Adult ESL Lesson Plan: Discussing how English skills can boost Personal Development and Growth
Are you looking to motivate your adult and university English learners to excel in their English language journey? This ESL lesson plan shows students that improving English skills can boost Personal Development and Growth by asking students to do an AI search on one of four discussion questions and then present their findings to the class.
Lesson objectives: 1) Research a discussion question with effective AI prompts. 2) Learn the necessary vocabulary to discuss personal development & growth. 3) Develop critical thinking skills while creating a slideshow or video based on findings. 4) Develop collaboration skills in English with a partner or team members.
This lesson can be used in face-to-face classes or online groups. Students can do the research on their phones using a free AI app such as Gemini. They can download Google Slides or Canva to their phones to create the slides. For making a video, they can film and edit directly with their phones. Classroom teachers will need a way to project the slide show or videos, however.
Here are the four discussion questions based on the assumption that “English skills can boost Personal development and growth. (All about the the personal benefits of improved English skills.)
- 1) How could improving English skills be considered personal development? (example of this prompt below)
- 2) How can achieving fluency in English contribute to a sense of accomplishment and personal satisfaction?
- 3) How can strong communication skills help foster trust and loyalty with colleagues?
- 4) “How can improving English skills lead to personal growth?”
Download free PDF handout with instructions and guidelines for creating a slideshow or video from a discussion question using AI. Here’s the Goole Docs file in case you need to edit the handout.
Why discuss how ESL skills can boost personal development and growth? A surprising result from a TOEIC exam survey led me to this lesson plan
I became curious when I read the results of a survey by ETS, the makers of the TOEIC exam, that 30% of TOEIC takers in 2023 took the test for “learning”. That’s around 1 million young adults worldwide. I asked myself “Why would young people spend so much time and money to prepare and take a test just for the sake of learning?”
I could understand the motivation to take the TOEIC to prove high English skills for a job application or for graduation, but learning and self-improvement? I couldn’t understand their motivation. So I asked Gemini, Google’s large language model AI. The results of the Gemini prompt led me to create this motivating and eye-opening lesson plan.
My first Gemini prompt (1): How could improving English skills be considered personal development?
Here is Gemini’s response which is a little dry and formal in my opinion but informative as a beginning.
“Improving English Skills: A Path to Personal Development
Improving English skills offers a multitude of benefits that contribute significantly to personal development. By enhancing communication clarity and precision, individuals can foster stronger interpersonal relationships and boost confidence in public speaking.
Moreover, English proficiency opens doors to a world of knowledge through access to information and diverse perspectives. This intellectual stimulation contributes to lifelong learning and personal satisfaction.
On a practical level, strong English skills are increasingly essential for career advancement. In today’s globalized job market, proficiency in English often determines job opportunities and career progression, especially in fields like technology, finance, and international business.
In conclusion, the journey to improve English skills is not merely about language acquisition; it’s an investment in personal growth, leading to enhanced communication, increased knowledge, boosted confidence, and expanded career opportunities.”
The response was typical of an AI-generated text. A slide show generated from the ideas here would be a little too difficult for a typical adult English learner. I suggest changing the writing style to less formal.
Prompt N°2: Let’s ask Gemini for a summary of the same text but written in a casual, conversational style.
Conversational Style: “Want to boost your life? Learning English is a great way to do it! Think about it: better English means you can talk to people more clearly, build stronger relationships, and feel way more confident speaking in public.
Plus, you’ll unlock a whole world of information and different viewpoints, which is awesome for lifelong learning and just feeling good about yourself.
And let’s be real, in today’s world, good English skills are a must for getting ahead in your career, especially in fields like tech, finance, and international business.
So, improving your English isn’t just about the language itself, it’s about growing as a person – better communication, more knowledge, more confidence, and more job opportunities. It’s a win-win!“
Much better! I can already imagine the three or four slides created by your students from a text like this and presented as if they were speaking to their peers. That’s the goal. The only drawback is the vocabulary is not as rich as the first Gemini prompt.
Prompt N°3: Now for business English students, they could ask for a “friendly yet professional style” in rewriting the original text.
“Developing strong English skills offers significant advantages for personal and professional growth. Improved communication clarity strengthens interpersonal connections and builds confidence in public speaking.
Furthermore, English proficiency unlocks access to a wealth of information and diverse perspectives, fostering intellectual curiosity and lifelong learning.
In today’s interconnected world, English skills are increasingly crucial for career advancement, opening doors to broader opportunities and career progression, particularly in fields like technology, finance, and international business.
