OVERVIEW & OBJECTIVES

This ESL lesson plan on an AI school offers engaging activities, PDF worksheets, and digital materials designed for upper-intermediate B2 students. In this lesson, students will:

• Compare learning from human teachers versus AI across different types of academic and skills-based learning.
• Learn and use vocabulary related to AI, education, and technology, including adjectives and quantifying expressions.
• Watch a video about the UK’s first AI-only school and answer comprehension and discussion questions.
• Practice using quantifying expressions through guided reflection on AI in education.
• Participate in a communicative speaking activity discussing AI's growing role in education and the workplace.

PREVIEW & DISCUSSION

In this section, students begin by comparing human versus AI-based instruction across four types of learning—foreign language, writing, software use, and academic courses. They weigh advantages and disadvantages of both approaches and state their preferences. They then reflect on other learning types that may be better suited to human or AI instruction and discuss generational views on AI in the classroom. Next, students examine two short contrasting opinions—one optimistic, one critical—about the future of AI in education. Using new adjectives like inert, bespoke, and fallible, they complete both views and consider which one they agree with more. Finally, students answer a personalized question about how they might use advanced AI tools in their own education. This part of the AI school ESL lesson plan prepares learners with the vocabulary and themes for the video to follow.

VIEWING ACTIVITY

Students watch a short news segment about a groundbreaking AI-only school in the UK where students are taught by AI software instead of human teachers. The video explores how personalized AI platforms are used, the role of human learning coaches, and contrasting views on this type of learning. After watching, students complete short answer questions on the school's goals, the student’s experience, and how the technology works. They also identify three arguments from the video that oppose removing teachers from classrooms. In a final video-based gap-fill exercise, they complete a quote from the school co-principal defending AI’s effectiveness in pinpointing student learning issues. 

VIEWING FOLLOW-UP

Students discuss their opinions about attending or sending a child to an AI-only school. They reflect on the potential impact of AI on teaching jobs and whether certain aspects of teaching are irreplaceable. Next, they analyze a teacher’s written reflection filled with quantifying expressions like a great deal of, hardly any, and a bunch of. Students identify and categorize these into a table of high, medium, or low quantity. They then apply some of these expressions to their own experiences, using at least one from each category in a personal reflection about AI, tech tools, and learning. 

A GREAT DEAL OF CHANGE — EDUCATION & WORK IN THE AI ERA

In this final stage of the lesson, students choose from a range of open-ended discussion prompts about the broader effects of AI on education and the workforce. Topics include whether AI is being adopted to cut costs, how schools should handle homework in the AI era, and whether AI can teach social skills effectively. Students also reflect on past learning experiences, the future of human creativity, and the emotional aspects of learning that AI might lack. They are encouraged to use quantifying expressions such as a handful of, a wide range of, and a negligible amount in their responses. 

BENEFITS OF USING THIS AI SCHOOL ESL LESSON PLAN

This AI school ESL lesson plan helps students engage with a highly relevant and thought-provoking topic. It builds academic and real-world vocabulary, particularly in the area of quantifying expressions. It allows students to practice structured and open-ended speaking in realistic contexts. The lesson also supports listening comprehension through authentic video input and encourages critical thinking about technology in society. Teachers gain a flexible, well-sequenced resource that works well for both in-person and online classrooms.