7/21/2019 Dogme Still Able to Divide ELT

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Dogme still able to divide ELT

Luke Meddings and Scott Thornbury

Thursday 17 April 2003 00.08 ST

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*og%e e%erged and+ like the kinds o, language-learning opportunities it pro%otes+ it see%s

to ha#e had a li,e o, its o"n. Three years on+ the discussion group called *og%e $LT

""".groups.yahoo.co%/group/dog%e has an archi#e o, 3+000 postings and a regular ,oru%

o, participating %e%bers as "idely scattered as Seoul+ )ellington and erlin. The ter%

dog%e no" pops up in %ethodology books and scholarly ournals. &t e#en see%s to ha#e

outli#ed its cine%atic progenitor.

&t all started "hen Scott Thornbury teased out an analogy bet"een the *og%e ,il%-%akers

collecti#e and the current state o, $LT. *og%e spearheaded by Lars #on Trier #o"ed to

rescue cine%a ,ro% its sla#ish allegiance to a 4olly"ood %odel o, ,il%-%aking+ "ith its

addiction to ,antasy and special e,,ects. $LT+ Thornbury argued+ had beco%e si%ilarlydependent on a constant ,i5 o, %aterials and technology+ at the e5pense o, the learning

 possibilities that could be har#ested si%ply ,ro% "hat goes on 6"ithin and bet"een6 the

 people in the roo% to borro" Ste#icks phrase. $LT needed a si%ilar kind o, 6rescue action6.

n the e#e o, our oint session at this years &ate,l con,erence+ it see%s a good %o%ent to

dra" breath and take stock. ne thing "e#e noticed is that *og%e see%s to pro#oke

e5cite%ent and derision in e9ual %easure.

&, publishers are dis%issi#e+ it %ay be because they %isunderstand the central notion o,

*og%e. &t is not books that "e oppose. &t is the pre#ailing culture o, %ass-produced+ shrink-

"rapped lessons+ deli#ered in an anodyne in-,light %aga:ine style. )orse+ in their syllabuses

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these in-,light courses peddle the idea that the learning o, a language runs along a

 predeter%ined route "ith the regularity and e,,iciency o, a S"iss train.

The order in "hich learners ac9uire language+ and the ele%ents o, "hich that order is

co%posed+ are still hotly debated. ut "hat is certain is that people co%e to $nglish in a #ery

di,,erent "ay than they did ;0+ 30 or e#en 20 years ago. <o"er,ul socio-econo%ic andtechnological trends - o, "hich the internet is ust one - ha#e re#olutionised the "ay the "orld

learns $nglish. &n#est%ent in schooling+ both pri#ately and state-,unded+ is higher than e#er.

$nglish is out there 2;/7+ 2 "eeks a year.

Ad#ertise%ent

<arado5ically+ classroo%s the%sel#es are locally constituted sub-cultures nested "ithin this

global spread o, $nglish+ and each has its o"n uni9ue needs+ goals+ social structure and

learning potential. *og%e is one "ay that the situated nature o, language learning can

acco%%odate+ and e5ploit+ the globalisation o, $nglish. <ublishers need not ,eel e5cluded+ but

they need to reassess the "isdo% o, using 20th-century learning aids in a 21st-century "orld.

And "ith teachers and learners so used to being spoon-,ed+ it is not surprising that %any

teachers should also ,eel a little apprehensi#e or derisi#e. 6)inging it ele#ated to an art ,or%+6

concluded one *og%e sceptic. &n the sa%e ,ashion+ %any ,il%-%akers ,elt hostility to the

*og%e group+ accusing it o, setting unnatural and unnecessary challenges. ut =on Trier

insists that+ ,or hi%+ *og%e restored the 6oy6 to ,il%-%aking. )e "ould argue that

*og%e $LT also reaches those parts o, teaching that a con#entional+ drip-,eed pedagogy does

not. And that there is oy there+ too> the oy o, "itnessing your learners co%ing to li,e be,ore

your eyes+ e5periencing language and learning in a ne" and pro,oundly hu%an "ay+ and the

e5cite%ent o, ,inally ,eeling that youre doing a real ob+ not ust shrink-"rapping gra%%ar

Mc?uggets.

