A booklet with resources and activities produced by teachers participating in the first International House online workshop on Dogme ELT.

1. The workshop is part of teacher training offered by
Online Teacher Training Institute
http://www.ihonlinetraining.net/
Many thanks to all the teachers
for active participation, sharing their ideas and thoughts on Dogme ELT!
Ania Rolinska
Workshop creator and facilitator
annarolinska@yahoo.co.uk
DOGME MATERIALS
Dogme ELT related readings might be accessed on my diigo site
(http://www.diigo.com/user/anzbau/dogme). If you find any good resource related to the topic
please email me so that the library continues growing. Examples of Dogme in Practice lessons are
particularly welcome!
©OTTI Dogme Workshop Winter 2011

2. DOGME VOWS OF CHASTITY
The following is the workshop participants’ take on the Dogme Vows of Chastity. The original
film-related vows are in the bubbles on the left. What comes on the right-hand side is the ELT
equivalent.
Particular thanks go to Sonia Mysak, Charlotte Osborne, Dennis Grynnerup and Estelle Huxley
for help with finalising the vows.
Lessons should be conducted in the classroom
with only the items found there. Excursions can
Shooting must be occur if requested by the students. Teaching
done on location. should be materials-free (or at least materials-
Props and sets must lite). The primary resource should be the student.
not be brought in.
Listening practice is restricted to that which can
be produced in the classroom. However, as
The sound must exposure to different accents is beneficial, sound
never be produced recordings can be used if they come from an
apart from the authentic source and are not highly scripted or
image or vice- recorded especially for teaching purposes.
versa.
The whiteboard marker must be handheld and
The camera must be
serve to provide a record of the language that
handheld. Any
emerges in the lesson. The whiteboard can be
movement or mobility
divided up in whatever way is deemed
attainable in the hand
is permitted. appropriate.
The lesson must be flexible and not
rigidly adhering to a lesson plan.
The film must be in
colour. Special
lighting is not
acceptable.
The role of the teacher as a filter of the emerging language
is forbidden, but he/she must remain culturally sensitive
and can return to more detailed grammatical points in
future lessons if it is deemed more appropriate. Teaching /
Learning must reflect the reality in which the students find
Optical work themselves. This means, for example, that ‘Elementary’
and filters are students might learn vocabulary / grammar that is not
forbidden. considered Elementary.
©OTTI Dogme Workshop Winter 2011

3. The film must not The lesson must not contain artificial language,
contain superficial especially in given examples of grammatical
action. structures - get them from the students. The
tasks should be meaningful and realistic,
devoid of anything that does not aid students
from finding their own voice.
Temporal and
geographical
alienation are Temporal and geographical alienation are
forbidden. permitted only when they arise due to the
emergent language in conversations conducted
in the lesson. Main focus though should be on
local not global culture.
Genre movies are
not acceptable.
Genre, or topic-based lessons are acceptable
as long as they are based on current events or
events that have been brought up by the
students and encourage students interaction.
The film format
must be Academy
The lesson format must be based on real
35mm.
interaction between the student and their peers
and the teacher. It involves a set-up (stimulus
provided by students’/teacher’s life, run (focus
on conversation) and round-up (work on
emergent language).
The director must
not be credited.
The ELT classroom is learner- not teacher-centred.
The teacher does not impart knowledge but is a
facilitator and aid, scaffolding the student’s learning.
The teacher does not try to impose their own
learning preferences and habits onto their students.
The teacher must not be credited with the students
progress as true learning occurs when learners do
their own practice/ revision and can internalise the
language that has emerged in the class.
©OTTI Dogme Workshop Winter 2011

