Citizenship at key stage 4 (Year 10-11)
Unit 09: Consumer rights and responsibilities
Section 6: Responsible consumer - fair trade This section offers additional ways of looking at being a responsible and informed consumer.
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Objectives |
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- about consumer responsibilities and that information can help consumers make informed choices
- that consumers and suppliers have a duty to behave responsibly, on an individual and a community level
- that consumers' choices and actions can influence the manufacture and supply of goods and services
- about the interdependence of different countries and places
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Activities |
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Outcomes |
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Children: |
- Pupils carry out an investigation into the production of a particular product made in another country, eg coffee. Ask them to consider how production affects different people and organisations involved: producers (small farmers as well as large companies), employees and customers.
- The class could discuss the issue of responsibility. Should consumers feel responsible for the choices they make? Should consumers in the UK be responsible for citizens in other countries? Should this affect their purchasing decisions?
- Pupils could investigate the idea of 'fair trade' and the various systems that help local people achieve fair payment for their products, eg government trading arrangements, agreements between supermarkets and their suppliers. How can consumers find out where and how products are made? What systems exist to help them find this information?
- Pupils investigate the sorts of products for which there are fair trade schemes. Why should consumers be encouraged to purchase these goods? Pupils consider how to get their message across to others, including other consumers and other producers.
- Pupils work in groups to develop and produce an advertising campaign that educates consumers and producers about fair trade issues. This could be done as a leaflet, poster, website, article for the school or local newspaper or display. Each group presents their ideas to the class for discussion. Pupils reflect on their participation in the group.
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- relate their knowledge of what influences choice to a specific example of consumer decision-making
- understand that people have different values and attitudes and that this affects purchasing decisions
- show an understanding of how some companies use cheap labour in less developed countries
- know about sources of information that allow consumers to identify where and how products are made
- know examples of fair trade products from their research
- know the advantages and disadvantages of being a supplier or consumer of fair trade products
- reflect on their contribution to the group activity and identify what went well and what did not go so well
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Points to note |
- This section provides an opportunity for pupils to discuss the moral aspects of consumerism, eg excessive consumption, 'display of wealth'. The issues considered in this section are as applicable when considering industry and trade in the UK as they are when considering trade between the UK and other countries.
- Many resources are available from a range of government and non-governmental sources that support investigations of products and fair trade between the UK and other countries.
- In discussing ethical aspects it will be important to refer back to the issues brought up in the first section on influences on personal consumer decisions.
- The websites of organisations concerned with the ethics of trade and consumerism may be useful; see:
- Link with ICT: 3a, 3b, 4a in the programme of study.
- Link with geography: the interdependence of places (3.1iii);
global citizenship (3.1iv).
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This unit is divided into sections. Each section contains a sequence of
activities with related objectives and outcomes. You can view this unit by
moving through the sections or print/download the whole unit.
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