Computing · Year 7

Active learning ideas

Green Computing and Sustainability

Students learn best when they see the real costs of their actions, not just the theory. This topic asks Year 7s to measure the electricity their devices use and to trace the life cycle of a gadget from mine to landfill, turning abstract numbers into visible consequences in the room they share every day.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• GCSE Computer Science Specifications (AQA, OCR): Ethical, legal, cultural and environmental concerns. Investigate the environmental impact of digital technology.
• National Curriculum in England: Computing programmes of study: Key Stage 3. Understand the hardware and software components that make up computer systems.
• National Curriculum in England: Computing programmes of study: Purpose of study. Become responsible users of information and communication technology.

• 30–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Graffiti Wall
• 45 min · Small Groups

Classroom Audit: Tech Energy Use

List all devices in the room and note daily usage hours. Use provided electricity rates to calculate total weekly kWh consumption. Groups propose three quick fixes like timers or sleep modes, then share with the class.

Explain the environmental footprint of digital technologies.

Facilitation Tip

During the Classroom Audit, have groups photograph each plug socket before and after they unplug devices to make the standby load tangible for everyone.

What to look for

Present students with a list of common digital activities (e.g., streaming a movie, sending an email, playing an online game). Ask them to rank these activities from lowest to highest estimated energy consumption and briefly justify one ranking.

• Remember
• Understand
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Graffiti Wall
• 30 min · Small Groups

Sorting Challenge: E-Waste Bins

Provide images or props of old tech items. Students sort them into bins for repair, recycle, reuse, or landfill, justifying choices. Discuss barriers like missing local facilities.

Design strategies for reducing energy consumption in computing.

Facilitation Tip

For the Sorting Challenge, provide actual e-waste samples or labeled images so students handle the materials they will later debate.

What to look for

Facilitate a class discussion using the prompt: 'Imagine you are advising the school principal on making the IT department more sustainable. What are the top three changes you would recommend, and why are they important?'

• Remember
• Understand
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Graffiti Wall
• 40 min · Pairs

Design Task: Personal Green Plan

Individuals draft a weekly computing schedule minimising energy waste, such as batching tasks. Pairs review and refine plans, presenting top ideas to the class.

Evaluate the effectiveness of different e-waste recycling initiatives.

Facilitation Tip

In the Design Task, require students to include a one-week data log of their own device use so the plan is grounded in personal evidence.

What to look for

Give each student a card and ask them to write down one specific action they can take this week to reduce their personal technology's environmental impact, and one question they still have about green computing.

• Remember
• Understand
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 04

• Graffiti Wall
• 50 min · Small Groups

Debate Prep: Recycling Schemes

Research two UK e-waste programs online. Small groups prepare arguments on effectiveness based on stats like recycling volumes. Hold a class vote.

Explain the environmental footprint of digital technologies.

Facilitation Tip

During Debate Prep, assign roles so every student researches one side of the argument before the discussion begins.

What to look for

Present students with a list of common digital activities (e.g., streaming a movie, sending an email, playing an online game). Ask them to rank these activities from lowest to highest estimated energy consumption and briefly justify one ranking.

• Remember
• Understand
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach this topic through cycles of measurement, reflection, and redesign. Avoid lectures about abstract averages; instead, let students discover the scale of energy waste themselves through real devices in the room. Research shows that when students collect and share their own data, misconceptions about low-power devices fall away naturally. Keep the focus on trade-offs—small changes versus systemic shifts—so students see sustainability as a series of choices, not a single correct answer.

By the end of the unit, students will be able to quantify hidden energy drains in the classroom, design a personal sustainability plan with measurable targets, and evaluate recycling schemes using evidence rather than assumptions. Success looks like students citing data from their own audits when they explain why brightness settings matter.

---

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Classroom Audit, watch for students who assume idle devices use almost no electricity.

  Have groups measure the current draw with a plug-in power meter and compare their findings to a refrigerator label that students post on the wall, so the data confronts the assumption directly.

• During Sorting Challenge: E-Waste Bins, watch for students who think any recycling bin labelled ‘e-waste’ is safe.

  Provide three bin labels with different collection routes and ask students to trace where each route actually leads, using supplier reports or local council data sheets.

• During Debate Prep: Recycling Schemes, watch for students who believe cloud storage always saves energy.

  Give each group a scenario card showing local storage versus a named data centre and have them calculate kilowatt-hours per gigabyte so the numbers expose the trade-off.

---

Methods used in this brief

• Graffiti Wall