4. FUNCTIONAL LANGUAGE
FOR SHOPPING
presented by
Catherine Palgrave
Teacher @ IH Newcastle
LESSON PLAN*
This lesson was written for a multi-lingual A1 adult class. The school runs a rolling programme, so
some students have been there for months, others only a week, therefore it is hard to follow a
systematic syllabus.
Think about it
The class was made up of A1 level students, most of whom were staying in the UK long term and
immediately needed ‘survival’ English. They had already had a number of functional language lessons,
so were comfortable with the concept and willing to participate in role plays and brainstorm ideas.
Get it ready
A3 sheets of paper (for brainstorming) and small pieces of paper (for vocabulary).
Set it up
Introduce/revise shop names. In 2 groups ask students if they like shopping, where they go and the
things they buy. Make a record of vocabulary for use later in the lesson.
Let it run
1. Split students into groups and give them a piece of A3 paper with a shop written on it (1 is a
clothes shop, 1 is a grocers and 1 is a newsagents).
2. Get them to write down what they would buy in theses shops, circulate and feed in language (e.g. a
packet of, a bottle of, a pair of, a couple of etc keep a record on the board and vocab cards). Each
piece of paper is circulated so that every group can write on it.
3. Get students to say how they would ask for things in shops, what they would do if there was a
problem, how they think they could make it better (e.g. the trousers are too small/big, can I try
these on, not those cigarettes, a kilo of oranges etc again write on board and vocabulary cards).
©OTTI Dogme Workshop Winter 2011

5. 4. Using the language generated, write phrases on the board and do some pronunciation practice.
Make it clear that here are what they will say and what they will hear.
5. Role play shops, monitor and collect any errors.
Round it off
Error correction on the board and vocabulary revision using the cards produced during the lesson.
Follow-up
Get students to write shopping lists and do further role play.
If they want we could go into the City Centre and practice buying some things.
Variation
Students can brainstorm the shops they go to regularly, or the type of things they buy so the teacher
can tell them the name of the shops.
Students could bring a recipe they like and write a shopping list for the ingredients then role play, this
could lead onto the language of cooking / imperatives / instructions.
POST SCRIPTUM
After the lesson Catherine said:
I started off the lesson with a bit about how I felt when I went shopping in Hungary before I knew enough
language to talk to anyone, and how I would go to supermarkets even though I didn't like them because I didn't
have to talk to anyone! I set the scene of the clothes shop much in the same vein and told them that I would
run away from shop assistants or just blush, clearly they feel the same, so I think it worked. I think they
realised that:
a) it is normal to feel like that
b) they were going to get something useful in the lesson
c) I don't always know the answers!
*Dogme Lesson/Activity Plan is based on the template from Teaching Unplugged by Thornbury and
Meddings (2009)
©OTTI Dogme Workshop Winter 2011

6. SCHOOL MEMORIES
presented by
Clare Burke
Teacher @ IH Milan
LESSON PLAN*
This lesson was written for a General English adult class at an intermediate + level.
Think about it
Opportunity to review vocabulary related to ‘education’ and to review question forms & pronunciation
of contracted forms in connected speech.
Get it ready
Slips of paper for students to write down questions for later discussion.
Set it up
Set up classroom so students are in a horse-shoe shape, or in any way that they can communicate
openly and still have access to a board.
Let it run
Write ‘Education’ on the board.
Ask students in groups to make a list of any vocabulary they know related to the topic.
Teacher notes down this vocabulary on the board.
Teacher asks a question e.g. How did you get to school ? Students reply to each other & report back to
Teacher.
Teacher asks students what question did she ask? Note it down on board. Highlight tense &
pronunciation features. Drill contracted form.
Teacher asks students in groups to write 5 questions using their brainstormed vocabulary on slips of
paper.
Groups swap papers and make any corrections necessary. Students report questions to teacher.
©OTTI Dogme Workshop Winter 2011

7. Teacher focuses on language & makes corrections as necessary, analyses pronunciation points through
eliciting, and discriminating between citation form & natural speech.
Teacher asks students to ask questions in groups and discuss their own experiences.
Teacher notes down examples of good language and errors.
Round it off
Delayed error correction stage on board where students decide which examples of language are correct
and correct anything they find as errors based on teacher’s notes in discussion stage. Finish by asking
students who had the funniest or strangest school experience.
Follow-up
Students’ slips of paper can be kept for review at a later date so they can see their progression
concerning question forms.
Variation
Students tell three short anecdotes about their school days of which one is false. Other students must
identify which is false by asking questions about each story to try and catch the student out.
*Dogme Lesson/Activity Plan is based on the template from Teaching Unplugged by Thornbury and
Meddings (2009)
©OTTI Dogme Workshop Winter 2011

