Positives and negatives of remote learning

Use this lesson in face-to-face, online or hybrid teaching to discuss the positive and negative aspects of remote learning.

Introduction

This lesson plan is designed to be used with students who have had recent experience of remote learning. Students reflect on some of the differences between remote and face-to-face learning by completing a survey about the remote learning that they have done. They watch a video of a student talking about her own experiences and read about the experiences of different students from around the world, comparing them to their own contexts. Finally, students will prepare to write a report about these experiences, in which they give recommendations for how remote learning could be improved in the future.

Aims:

To practise speaking through discussion
To practise listening skills
To practise reading skills
To develop writing skills by writing a report

Age and level:

Secondary students at CEFR level B2 and above

Time:

60–90 minutes

Materials:

Teacher notes, student worksheets and class material are available to download below

Important: Please read

To support teachers during the Covid-19 pandemic, there are two versions of this lesson plan – one specifically for online lessons and one for face-to-face classrooms where physical distancing procedures are in place.

Included in the teachers' notes, you will find the following:

Guidance and advice for what teachers need to know and do before and at the beginning of an online class. Please read the lesson instructions carefully before using them. They are for guidance only, and designed to be used with the most common online platforms. You may need to adapt the lesson to the format and online platform you are working with.
Guidance and advice on managing group and pair work activities in face-to-face classrooms with physical distancing protocols.

A combination of the lesson plan for online teaching and the lesson plan for face-to-face teaching can be used in 'hybrid' situations, where some students in the class are studying from home and others are physically in the classroom. Classroom material for online lessons is provided as a PowerPoint presentation and a PDF.