Dogme/Teaching Unplugged: the long conversation | Luke Meddings & Scott Thornbury
It’s over 20 years since we proposed the idea that language teaching had lost its way, and that the founding principles of the communicative approach (i.e. that you learn a language by using it) had been submerged in a tsunami of materials, resources and ‘techno-consumerism’. We suggested that we look to the Scandinavian film movement, Dogme 95, as a model for how we might return to our roots. In the words of the mission statement that prefaced a very long (10-year) conversation in an online discussion forum: “We are looking for ways of exploiting the learning opportunities offered by the raw material of the classroom, that is the language that emerges from the needs, interests, concerns and desires of the people in the room”. So, where are we now, two decades later, and is it time to revisit this pared-down, learner-centred pedagogy, especially now that so much teaching has moved online and depends on technology for its effectiveness? Is there still a need for such an approach? And how adaptable is it? In this wide-ranging and informal conversation we will attempt to answer these questions - and yours!
Plenary held at Troika Xperience. Learn more about the next edition on the website: troikabr.com/xperience