So+ "hat does *og%e actually %ean+ in classroo% ter%s@ )ell+ three years do"n the line and

its %ore di,,icult than e#er to describe a *og%e lesson. &t see%s to "ork at a nu%ber o,

le#els+ and in a nu%ber o, "ays - "hich is hardly surprising+ gi#en its inherent conte5t-

sensiti#ity. ut here is our o"n personal su%%ary o, "hat *og%e %ight %ean+ ,ro% *og%e-

light to *og%e-hea#y>

Punk Dogme

*o-it-yoursel,. The tip o, the *og%e iceberg are those lessons that you#e done "hen the photocopier "asnt "orking. Anything li#e and local is likely to be %ore rele#ant than

 published %aterials+ and %ore %e%orable. &, in doubt+ use the structure o, a ,a#ourite

coursebook unit to %ake your o"n. *ont consu%e+ create.

Talk Dogme

&ncrease *og%e ti%e. *og%e %eans taking ti%e o,, ,ro% the coursebook to talk "ith your

learners+ %aking that talk the content o, the teaching %o%ent. se the details o, e#eryday li,e

to engage e#en the least con,ident learners. 4elp your learners as you go along+ note language

that e%erges+ and "ait ,or a pause in the con#ersation to sca,,old their language as needed.

)hen the talk runs out+ ha#e the% "rite a su%%ary+ and then go back to the book.

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Deep Dogme

Try %aking *og%e ti%e the basis o, a "hole lesson+ as you e5plore language "ith your

learners+ redisco#ering the 6subect6 each ti%e you encounter it through their eyes. Bather

than pre-plan+ post-plan> ointly record "hat has happened during the lesson. The syllabus

 beco%es the %ap o, a ourney o, disco#ery recollected in tran9uillity+ rather than a blueprint,or a ,orced %arch through $nglish gra%%ar.

Full Dogme

*og%e %o%ents+ *og%e lessons> the ne5t stage is a *og%e classroo% - an open one+ to

"hich the learners are bringing in their o"n %aterial because they kno" they can+ and one

"here nobody kno"s precisely "hat "ill happen "hen they "alk through the door. This

re9uires considerable skill on your part+ to %anage the interaction but to keep one eye on the

language. Cou are talking the talk and "alking the "alk+ as it "ere.

Dream Dogme

Set up an open school. ?o le#els. ?o coursebooks. ?o photocopier. ?o pro,its@ Actually+ "e

doubt it. Language schools+ in ritain at least+ are so indistinguishable that an original idea

%ight pay o,,. Let learners organise the%sel#es into classes based on their interests and

sy%pathies+ %ake sure the teachers are co%,ortable "ith talking "ith the%+ and "ith dealing

"ith language that co%es up - "hich is the language they need.

Bichard Delly+ in his book on *og%e + co%%ents> 6*og%e "as dri#en by a... genuine

desire to reset the rules o, engage%ent. &t "as a ga%e played in high seriousness+ prankish+

%ock sole%n+ and yet 100E idealistic.6 <erhaps the sa%e could be said about *og%e $LT.

· Luke Meddings and Scott Thornbury "ill be gi#ing their presentation *og%e> *og%a@ at

the &ate,l con,erence in righton on April 2;+ 2003 """.iate,l.org. Luke Meddings co-

,ounded the Lilian ishop School o, $nglish in London and is a ,ounding %e%ber o, the

*og%e $LT group. Scott Thornbury is a teacher trainer at &nternational 4ouse+ arcelona+

and author. 4is latest book is 4o" To Teach =ocabulary+ <earson - sthornburyF"anadoo.

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2003/apr/17/tef.lukemeddings