Alastair Grant

Teacher Development ManagerInternational House - San Isidro

Dogme Teaching in your school: simple, practical and totally engaging

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What would represent Dogme?

“winging it elevated to an art form”

…workshop aims…

1. What is Dogme / Teaching Unplugged / Whatever…?

2. Why will it be good for my school to do it Dogme-style?

3. Tools for helping teachers – skills and systems.

4. Building a course and training your Dogme teachers (woof, woof).

5. Post Dogme-style… how was it for you?

http://jeremyharmer.wordpress.com/2010/10/10/no-dogma-for-efl-away-from-a-pedagogy-of-essential-bareness/

What IS Dogme (or Teaching Unplugged)?

• Materials light• Conversation driven• Emergent language

Let’s narrow it down to three principles (please)…

• Materials light – students will provide (nearly) all of it• Conversation driven – we’ll talk every class, but not force it• Emergent language – but we’ll add the missing pieces

But I’ve got a syllabus to get through, dammit!

1. Ready-made syllabus

2. Written record of what we’ve studied

3. Don’t have to invent exercises

4. Don’t have to source material for language presentation

5. Don’t have to write exams for your students

“Where is the inner life of the student in all this?” Scott Thornbury

…why are coursebooks useful?

teacher

class

coursebook

1. Increased student motivation – they love using their own material and working things out together. +2. Students are keen to speak and participate because they know they can!

+3. Everyone is excited because they don’t know what is going to be brought into class next .

+4. Students are integral to the construction of the course – so they won’t complain about coursebooks, exams etc.

+5. The word gets round the local community – more publicity.

+6. Higher class-attendance.

+7. More students coming to class.-----------------------------------------------------------------= More money for your director

Why is Dogme good for my school?

http://educationaltechnologyinelt.blogspot.com/

Vicky Saumell

San Francisco de Asis SchoolBuenos Aires

http://kenwilsonelt.wordpress.com/

Life without a coursebook…

http://turklishtefl.com/

Nick Jaworski

Life without a coursebook…

Vane’s class – level FCE:

• 4 “morning ladies” who want to talk

• They have a lot in common

• Not much extra time for homework

• A bit slow on the uptake of new language

Al’s class – level FCE:

• 10 students ranging in age from 18-50

• Some are studying and some are working

• The younger students have time for homework; the adults do not (or so they claim…)

• The adolescents tend to be faster on the uptake of new language

Our class profiles… Buenos Aires, Argentina

“in any text, there is an entire syllabus waiting to be uncovered.”

Scott Thornbury, 2005

In practice…

Reading…

Brought to class by Delfina

Pre-reading • Delfi wrote words on whiteboard related to the article for prediction • Delfi showed text to class

• Delfi told class why it was interesting for her

• we made it into a jigsaw reading

• we also cut out part of article (sentence or paragraph) and did a sentence race

Post-reading• SS made True/False sentences and gapped sentences (for help with Cambridge exams including IELTS)

• complete the sentence – “Rihanna felt ___________ by her rise to fame.”

• we summarised the paragraphs (for help with Cambridge exams)

• we discussed the topic of fame (opinion, agree/disagree, personal experiences)

Reading activities

• SS underlined all past tenses (in this text, there were many!).

• SS discussed how they relate to each other.

• I checked meaning, as in any other class.

• I made sure the SS focussed on pronunciation.

• I elicited and put up the form of each tense.

• SS wrote a sentence with all the past tenses included.

• SS wrote a sentence in pairs, with all narrative tenses as a gapfill and swapped with the next pair to complete:

“Vane ___________(feel) tired because she (not / sleep) well all week. As she________________ (walk) to IH, she saw Al and told him that she_________________(dream) about him all night long. Al ___________ (be) so surprised, that he ____________(faint).”

• Students underlined words that they didn´t understand

• Students found word/expressions that they wanted to remember (also for end of year exam)

• Students chose four words per paragraph to focus on:

• looked them up / got the meaning from the context • then groups mixed up and taught each other the words

• I was there as a facilitator to help and guide them only.

• They taught each other and I tried to let them get on with it!

Vocabulary…

Setting up...

• Sofia brought in the video (Papa Don’t Preach...) on a pendrive for use on a laptop.

• Alternatively use the school’s internet! (well, duh...)

• Sofia brought in the transcript with copies for everyone (also for work on grammar and/or vocabulary afterwards).

• We watched and discussed the song – who did/didn’t like it and what it was about and why it was important for Sofia.

Listening (or “yay! let’s watch a Madonna video!”)

Broccoli!Everything was going just the way I plannedThe broccoli was done! She doesn't that know I'm a virgin in the kitchenCause it’s normally my mumBut then she called meThat's when she said to me,She wasn't coming round for tea!

I should have known much betterBut it's so hard I can't forget herShe keeps playing me aroundBut I'm trying so hard to impress her She puts me under so much pressure And I just wanted her to let me know she cares...

Blowing out the candles now If that's the way she treats meI'm a fool And everyone will tease me nowWhen rumours start to spread around the school! Yeah, yeahThey say that I'm a loser But that girl’s so cruelBut I keep her feeding her the fuel...!

I should have known much betterBut it's so hard I can't forget herShe keeps playing me aroundBut I'm trying so hard to impress herShe puts me under so much pressure And I just wanted her to let me know she cares...

I know she cares (I know she cares)Yeah, she cares!

McFly

Speaking…

1. I asked students to think of something they love, to discuss with their partner – all of us sitting with the desks in a circle.

2. I thought about something too.

3. I had a partner to talk to as well, to show that I was also involved.

4. Students had to think of at least three questions to ask while they were listening to their partner, so nobody was sitting there with nothing to do…!

