One Page Discussion: Male Loneliness

If you haven’t ever heard of The School of Life or its founder Alain de Botton, then you are seriously missing out. Or, you are an extremely well-adjusted and mature adult who doesn’t need much help. I’ve used some School of Life videos for One Page Discussions before. I plan to use more in the future, too. Alain de Botton discusses emotions and the troubles of being a human being in our time. He has a clear voice and is an incredible speaker. There are so many great themes to choose from, but today I decided to go with one I think you’ll be able to dig into as a class without getting too personal. However, if you’ve got a very open group who all know each other very well, don’t hesitate to get personal!

What’s Inside?

This One Page Discussion has enough material to fuel a 90-minute conversation class 🕒—or stretch it to two hours with deeper discussions. Use it as a printable in class 📄 or an online-friendly PDF 💻 for Zoom breakout rooms.

How to Use This Worksheet

💡 1. Warm-up Question – Start by asking students to a question, for example: Do you find it difficult or easy to make friends? How do you define a close friendship? Tell us about your best friend. Something like this to get them warmed up.

🎥 2. Watch the Video – Play it as a class.

📖 3. Review Key Vocabulary – Go over the words in the top right corner of the worksheet. Use sample sentences to help:

• Camaraderie – The team’s camaraderie kept everyone motivated during tough times.
• Save face – He apologized quickly to save face in front of his boss.
• Let on – She didn’t let on that she already knew the surprise.
• Unflinching – With unflinching courage, he stood up for what was right.
• Crybaby – Don’t be such a crybaby—it’s just a scratch!
• Fed up with – She was fed up with all the noise from the neighbors.

🎥 4. Watch the Video Again – This time, add subtitles for clarity.

📝 5. Listening Comprehension – Students work in pairs to answer factual and opinion-based questions. ⏳ Give them about 20 minutes.

🔄 6. Class Discussion – Bring everyone back together to share their answers. (Stretching for time? Ask if anyone had a favorite question or struggled with an answer!)

💬 7. Speaking Activity – Students respond to controversial statements in new pairs.

🗣️ 8. Group Activity – Split students into small groups (3-4 people) for a task-based discussion.

🤝 9. Final Discussion – Groups share their findings. Compare their role-playing conversations, discuss differences, and analyze why people thought differently.

✏️ 10. Delayed Error Correction – During breakout sessions, pop in and listen 👂. At the end, review key errors with the class and provide feedback.

🎯 Why Use This Worksheet?

✅ Engages students with real-world events
✅ Encourages critical thinking & debate
✅ Works for both in-person & online lessons
✅ Easy to follow, with clear steps & structured activities

Looking for another discussion based on a School of Life video?

ESL Discussion: Why Socrates Hated Democracy