When we say screen‑free learning, we don’t mean banning technology or pretending we’re back in the 1950s. We mean something more intentional:
Screens should serve the learning, not replace it.
In a typical secondary classroom, PowerPoint opens almost by reflex. Slides can be helpful for structure, but they can also quietly turn students into an audience instead of participants. Screen‑free learning flips that default.
It prioritises:
- real conversation over passive viewing
- movement over sitting still
- human connection over pixel‑perfect slides
In our resources, that looks like card‑based activities, debate circles, carousel stations, and role‑play – formats where students look at each other, not just at the board.
Why screen‑free doesn’t mean teacher‑unfriendly
Some teachers worry that “screen free” equals “extra work.” In reality, it often makes lessons lighter to run:
- Less prep: Printable cards and ready‑made prompts reduce slide‑building.
- Flexible use: The same set of cards can be a starter, main task, revision game, or assessment.
- Fewer tech fails: No frantic logging‑in, broken projectors, or “the internet’s down” moments.
Many teachers still choose to introduce activities with a simple slide – and that’s fine. Screen‑free resources are about where the core learning happens: in the interaction, not the animation.
What does the evidence say?
Although research uses different labels – active learning, dialogic teaching, oracy, embodied learning – the findings are remarkably consistent.
1. Classroom talk improves attainment
The Education Endowment Foundation’s large‑scale trial of Dialogic Teaching found that pupils made two additional months’ progress in English and science when teachers used structured talk, reasoning, and discussion rather than teacher‑led presentation.
2. High‑quality dialogue boosts reasoning and problem‑solving
Research from the University of Cambridge shows that dialogic classrooms improve pupils’ critical thinking, communication, teamwork, and resilience.
3. Movement and active participation support memory and engagement
Studies on embodied learning consistently show that physical activity, role‑play, and hands‑on tasks improve attention and retention, especially for younger learners and many neurodivergent students.
4. Ofsted explicitly values talk, participation, and deep learning
Ofsted’s inspection commentary highlights the importance of:
- pupils explaining their thinking
- teachers checking understanding through dialogue
- students engaging actively with learning, not passively receiving it
Classroom conversation and pupil voice are repeatedly commended as indicators of strong teaching and learning.
In other words: screen‑free approaches align directly with what Ofsted looks for – not because they avoid screens, but because they promote thinking, talk, and understanding.
A beautifully animated slide deck can still produce passive learners. A simple set of printed cards, used well, can produce rich analysis.
Benefits for students
Screen‑free, card‑ and debate‑based learning can:
- Build confidence: Students practise speaking, questioning, and disagreeing respectfully.
- Support inclusion: Learners who struggle with dense slides engage through stories, roles, and concrete prompts.
- Deepen understanding: Handling values, issues, and thinkers as “objects” to sort, match, and defend forces genuine thinking, not copying.
- Reduce overload: Fewer visual distractions mean more cognitive space for the actual concepts.
For topics like politics, identity, and human rights, it also makes learning feel more human. We’re not just analysing “systems”; we’re talking about people and lives.
Benefits for teachers
Screen‑free resources offer:
- Flexible planning: One pack can anchor a 20‑minute activity or a full scheme of work.
- Better behaviour: When students are up, talking, and responsible for ideas, low‑level disruption drops.
- Easier differentiation: You can hand different cards to different groups without rewriting a slideshow.
- Clear evidence for oracy and PSHE/Citizenship: Card‑based debates and Web of Lives activities are easy to photograph, log, and reference for inspection.
It’s not about rejecting PowerPoint. It’s about not being dependent on it for the learning to work.
A balanced approach: screens as scaffold, not centrepiece
At InclusiveEd, we design everything so it works without a projector. But we also know many teachers prefer a slide to launch a lesson, outline tasks, or display a key quote.
That’s why our approach is:
- Screen‑optional, not screen‑hostile.
- People‑first, tech‑second.
If the Wi‑Fi drops, the lesson still runs. If the board dies, the debate still happens. And if you do open a PowerPoint, it’s there to support the humans in the room – not to replace them.
www.inclusiveEd.co.uk