5. Students then asked their questions and this was the basis of their discussion.

6. Each student talked about their topic in pairs, with their partner asking questions.

7. In the meantime, I wrote down some examples of good/not so good question forms they had used for them improve.

8. We then repeated the task in different pairs using the improved language.

Conversation from scratch…

Bety – her pencil collection

Delfina – breast implants

Juan Martin – his chickens

Gise – her car

Sofi - dancing

Candy - drawing

Flor - deodorant

Agustin - football

Alastair – wine (cheap)

Communicative purpose (what does the writer hope to communicate?)

Expected audience (who will read it?)

Layout (general format – e.g. does it have a title? What appears where on the page?)

Overall organization (e.g. what type of information is included in each paragraph?)

Level of formality (formal/informal/semi-formal)

Sentence structure (e.g. complex/simple)

Specific grammatical structures (e.g. are there any specific tenses?)

Specific vocabulary

Genre Analysis FormUse the categories given below to analyse the text. Give examples where possible, for example, of grammar structures or vocabulary used.

Writing…

• Vane and I asked students to bring in their own material and got them to adapt it to make:

• Word formation• Clozes • Gapped sentences• Multiple choice readings• Gapped text exercies

Dogme and Cambridge exams…

Allows students to get a hands-on “feel” for the exam technique and demystifies it for them.

What do I do now? - SleeperQuickly she came dressed up for fameRiding her perfume downstairsMake up like glue she danced round the roomTo the sound of her corduroy flaresLet’s go to town taxis all roundWe could stop for a couple of beersHe looks at it all stifles a yawnShe tries not to look like she cares

What do I do now are we going underWhat did I do wrong I though we had it sortedOut the other day maybe I’m just stupidCan’t we try againNo one told me it was raining

Can’t face a club they walk to a nearby pubWatch a couple of bandsDraining the glass they walk home at lastReaching for each others handsNothing is said he goes to bedDreaming of her on his ownShe stays up all week watching him sleepScared that she’ll wake up alone

dressed up

go to town

yawn

wrong

sorted

pub

nothing

alone

Oh I’ll miss you every day of your lifeOh you’ll feel it too you’re not that strongYou know I’m on to youOh I’ll miss you every day of your lifeAnd maybe when you’re deadI’ll get some rest from holding onto you

What do I do now then are we going underWhat did I do wrong I thought we had it sortedIs there someone else or am I too familiarWas it when I said I wanted to have childrenTore up all your photos didn’t feel too cleverSpent the whole of Sunday sticking you togetherNow I’d like to call you but I feel too awkwardSome things need explainingNo one told me it was raining

miss you

rest

someone else

children

photos

call

...for example... CPE summarising skills...

• Have some resources at hand :

• An article

• A song

• A piece of writing to analyse

• A discussion topic – the students can choose

… and you can ask them to find patterns they have already seen for recycling grammar and vocabulary.

Ok, Alastair, fine, but…

• What if there’s NO material?

• Well… the students are still your best resource – see speaking!

What to do when you students don’t bring anything in ?!

http://jeremyharmer.wordpress.com/2010/10/10/no-dogma-for-efl-away-from-a-pedagogy-of-essential-bareness/

But can you run a course like this…?

Building the course…tell students the aims of the course!

tell students the aims of the course…

Use a questionnaire to focus the students on what they can bring in to class…

predagogical foreplay

…keep the communication going…

“6. A pre-planned syllabus of pre-selected and graded grammar items is forbidden. Any grammar that is the focus of instruction should emerge from the lesson content, not dictate it. “

http://www.thornburyscott.com/tu/Its%20magazine.htm

Source: Teaching Unplugged (Or That's Dogme with an E)

The syllabus… for a Dogme course…?!

Dogme syllabus vers. 1.0

“The syllabus becomes the map of a journey of discovery recollected in tranquillity, rather than a blueprint for a forced march through English grammar.”

Luke Meddings

…and if there’s something on the syllabus not covered?

giving the students tools for outside the classroom…

Keep a written record… for you and the students!

fame Celebrity I wish + past simple

Gise1st

1st famePhrasal verbs:- get over - get by- get through - get into

…assessment…

…evaluation…

Back to the bingo…

Over to you…

…workshop summary… What is Dogme / Teaching Unplugged / Whatever…?• Materials light – students will provide (nearly) all of it• Conversation driven – we’ll talk every class, but not force it• Emergent language – but we’ll add the missing pieces

Why will it be good for my school to do it Dogme-style? • motivation for students – they love it as do the teachers• more students coming to your classes = director is happy

Tools for helping teachers do it Dogme-style. • Show teachers that it’s easy to do.• Show teachers that the students are happy to work like this!

Building a course and training your Dogme teachers • Involve students from the outset• Keep a syllabus and get students to make a written rexcord of everything!

Post Dogme-style course… how was it for you?• Make sure students are also involved in the assessments.• Get some formative / summative evaluation going to check how things are progressing.

Inspiring people:

http://www.thornburyscott.com/tu/sources.htm

http://kalinago.blogspot.com/

http://www.davedodgson.com/2010/10/dogme-blog-challenge-no-4not-to-be.html

http://vickyloras.wordpress.com/tag/dogme/

http://lukemeddings.posterous.com/

http://turklishtefl.com/2010/11/01/the-heart-of-dogme/

http://kenwilsonelt.wordpress.com/2010/06/01/guest-post-18-vicky-saumell-on-life-after-course-books/

More information.

..?twitter: alastairjgrant

Alastair GrantTeacher Development ManagerInternational House - San Isidro

email: alastair@ihsanisidro.com.ar

IH blog: https://ihsanisidro.wordpress.com/

Thank you for your attention!

My blog: http://alastairjamesgrant.wordpress.com/