8. PRESENTATIONS
OF A PERSON YOU ADMIRE
presented by
Estelle Huxley
ML Teacher Trainer & TT
Coordinator @ IH London
LESSON PLAN*
This lesson is for learners at pre-intermediate level upwards. Its main aim is to get the students
present a famous person they admire from their country and answer questions about them
Think about it
I feel teachers often use a lot of readings/listening about the target language culture, which are
interesting to students, but are chosen by the teacher themselves (or course books). Also, teachers
generally choose what questions/language points are going to be focused on in relation with these
texts. At the same time, students always seem very motivated to share their knowledge about their
own country (and I think this removes their attention on/fear of accuracy, because they feel confident
about the subject, therefore they are more likely to develop their fluency).
Get it ready
Before the actual Dogme lesson/lessons, the teacher chooses 2 authentic articles on people they
admire, but no pre-written questions and a photo of each celebrity. For the Dogme lesson/lessons,
students have to research information (in the target language if possible) regarding a person they
admire, they can bring articles on this person or show clips about them on the IWB during their
presentations (but this is not compulsory if one wants to stick to a material free lesson).
Set it up
Part one : non (strictly) dogme lesson
1. Show the class the 2 photos of the celebrities you chose (they should at least have heard about
them). They have to say their name.
2. Split the class in 2. Each group writes what they know/want to know about one celebrity, then give
their questions to the other group.
©OTTI Dogme Workshop Winter 2011

9. 3. Each group reads the text on the celebrity and tries to answer the questions of the other group (no
use of dictionary and quick reading for gist of their text to see if they can find answers to the other
group’s questions).
4. Each group tells the other group what questions they could answer.
5. Group A swap texts with group B and (they can use dictionaries), each group writes questions that
can be answered by reading the text (they can be comprehension questions or questions on
expressions or vocabulary used in the text).
6. They swap texts again and answer each other’s questions (obviously there is monitoring and
help/correction/clarification of language between each stage).
Let it run
Part 2 : dogme lesson
1. At home, students research information on the person they admire from their own country (if
possible in the target language and if possible not a very well known person). They prepare a
presentation either by writing or orally for the next lesson (they are free to choose the format of
their presentation but know they will be asked questions by the other students). They can look up
specific words/expressions they need to in the dictionary.
2. In class, they first present their famous person to one student, who asks questions during or after
the presentation.
3. They swap who makes the presentation.
4. They swap partners and first report on the presentation from their first partner, then present their
own (this can be repeated several times). The teacher monitors each stage and, between each
partner swap, they is a language focus (new vocabulary, mistakes, grammatical points). On this
occasion, I chose to focus on false friends.
Round it off
At the end, there is a question time about each of the celebrities to the person whose presentation it
was and they can show clips on that person, give out articles etc. By this time, each student feels very
confident in front of the whole classroom and most of them will naturally stand up and use the
board/interactive board.
Follow-up
Because I had chosen to focus on false friends, I suggested a project to my students where they will
compile false friends they encountered and kept a table where they would put the definition of the
target language false friend and an example + the translation of the L1 false friend in their language.
Variation
All types of presentations.
©OTTI Dogme Workshop Winter 2011

10. POST SCRIPTUM
After the lesson Estelle said:
Just a couple of comments : students really enjoyed it, and I found choosing texts themselves and researching
information in the target language for their presentation made them use very interesting,
meaningful expressions/vocab that everyone else learnt and enjoyed discovering.
I have reservations on the language focus stage : because it is from emerging language, I feel it is not much
more that a clarification of meaning/use and, even though I asked students to give me other examples of the
structures/vocab, I felt it lacked practice... that said, they reused a lot of them when they swapped partners...
but I'm still not convinced about this stage and feel I want to reach for a "proper" grammar exercise, but surely
that would not be Dogme anymore...
*Dogme Lesson/Activity Plan is based on the template from Teaching Unplugged by Thornbury and
Meddings (2009)
©OTTI Dogme Workshop Winter 2011

