New Trends in ELT Unravelling the Dogme Dilemma

New Trends in ELT Unravelling the Dogme Dilemma: A critical analysis of Dogme Approach BY LUBNA OMER AND SUMMAYA BAKRI

Objectives Ø What is Dogme? Ø Salient features of Dogme Ø Short excerpt of a Dogme Lesson Ø Curriculum concerns in Dogme Ø Use of learner diaries in Dogme

WHAT IS DOGME? Dogme ELT: A teaching movement started by Scott Thornbury and a group of English teachers in March 2000, who challenged what they considered to be an over-reliance on materials and technical wizardry in current language teaching.

DOGME Focus on the learner and only the learner

Materials light Focused on emergent language Conversatio n driven DOGM E

languag e at work promotes socializatio n Why conversatio n driven? instruction al conversatio n realisticall y communi cative discourse

Materials. Light? Not -Anti books or Anti -technology No cultural/economical or grammatical agenda Adapted to needs, wants and contexts of learners

Focus on Emergent Language Organic Teaching Syllabus within a learner Focus is on Proces s and not product Integratin g changing needs of learners Teaching should be in response to learner needs. Not in anticipation Learners’ mistakes are good

Sample objectives of a typical Dogme lesson Ø To engage learners in a conversation about their favourite popular person/ family member, etc. Ø To engage learners in a conversation about a funny incident that happened last week Ø To identify, validate and fulfill their most important emergent language needs

Sample of students’ feedback on Dogme lesson

Sample of students’ feedback on Dogme lesson

State of Curriculum Ø Curriculum development is a state level process Ø The expected role of the teaching practitioner is to become effective at transmitting the knowledge, skills, and attitudes associated with a particular subject or program. (Hansen, Fliesser, Froelich, & Mc. Clain, 1992) Ø Schwab (1972) blames a reliance on theory for creating the unhappy state of curriculum study and practice.

The Dogme curriculum

The Dogme. Curriculum Taking out external input Teaching through conversation Content driven by students and their needs (Meddings & Thornbury, 2009)

Dogme and the SLDs O Scott et al: 1987 assume that as people are purposive beings who set their own goals and control their own learning, learners should be given such an opportunity. O One of the strongest tools to achieve this is the student’s learning diary (SLDs)

Learning Diaries (LDs) LDs can take many forms Digital or Hard copies Tools for learning needs assessment Records of Initial Formative assessment outcomes and progress Tool for interactive and reflective learning Give students control over the content and direction of their learning

Teachers’ Concerns O Lack of teaching structure and planning. O What if there is no emergent language? O What about novice teachers? O The learning culture of a given context. O Textbooks are reference books for both teachers and learners.

Use dogme or not? Similar to making decisions about other teaching methods and your students’ needs: Act Judiciously

references O Barrow, R. (1984). Giving teaching back to teachers: A critical introduction to curriculum theory. London, ON: The Althouse Press. O Bell, D. (1989, Spring). The third technological revolution. Dissent, pp. 164 -176. O Bobbitt, F. (1918). The curriculum. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin. O Thornbury, S. , & Meddings, L. (2009), Teaching Unplugged: Dogme in English Language Teaching', DELTA Publishing. . O Thornbury, S. , Doing a Dogme Lesson, http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=C 5 ZPlr. Maj. DA 2010 O Thornbury, S. A Dogma for ELF, IATEFL Issues 153, Feb/March 2000