A New Handbook for Repair Workshops in Schools
Repairing instead of throwing away: students at the Rudolf Steiner School in Munich-Schwabing are learning to do just that in the school’s repair workshop. The organizers’ experiences with the project are collected in a newly-released book, Reparieren macht Schule.
Ending the throwaway society: students in the 5th-11th grades at the Rudolf Steiner School in Munich-Schwabing regularly repair broken objects, free of charge, that their customers bring in to their repair workshop. The initiative was started by physics and math teacher Walter Kraus and is supported by a number of volunteers. In two years, they have saved over 300 objects – mostly electric and electronic appliances – from being scrapped.
The project’s organizers have now documented their experiences in a newly-released handbook to encourage as many schools as possible to set up a similar project. The handbook provides practical tips for creating a repair workshop in schools and discusses safety aspects, necessary equipment, and sensible conditions. The handbook also includes a scientific evaluation of the positive pedagogical aspects of the project.