Therefore, investing in English language development is an investment in oneself, leading to enhanced communication, expanded knowledge, increased confidence, and improved career prospects.”
Encourage students to dive deeper into the text produced by Gemini
Students can ask for the meaning of a specific word or sentence from the text. They can and should, I think, ask for real-life examples that would interest their audience (age group, professionals). And lastly, they could ask for ideas (or script) for their slides or video.
Your job will be to provide an introduction or review of the ESL vocabulary on personal development and growth.
It’s your choice whether to introduce vocabulary before students do their research on AI or to follow up the presentations with a review of student-generated vocabulary. I suggest introducing the new words by making a flashcard game with the word on one side and the definition on the other OR uploading the file to Quizlet or Kahoot!.
Save time by using my suggested ESL vocabulary for the discussion questions on personal development and growth. Copy the image below to print or share with students or use this Google Spreadsheet. Here’s a Google Sheets file with suggested vocabulary to teach.
Here are the same words from the table above but categorized by each discussion question. All of these new words are often used to discuss the personal benefits of improved English skills:
How can achieving fluency in English contribute to a sense of accomplishment and personal satisfaction?
- fluency
- contribute
- accomplishment
- personal satisfaction
- navigate (the complexities of)
- diverse
- enriching
- fulfilling
How can strong communication skills help foster trust and loyalty with colleagues?
- foster
- integrity
- cohesion
- empathy
How can improving English skills lead to personal growth?
- resilience
- self-awareness
- self-confidence
- self-esteem
- worldview
How can strong communication skills help foster trust and loyalty with colleagues? (This question appears twice in your previous message – I assume it’s a duplicate.)
- foster
- integrity
- cohesion
- empathy
Show these videos after students have mastered the vocabulary:
1. This is a Crazy video where two blue-haired gals try to help Bob to transform into a different person.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chPiHPlPMLg
2. Here’s listening practice with a podcast on 20 words for discussion of personal development. You’ll hear much of the same vocabulary such as: resilience, empathy, self-awareness. It’s a couple who discuss the explanation of each word.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-HJyrLDZrk
3. This video presents phrasal verbs for personal development. set up, set out, etc. AI voices.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OktDO9qVbY
Do students still need more convincing that Improving English can develop skills for jobs for their future?
The World Economic Forum recently published a report on “The Future of Jobs in 2025” Future of Jobs in 2025 Infographics” and their results listed core skills employers worldwide are looking for. The red arrows point to skills naturally developed through improving English!
No Time to prepare? Find my expanded, 3-hour lesson on TeachersPayTreachers.com
This paid resource complements the free lesson plan in this blog post by providing a ready-to-use, comprehensive vocabulary lesson on personal development and growth. While the free plan offers a framework for student-led research and discussion, the paid product adds more value and saves you valuable prep time.
It includes four engaging texts highlighting the transformative power of English, along with 48 key vocabulary words, scaffolded activities for A2-C1 learners (including drag-and-drop exercises, critical thinking questions, “I am/I can” statements, and word family expansion), and detailed teacher instructions with answer keys. For just $5, you get a complete, engaging, and effective lesson that’s ready to teach, freeing you to focus on your students’ needs. Download here on TpT
Watch my 2-minute video which previews everything I included for you, ready to go for $5.
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I hope you will use this post in your business English classes as well as your TOEIC preparation classes. Leave a comment if you liked this post. Sign up for the newsletter if you want to receive more posts.
Need another Adult ESL/TOEIC lesson plan?
For more tips on improving business English vocabulary, check out this three posts
https://www.businessenglishallure.com/toeic-lesson-plan-discussing-goals-and-success/
https://www.businessenglishallure.com/toeic-lesson-plan-leverage-english-skills-to-achieve-goals/
Our new vocabulary lesson focuses on personal development and growth, two topics that resonate with learners of all ages. 
By the end of the lesson, your students will be motivated to reach new heights.
Check out the 3-hour lesson on TeachersPayTeachers $5 
Hello Ellen
Thank you (again) for a great lesson: you cover everything needed to produce and deliver an excellent class for ESL/EAL students!
I am now working with EAL students at The British School of Monaco, from Year2 to Year13.
I don’t know if you’d be interested but one day it would be great to have you come into school and give our students an alternative voice and perspective.
Please let me know if this is something that would interest you.
With kind regards
Andrew
Hey Andrew! You are so kind to comment on this blog post. I had so much fun learning about how improving English can be transformational and learning to use Gemini AI. What a nice invitation to come to your school. Could you reach out again in September? You’re a really great guy and teacher!