Session 9: Fix-It Day: Troubleshooting
At a glance: pupils learn the R-C-S-A fix-it habit (Restart, Cables and power, Settings, Ask), use it to fix the most common computer problems, learn the safety rules, describe a problem clearly to a helper, and diagnose real faults the mentor has planted. · Time: 90 minutes (adjust the timings if your period is shorter) · Workbook pages: 6
Learning outcomes
By the end of the session, pupils can:
- Use the R-C-S-A fix-it habit in order (Restart, Cables and power, Settings, then Ask) and stay safe: never open a case or touch mains electricity, and tell an adult.
- Find and fix common problems: no sound, no internet, printer offline, wrong display mode, keyboard typing wrong characters, mouse not moving, a frozen app, a full drive and a computer that will not turn on.
- Describe a problem clearly to a helper: what they did, what they see, the exact error message (with a screenshot) and what they already tried.
Before the session
- Plant the faults (one per PC, or two on a few PCs for fast teams), and keep a secret list of which PC has which fault. Suggested set, all safe and quick to undo:
- No sound: mute the volume, or set the output to a device that is not connected, or unplug the headset halfway.
- No internet: turn on Airplane mode, or turn Wi-Fi off, or unplug the Ethernet cable at the PC end.
- Printer offline: switch the printer off at its own button, take the paper out of the tray, or set a different default printer.
- Wrong display: set Windows + P to "Second screen only" on a PC with a projector or second monitor (the main screen goes black), or turn the monitor's brightness right down.
- Keyboard: turn Caps Lock on; turn Num Lock off; or add a second layout such as English (US) or French (AZERTY) and switch to it.
- Mouse: take the battery out of a wireless mouse, unplug its USB receiver, or plug a wired mouse into a port halfway.
- Frozen app: you cannot easily freeze an app on purpose; instead, open an app full screen and tell pupils to "pretend it is not responding". They must end it in Task Manager.
- Full drive: put a folder of large dummy files (copies of a big video) on the desktop and in the Recycle Bin, so This PC shows less free space. Only do this on a PC with room to spare.
- Won't turn on: switch off the power strip (you do this; pupils only spot that its light is off and tell you), or press the monitor's power button off.
- Never plant a fault that involves opening a case, loosening internal cables, unplugging at the wall or editing system files.
- Print or write one "Fault card" per station with just the symptom, for example "Ama says: the video plays but I hear nothing."
- Test the Fix-It Workshop lab on the projector PC and one pupil PC. Keep the offline pack on USB.
Running order
| Time | Activity | Workbook | What the mentor does |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–10 min | Typing warm-up | – | Pupils open the typing trainer (/typing/) and do their 10-minute practice. |
| 10–20 min | Think like a fitter; the R-C-S-A habit; safety | Page 1 | Tell the Suame Magazine story. Chant "Really Calm Students Ask!" Read the safety rules out loud and ask pupils to repeat the three nevers. |
| 20–35 min | Fix-it cards and the "Name That Fault" game | Pages 2–3 | Act out symptoms ("I'm a mouse that won't move!"); the first team to shout the likely cause and the R-C-S-A step gets a point. Show the network icon states on the projector. |
| 35–45 min | Step A: describing a problem | Page 4 | Role-play a bad request ("It's spoilt!") and a good one. Pupils rewrite Selasi's request. Show a screenshot of an error. |
| 45–53 min | 3D lab: Fix-It Workshop | Page 5 | Demonstrate the first fault on the projector, saying "R… C… S…" out loud. Pairs fix the rest. |
| 53–80 min | Lab Mission: the Fix-It Challenge | Page 5 | Pairs rotate through the planted-fault PCs every 4–5 minutes, filling the fault log. Initial each fix. Re-plant faults behind them for the next pair. |
| 80–86 min | Show-and-tell and review | Page 6 | Each pair names the trickiest fault and how they found it. Go through the "most likely cause" questions. |
| 86–90 min | Self-assessment and sign-off | Page 6 | Sign off using the evidence below. Before pupils leave, undo every planted fault using your list. |
Key ideas and how to explain them
- Think like a fitter: easy checks first. Most problems are a loose cable, a switch or a setting, not a broken computer.
- R-C-S-A, "Really Calm Students Ask": Restart (close and reopen the app, or restart the PC), Cables and power, Settings, then Ask. Test after each step. "It won't turn on" skips straight to C.
- Stay calm: panicking leads to clicking everything. Calm pupils read the screen.
- Safety first: never open a case or a charger, never touch wall sockets or bare wires, smell burning or see sparks = step away and tell an adult. Adults handle mains plugs, power strips and UPS units.
- A good help request has four parts: what I did, what I see, the exact error, what I tried, plus a screenshot.
- Team points: 1 per "Name That Fault" win, 2 per fault fixed and initialled in the log, 1 bonus for a pair who fixes a fault and explains it clearly to another pair, 1 for a clear help request.
