More than 100 education systems now ban phones in schools, and South Korea, Chile and Sweden have all joined recently. But the largest study so far found mixed results. Students read about the global trend and the debate, then discuss addiction, attention and where to draw the line. This B2 version focuses on the language of argument and evidence.
Level: B2 · Time: 45 to 90 minutes. Pick the activities that suit your class. They work in almost any order.
Lesson Activities
- Warmer: What’s in the Drawer? – picture reveal (answer: a teacher’s desk drawer full of confiscated phones). Ask where it is, whose phones they are and why they are there.
- Phone Bans: Key Words (B2) – pre-teach 10 words and phrases (addictive, attention span, evidence, enforce, come into force…).
- Phone Bans in Schools (B2) – reading with 12 gaps, no word bank. Easier version with word bank.
- Phone Bans: For or Against? – sort 12 arguments into for and against a ban, then pick the strongest one on each side. Great warm-up for the discussion.
- Phone Bans: Discussion (B2) – 12 questions on habits, addiction, fairness and the future.
- Where Should Phones Be Banned? – opinion ranking, from classrooms to the dinner table. Compare and justify.
Teacher Tips
- Short on time? Do the key words, the reading and the ranking.
- Language focus: arguing and conceding. Supporters argue that… However, the evidence… Even so… Students use them to give a balanced opinion.
- Follow-up: a short for-and-against essay, or a mini debate: “Phones should be banned in all schools.”
- Business English angle: should companies have phone-free meetings?
Need an easier version? Try the A2 lesson.