School

This conversation discussion focussed on school and all the topics which surround it. Schooling is very important to our lives and personal development, but how does it change you and why? What other factors can influence the life of a student in a school? These are questions that are constantly being brought up and talked about.

• Language level: B1+
• Aim: Have students think about school and its effects.
• Learner type: Young learners; Teens; Adults
• Time: 45 – 60 minutes
• Activities included: Discussing quotes, conversation questions, presentation, image discussion
• Topic: School
• Language: Any
• Materials: Text and images

Useful vocabulary

• literate – being able to read and write
• illiterate – not being able to read and write
• the literacy rate – the number of people in a country or area who are able to read and write
• comprehensive education – education that covers many areas, very broad and encourages students to be well-rounded
• scholarship – an award given to students to complete their studies for free
• student loan – money borrowed by the student to pay for their education
• intensive course – a short course but contains lots of information

School conversation questions printable worksheet

• Download the PDF talking points page: School discussion questions sheet PDF
• Download the PDF images for class: School images sheet PDF

Did you know?

• The King’s School in Canterbury (founded 597AD) is thought to be the oldest school in the world.
• The largest school in the world has over 32,000 students. The City Montessori School in Lucknow, India. It also has 1000 classrooms, 3700 computers.
• Schools in France consider meal time to be part of children’s education.
• In China, Japan, and South Korea, children are expected to clean and tidy their own classroom.
• The starting age to attend school for kids in Finland is 7 years old. The oldest in the world.

Quotations

“Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.”
– Albert Einstein

“The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next.”
– Abraham Lincoln

Questions

• Did you enjoy going to school when you were a child? When you were a teenager?
• Did you go to a private or public school? Where did you go to school?
• How many years did you go to school? How old were you when you graduated?
• Did your parents move often when you were going to school? If so, was it hard or easy to make new friends?
• Did you have to wear a uniform to school? Did you go to school with boys and girls?
• Do you still stay in touch with your school friends? Do you keep in touch with them through Facebook?
• What was your favourite subject in school? Your least favourite subject in school?
• Do you have fond memories of school? Would you like to forget about your time spent in school?
• Were there certain “cliques” in your school like the “jocks/sports students”, the “rich kids”, the “punks”, the “drug addicts” and “the gangs”?
• Did you learn a foreign language in school? Did you decide what to be when you grew up while in school?
• Did you go to a big school? Where you in a school that put many students of different ages in the same class?
• Do you believe you received a good education? Is this a school you would be proud to send your own children?

Presentation

Working in groups, pick a subject you least enjoy. Create a presentation of how your will improve the teaching of this subject. Provide examples and share with the rest of your class.

Further reading

The Nation Center for Studies has a great article on the problems with schooling, it’s a rather difficult read, but very insightful.