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Lesson Plan: doing a cost–benefit analysis for a mobile phone
From the bring bring online resource
Downloadable version of
cost–benefit
analysis sheet with teachers' notes (15K word document)
Help focus your pupils' attention on the advantages and disadvantages
of mobile phone usage, both for themselves and for society using
the downloadable cost–benefit analysis
sheet. It is also a general tool to help them weigh up advantages
and disadvantages and come to a conclusion.
This activity is quite brief, as it is likely that your pupils
will come down firmly in favour of the mobile phone. They may not
have considered all the issues involved however, and they may have
some creative ideas about how they and society can make the best
use of mobile phones.
Suggested procedure
1. Introduce the concept of a cost–benefit sheet. It is basically
a way of working out whether something is a good idea, and whether
it is worth the costs involved. Cost–benefit sheets are used
quite frequently by civil servants and business people who are thinking
of trying out new ideas or planning projects (recycling schemes
for example). Is the investment they are making going to pay off
in the long-term?
2. Talk the pupils through the sheet before they fill it in, giving
examples of what they could put into the different categories. You
might like to bring in an example of how much a new mobile phone
and contract would cost, in case any of the pupils do not own mobile
phones. However, other pupils might supply this information.
| The categories are as follows
Benefits
These would include easier communication with friends, safety,
fun, etc.
Costs
Ask the pupils to work these out per month and per year. If
they own a phone, they should write how they get this money,
what proportion of their pocket money it represents, and whether
they've had to make any sacrifices to own the phone. Do they
have to sacrifice time they would otherwise use for study
to earn money to own and maintain their phone? Do their parents
pay?
Risks
Are there any health risks? What about the risk of being mugged?
Benefits to society
How does society as a whole benefit? Are people able to keep
in touch with each other more, or to do things more quickly?
Examples of benefits might include the fact that it's easier
to help people who are in danger, lost or stranded.
Costs to society
These could include risks from transmission masts, feelings
of envy and exclusion from those who can't afford phones,
toxic batteries and lack of knowledge of the long-term health
risks. Do mobile phones cause an increase in crime? Statistics
show that street robbery offences doubled in 2001. 28% of
these crimes involved mobile phones. (Search newspapers and
news websites for related articles.)
Any other comments
Anything else they can think of.
Conclusion
A paragraph about whether it is worth it. They might want
to qualify their comments, suggesting guidelines for sensible
use (e.g. phones should not be used while driving; text messages
can be sent instead of calls to keep the cost down; calls
could be made mainly in emergencies; children below a certain
age shouldn't have mobile phones; mobiles should not be taken
to school, etc). Social costs should be addressed in this
paragraph too. |
3. Once they have filled in their sheets, pupils could discuss
their ideas as a class or in small groups.
As an extension exercise, pupils could answer the questions on
the sheet imagining that they lived in a developing country. A similar
sheet could be used to work with other issues (e.g. smoking, drugs)
or to help set up projects such as fundraising activities and other
school projects.
Downloadable version of cost–benefit
analysis sheet with teachers' notes (15K word document).
From the bring bring
online resource
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