Dogme Teaching in your school simple practical and

Dogme Teaching in your school: simple, practical and totally engaging Alastair Grant Teacher Development Manager International House - San Isidro

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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)? Let’s narrow it down to three principles (please)… • Materials light • Conversation driven • Emergent language But I’ve got a syllabus to get through, dammit! • 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 are coursebooks useful? 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

teacher coursebook class

Why is Dogme good for my school? 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

Life without a coursebook… Vicky Saumell San Francisco de Asis School Buenos Aires http: //kenwilsonelt. wordpress. com/ http: //educationaltechnologyinelt. blogspot. com/

Life without a coursebook… Nick Jaworski http: //turklishtefl. com/

Our class profiles… Buenos Aires, Argentina 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

In practice… “in any text, there is an entire syllabus waiting to be uncovered. ” Scott Thornbury, 2005

Reading… Brought to class by Delfina

Pre-reading Reading activities • 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)

Vocabulary… • 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!

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

Broccoli! Everything was going just the way I planned The broccoli was done! She doesn't that know I'm a virgin in the kitchen Cause it’s normally my mum But then she called me That's when she said to me, She wasn't coming round for tea! I should have known much better But it's so hard I can't forget her She keeps playing me around But 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 me I'm a fool And everyone will tease me now When rumours start to spread around the school! Yeah, yeah They say that I'm a loser But that girl’s so cruel But I keep her feeding her the fuel. . . ! I should have known much better But it's so hard I can't forget her She keeps playing me around But 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. . . I know she cares (I know she cares) Yeah, she cares! Mc. Fly

Speaking…

Conversation from scratch… 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.

Gise – her car Agustin - football Delfina – breast implants Bety – her pencil collection Sofi - dancing Juan Martin – his chickens Candy - drawing Flor - deodorant Alastair – wine (cheap)

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

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

What do I do now? - Sleeper Quickly she came dressed up for fame Riding her perfume downstairs Make up like glue she danced round the room To the sound of her corduroy flares Let’s go to town taxis all round We could stop for a couple of beers He looks at it all stifles a yawn She tries not to look like she cares dressed up What do I do now are we going under What did I do wrong I though we had it sorted Out the other day maybe I’m just stupid Can’t we try again No one told me it was raining wrong Can’t face a club they walk to a nearby pub Watch a couple of bands Draining the glass they walk home at last Reaching for each others hands Nothing is said he goes to bed Dreaming of her on his own She stays up all week watching him sleep Scared that she’ll wake up alone go to town yawn sorted pub nothing alone Oh I’ll miss you every day of your life Oh you’ll feel it too you’re not that strong You know I’m on to you Oh I’ll miss you every day of your life And maybe when you’re dead I’ll get some rest from holding onto you What do I do now then are we going under What did I do wrong I thought we had it sorted Is there someone else or am I too familiar Was it when I said I wanted to have children Tore up all your photos didn’t feel too clever Spent the whole of Sunday sticking you together Now I’d like to call you but I feel too awkward Some things need explaining No one told me it was raining miss you rest someone else children photos call

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

But can you run a course like this…? http: //jeremyharmer. wordpress. com/2010/10/10/no-dogma-for-efl-away-from-a-pedagogy-of-essential-bareness/

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

tell students the aims of the course…

predagogical foreplay Use a questionnaire to focus the students on what they can bring in to class… …keep the communication going…

The syllabus… for a Dogme course…? ! “ 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. “ Source: Teaching Unplugged (Or That's Dogme with an E) http: //www. thornburyscott. com/tu/Its%20 magazine. htm

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! 1 st fame Gise I wish + past simple Phrasal verbs: - get over - get by - get through - get into Celebrity

…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: //turklishtefl. com/2010/11/01/the-heart-of-dogme/ http: //www. thornburyscott. com/tu/sources. htm http: //www. davedodgson. com/2010/10/dogme-blog-challenge-no-4 not-tobe. html http: //kalinago. blogspot. com/ http: //lukemeddings. posterous. com/ http: //vickyloras. wordpress. com/tag/dogme/ http: //kenwilsonelt. wordpress. com/2010/06/01/guestpost-18 -vicky-saumell-on-life-after-course-books/

Alastair Grant Teacher Development Manager International House - San Isidro email: alastair@ihsanisidro. com. ar twitter: alastairjgrant IH blog: https: //ihsanisidro. wordpress. com/ My blog: http: //alastairjamesgrant. wordpress. com/ Thank you for your attention!