The 3D lab
Fix-It Workshop gives pupils a computer with problems (no sound, no internet, a frozen app, a full drive, plus CAPITALS, a computer that will not turn on and a printer error) and asks them to follow the fix-it habit to find and fix each one. Its three missions are: 1. Fix 3 faults using R-C-S-A. 2. Fix a fault without skipping a step. 3. Write a clear help request (all 4 parts) for the printer you can't fix. On the projector, do the first fault while saying the steps aloud, including the steps that do not fix it ("Restart: still no sound. Cables: the headset is plugged in. Settings: muted! Fixed."). That shows pupils that checking a step and finding nothing is progress, not failure. The lab notices a skipped step, refuses "Ask" until R, C and S are tried, and shows that "It won't turn on" starts at C; the printer paper jam cannot be fixed by a pupil, so it ends with the four-part help request from Page 4. Pairs then fix the rest before they meet the real planted faults.
Common mistakes and quick fixes
| Pupils often… | Try this |
|---|---|
| Jump straight to "Ask" | "Which of R, C and S did you try?" Send them back with the fix-it card. |
| Restart the whole PC for every small problem, losing work | Restart starts small: close and reopen the app first. Save before a full restart. |
| Change lots of things at once | One change, then test. Otherwise you never know what fixed it. |
| Unplug the power cable or reach for the wall socket | Stop them kindly but firmly. Mains plugs are an adult's job. |
| Write "fixed it" in the log | Ask "What exactly did you do?" ("I turned Airplane mode off in the network menu.") |
| Cannot find the keyboard layout fault | Point to the letters beside the clock; press Windows + Space. |
| Think a black screen means the PC is off | Look for the PC's power light and listen for the fan. Then check the monitor. |
When things go wrong
- No internet: perfect: it becomes a real fault to diagnose together. The lab and every other station work offline.
- Not enough PCs: plant two faults per PC and send teams of three, with roles: the fixer at the keyboard, the reader with the fix-it cards, the recorder with the fault log. Rotate roles at every station.
- A PC freezes or the power goes: a real power cut is the best lesson: follow the power together (Figure 9.2), with you checking the wall, strip and UPS. Afterwards ask "What was lost? Why?" (unsaved work in memory, Session 6). Re-plant faults once power returns.
Answer key
Your turn (Page 2): Airplane mode is on, so all wireless (including Wi-Fi) is switched off. She should click the network icon on the taskbar and turn Airplane mode off, then connect to the right Wi-Fi network.
Selasi's request (Page 4): example: 1. "I opened a video on YouTube." 2. "The video plays but I hear no sound." 3. "There is no error message." 4. "I checked the volume is turned up." Next he should check that the headset or speakers are plugged in firmly and switched on (C), that the right output device is chosen and the video player is not muted (S), and try closing and reopening the video (R).
Fault log (Page 5): depends on the faults you planted. Expected step: no sound, S (or C if unplugged); no internet, S for Airplane mode or Wi-Fi off, C for the cable; printer, C (power, paper) or S (wrong printer); display, S (Windows + P) or C (monitor off); keyboard, S (Caps Lock, Num Lock, layout); mouse, C (battery, receiver); frozen app, R (Task Manager); full drive, S (empty the Recycle Bin, delete dummy files); won't turn on, C (power strip or monitor switch, with an adult).
Most likely cause (Page 6): 1. Caps Lock is on. 2. The monitor is off or its cable is loose. 3. The battery is flat.
Written Review Questions
- R: Restart, for example close and reopen a frozen app or restart the PC. C: Cables and power, for example check the headset is plugged in or the power strip is on. S: Settings, for example unmute the sound or turn off Airplane mode. A: Ask a mentor and describe the problem clearly.
- Step away, do not touch anything, and tell an adult at once. Never open the case, touch the socket or plug, or pour water on it.
Support and stretch
- Needs more support: give them a laminated R-C-S-A card with the three checks for each step. Start them at the easiest stations (Caps Lock, mute, monitor off) and pair them with a calm partner as the reader.
- Finished early: make them "fault planters": they secretly plant a safe fault from the list (with you watching) for another pair to find. Or write a fix-it card for a new problem, such as "the screen is upside down" (Settings → System → Display → Display orientation → Landscape).
Evidence for sign-off
The pupil says the four steps of R-C-S-A in order, has fixed at least four planted faults with the symptom, step and exact fix written in the log and initialled, rewrites Selasi's request with all four parts, and states the safety rules (never open a case or touch mains; tell an adult).
Safety and wellbeing
This is the session most likely to tempt pupils to "go deeper". Repeat the three nevers at the start and at the lab: never open a case or charger, never touch wall sockets, mains plugs or bare wires, never touch anything wet or smoking. You alone switch power strips and UPS units. Check every planted fault is undone before the next class uses the PCs, and that no dummy files fill a shared drive. Some pupils feel anxious when things "break": praise calm, careful checking more than speed, and make it clear that finding a fault is a success, not a mistake.