Is it still worth going to university?

Lesson Summary:
This ready-to-use ESL video lesson plan, based on the video Is it still worth going to university?, explores the theme of higher education and its relevance in today’s world. Aimed at B2–C1 learners, it helps students develop language around university, employment, technology and soft skills. Through engaging tasks, students discuss quotations, analyse the video, complete comprehension activities, perform a roleplay, and read a follow-up article titled Beyond Degrees: How Soft Skills Shape Success.

Learning Objectives:
• To introduce students to the theme of higher education and its value in modern society.
• To expand vocabulary related to university, employment, technology and soft skills.
• To develop viewing, listening and reading comprehension skills.
• To enhance speaking through discussion and roleplay using new vocabulary.
• To develop writing through reflective and creative tasks.
• To practise critical thinking about education and employability.

Lesson Activities:
• Discuss quotations about education and university.
• Predict and view a short video.
• Answer comprehension questions.
• Analyse the message and data in the video.
• Perform a roleplay on the value of university.
• Read and discuss the article Beyond Degrees: How Soft Skills Shape Success.
• Complete reflective and multimodal homework tasks.

Learner Type:
Upper Intermediate (B2) – Advanced (C1); mature teens and adults.

Language Focus:
Vocabulary related to university, employment, technology and soft skills.

Transform Your English Classroom with This Film English Multimodal Lesson

This ESL video lesson plan is built around a carefully selected short video and designed using the exclusive Multimodal Approach– an innovative methodology that integrates traditional language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) with viewing – the active process of analysing and interpreting multimodal texts – and representing – creating multimodal texts. This pedagogically rich approach mirrors how communication works in the real world, through a combination of language, image, sound, gesture and spatial design, making the lesson more engaging, relevant and effective.

This ESL video lesson plan plan consists of a complete, ready-to-use package that includes:

• A thought-provoking short video
• A detailed teacher’s guide with step-by-step instructions
• A pre-viewing vocabulary glossary to scaffold understanding
• Comprehension, discussion and critical thinking questions
• Creative post-viewing tasks such as roleplays, writing prompts and reflective activities
• A thematically linked reading text to reinforce language and deepen understanding
• A final task encouraging learners to create their own multimodal compositions (e.g. vlogs, posters, infographics or social media posts)

Benefits for Teachers:

• Save hours of preparation with a fully developed, flexible lesson plan
• Engage students through compelling stories and real-world themes such as emotional intelligence, character, values, empathy, personal development, identity, relationships, global issues and social issues
• Build classroom routines that integrate multimodal literacy naturally and progressively
• Foster more inclusive and differentiated learning by using varied modes of input
• Rely on a trusted methodology backed by educational research and grounded in the theories of Vygotsky, Kress, Mayer and Krashen

Benefits for Learners:

• Develop communicative competence and confidence through integrated skill-building
• Expand vocabulary and improve listening and reading comprehension through repeated, meaningful exposure
• Think critically and creatively while exploring powerful social and emotional themes
• Create authentic, personalised multimodal projects that reflect their own voice and ideas
• Strengthen emotional intelligence and intercultural awareness through affective engagement with multimodal texts

Whether you’re teaching in a secondary school, university or adult education context, Film English lesson plans offer a dynamic, research-informed pathway to meaningful language learning. Join thousands of teachers worldwide who are transforming their classrooms with the Multimodal Approach and helping their students learn English—and live through English—more fully.

Watch the short video.