should not imagine that every old product was better. We remember the strong items that survived and often forget the ones that broke.
Some American schools helped students learn practical skills. In traditional Home Economics classes, students might cook, sew or manage a household budget. In Shop classes, they learned to use tools or work with wood and metal. These classes were not identical in every school, and related courses still exist today under other names. Spain has Technology and vocational courses, but not an exact national equivalent of traditional US Home Ec.
Why repair less now? New products can be surprisingly inexpensive, while paying a skilled worker takes money. Some modern objects are also hard to open or need special parts. Even a simple repair can be frustrating when nobody at home knows how to do it.
A growing number of Repair Cafés offer another approach. Volunteers help visitors examine broken objects and sometimes teach them a skill. A successful repair saves an item from the bin. Even an unsuccessful one can help someone understand how a product works.
Perhaps schools should teach more life skills again. But which lessons should students lose to make time? And should it be a school's job to teach every practical skill? The answer may depend on what families, local businesses and community groups can already offer.
You can change repair culture without becoming an electronics expert. A school could run a clothes swap or invite someone to teach a safe sewing repair. Nobody should open batteries or electrical devices without suitable knowledge and supervision. Sometimes the useful skill is knowing when to ask for help. Before buying something new, what could you check about spare parts, durability and repair costs?
Original classroom writing informed by the sources below.
Word power
Explain a word to a partner, check its meaning, then use it in a new example.
Prove it
Choose an answer, then find the sentence that supports it. Guessing is only the start.
Watch. Notice. Question.
Repair Café: volunteers helping to fix household technology · BBC News
Watch the first 4 minutes at most; the full report is optional further viewing.
Open authentic videoNotice what people bring and why volunteers help.
- Check your predictions. Why is the café run by volunteers?
Use the article as your report. Find its main claim, supporting evidence and one thing it cannot tell you. Compare answers and explain the difference between a fact and an opinion.
The challenge board
Two teams, one screen, no student devices. Choose a tile. Explain your answer before revealing it. Use the score buttons to award points; opinions earn points for reasons, not agreement.
Choose a challenge to begin.
Have something to say
This or that?
- Repair for 40 euros or replace for 60?
Choose. Give a reason. Ask your partner one follow-up question.
- Used premium phone or new basic phone?
Choose. Give a reason. Ask your partner one follow-up question.
- Clothes swap or shopping trip?
Choose. Give a reason. Ask your partner one follow-up question.
- Learn the repair or pay an expert?
Choose. Give a reason. Ask your partner one follow-up question.
- One durable item or three cheap ones?
Choose. Give a reason. Ask your partner one follow-up question.
- Keep your old style or follow a trend?
Choose. Give a reason. Ask your partner one follow-up question.
Go deeper
Pick the questions that interest you. You can defend a fictional view.
- When is replacement the sensible choice?
- Would you buy a repaired phone? What would you check?
- Who taught you a practical skill?
- Should schools teach more repair skills?
- How do trends encourage replacement?
- Can cheap clothes be good value?
- What makes a brand worth more?
- Should repair prices be shown before purchase?
- Who should pay when a product breaks unusually early?
- Could sharing tools work locally?
- How could repairing become fashionable?
- What would persuade you to keep a phone another year?
- I would choose ... because ...
- One advantage is ..., but ...
- I see your point. However, ...
- What evidence supports that?
- Could we agree on ...?
- I used to think ..., but now ...
Make your case
Your school has a fictional 200-euro budget for a repair event. Choose three activities, identify equipment or expert help, and include students without money or tools.
Plot twist — open when your plan is ready
Your favourite activity involves electrical devices, but no qualified repairer is available. Find a safe alternative.
Final outcome: Pitch three activities, a budget, a safety rule and a way to measure waste avoided.
- I would choose ... because ...
- One advantage is ..., but ...
- I see your point. However, ...
- What evidence supports that?
- Could we agree on ...?
- I used to think ..., but now ...
One more idea
Make a repair label for a fictional product: expected life, spare parts, repair costs and one honest limitation.
Exit ticket
One useful word. One idea you changed or questioned. One question you still have.
Follow the story
- European Commission: right-to-repair rules (31 July 2026)
- Council of the EU: what the right to repair covers
- European Commission: durability, green claims and consumer rights
- European Commission: smartphone repairability and software rules
- US education statistics: historical Home Economics & Industrial Arts courses
- Spain's Ministry of Education: secondary curriculum