Conversation Topics / Teachers
Teachers Conversation Questions for Adult ESL Classes
Use these 20 discussion questions about Teachers to run a full speaking lesson with adult learners (B1–B2). Each part opens with a vocabulary warm-up, every question is labelled with the thinking skill it practises, and each part fills roughly thirty minutes of class time on its own.
Reviewed by Brando Oxley · 8 Aug 2026
Part 1
Learning from Good Teachers
Focus: sharing memories, describing teaching styles, comparing approaches, identifying qualities, solving classroom problems, and giving advice
In one minute, think of two things found in a classroom, two actions teachers often do, two qualities of a good teacher, and one common classroom problem.
EXPERIENCE
Think of a teacher you remember clearly. What made that teacher memorable to you?
DESCRIBE
What does a good lesson look and feel like from a student's point of view?
PREFERENCE
Do you learn better from a strict teacher, a relaxed teacher, or someone in between? Explain what works best for you.
COMPARE
Compare a teacher who explains everything carefully with a teacher who lets students discover answers themselves. What are the strengths of each style?
PRIORITIZE
Which qualities matter most in a good teacher: knowledge, patience, humor, organization, fairness, or enthusiasm? Choose three and explain your choices.
EVALUATE
How important is it for a teacher to be personally liked by students if the teacher is effective at helping them learn?
PROBLEM-SOLVE
A student is too embarrassed to ask questions in class. What could the teacher do to make speaking up easier?
ADVISE
What advice would you give a new teacher who is knowledgeable but nervous about teaching their first class?
REFLECT
What is something a teacher can teach that is not found in a textbook?
RECOMMEND
If you could change one thing about the way teachers teach in schools, what would you change and why?
Part 2
Teaching in a Changing World
Focus: discussing technology, evaluating expectations, comparing educational cultures, balancing responsibilities, and predicting the future of teaching
Choose one word from each category: Person: teacher, student, parent, principal; Action: explain, encourage, correct, discuss; Place: classroom, library, online class, school office; Feeling: motivated, nervous, frustrated, proud. Use your four words to describe a short scene in two or three sentences.
ANALYZE
How has technology changed what teachers need to know and do compared with teachers twenty years ago?
COMPARE
Compare learning from a teacher in person with learning through videos, apps, or online courses. What can each method do better?
DISCUSS
How much responsibility should teachers have for a student's motivation, and how much responsibility belongs to the student?
BALANCE
How should teachers balance helping struggling students with challenging students who are already doing well?
CULTURE
How are teachers viewed in your country? What level of respect, authority, or pressure do they usually experience?
EVALUATE
Should teachers be evaluated mainly through student test results, classroom observations, student feedback, or something else?
PROBLEM-SOLVE
A class has students with very different ability levels. What could a teacher do so that everyone has a useful lesson?
JUSTIFY
Should teachers be expected to answer student or parent messages outside normal working hours? Explain where you would set the boundary.
PREDICT
How do you think the role of teachers will change if AI tutors become common in schools?
CREATE
Imagine you are designing a training program for future teachers. What three skills would you make most important, and why?