11. ARTICLES IN DESCRIPTIONS
presented by
Sandy Millin
Teacher @ ILC IH Brno
LESSON PLAN*
This 60-minute lesson was written for a company course – a small group of adults , accountants and IT
specialists at a low intermediate level.
Think about it
Students have been asking to work on articles (a key problem area for Czech students). They also need
to practise their writing skills.
Get it ready
SS need to find a photo and bring it to class.
Set it up
Ensure that all SS have a photo. If not, give them a small selection to choose from on my computer.
Let it run
1. Students have ten minutes to write a description of the photo. They can ask for any language they
need.
2. Students switch texts with another pair.
3. Looking at their classmates’ texts, students highlight (but do not correct) any problems with
articles.
4. Return the text to the writer. In pairs, they go through the problems. If they are not sure why
something is a problem, they can check with the group that marked their text.
5. Class discussion highlighting any issues with articles that arose from the text.
Round it off
As a class, we create a list of rules for when to use a / an / the / no article based on the students’ texts.
©OTTI Dogme Workshop Winter 2011

12. Follow-up
For homework, students go to www.fotobabble.com, upload a photo and record up to one-minute of
speaking to describe their photo. SS without a microphone can email me a picture and record sound on
their mobile phone / write about the picture.
Variation
Other areas of grammar could be highlighted if they prove to be a problem (e.g. there is / are)
POST SCRIPTUM
After the lesson Sandy said:
On Friday I taught a lesson which I planned as my first conscious attempt at a Dogme-style class. I've
attached the lesson plan, and here are my thoughts:
Only 2 of the 5 students came, which meant we were able to focus in even greater depth on the problems the
students had. Everything seemed to go well. The students responded enthusiastically and were surprised at
how much they could learn from writing only 7-10 lines of text!
I really feel this is an approach I can use more effectively based on the materials we've covered during the
workshop. It gave me the confidence to approach a Dogme lesson in a structured way. Definitely something I
will be incorporating more in my teaching, although I'm still thinking about the best way to approach it long-
term with higher-level students.
Thank you!
*Dogme Lesson/Activity Plan is based on the template from Teaching Unplugged by Thornbury and
Meddings (2009)
©OTTI Dogme Workshop Winter 2011

13. DOGME TEACHER TRAINING
SESSION
presented by
Natasha Sedounova,
Anastasia Shender &
Alina Kuznetsova
from IH Minsk
WORKSHOP PLAN*
This is a teacher training session to help teachers at your school familiarise themselves with the
concept of Dogme teaching. It’s a team-led workshop (4 presenters).
Get it ready
A4 sheets of paper.
Set it up
Presenter 1 reads out 3 questions:
1. Is it possible to sacrifice a lesson plan if a student has a good story to tell?
2. Is it possible to go to the lesson completely unprepared?
3. Is t possible to plan a lesson with no materials?
After each question trainee teachers go to 3 different corners of the room (‘It's possible’ corner, ‘It's
impossible’ corner and ‘I'm not sure’ corner). Then they discuss why they think so, followed by brief
open feedback.
This activity is based on one of the activities offered in ‘Teaching Unplugged’. The conclusion is that the
seminar will show that all these are possible.
Let it run
STEP 1
Presenter 2 Introduces DOGME and 4 experts (History of Dogme; Dogme is conversation driven, Dogme
is focused on emergent language and Dogme is materials-light). Trainees are divided into four groups
©OTTI Dogme Workshop Winter 2011

14. and experts join each group for 5 minutes and talk/answer questions. This is followed by open feedback
– presenters answer questions, which in fact might be challenging Dogme.
STEP 2
Presenter 3 shows a 3-minute video clip of a Dogme lesson or gives an article describing a Dogme
lesson. Questions for the focus: What did the students learn? How did the teacher and the students
feel?
STEP £
Presenter 4 gives out scrap A4 paper, trainees fold it to make 4 sections. Presenters give examples of
Dogme activities (chosen from ‘Teaching Unplugged’) and trainees take notes and share them with
other groups.
Round it off
Each presenter talks about how the idea of teaching unplugged changed them and their teaching, giving
real examples from their practice
Follow-up
Trainees design and do a Dogme lesson and prepare to talk about it in the next swap seminar.
*Dogme Lesson/Activity Plan is based on the template from Teaching Unplugged by Thornbury and
Meddings (2009)
©OTTI Dogme Workshop Winter 2011