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I'm not a dogmetician, I'm a teacher

I wrote a post questioning dogme and what exactly it was some time ago now and revisited it recently. You can read the original here. Here are some current thoughts, which I think demonstrates my continuing state of 'being critical'.

There has continued to be much debate recently which has caused me to reflect on my current feelings regarding the whole dogme thing.

I was very excited about the whole dogme idea when I came across it some years ago. Mainly because it seemed to support some of the things I was already doing in my teaching. I was trying to respond to teachable moments, I often let the plan disappear out of the window and I felt restricted by course books, particularly ones I didn't like, obviously. I was also influenced by an Adrian Underhill article I read, which suggested 'flipping' course books by getting students to create what the course book provided, instead of delivering the material itself.

While reading more recently about dogme online, however, I have for a lengthy period of time felt put off and irritated by the attempts to classify it as 'a movement', whether consciously or otherwise. It has become, to some, it would seem, some kind of uber-teaching banner to follow, or an evil impostor to rail against. In the arguments for and against I am often reminded of this clip from Life of Brian, as the profound seriousness of the dogme debate makes it ripe for parody.

As some have pointed out, those discussing dogme are a minuscule proportion of English language teachers in the world. Furthermore, of those who are aware of the idea, many are in situations where they have little choice but to whip through the pages of a course book. It is what is expected, by students and managers, for better or worse, and is exactly what those teachers are being paid for. This is not to say that the ideas cannot make for good nuggets for reflection which might effect improvements to classroom practice even in such restrictive circumstances. In many contexts, a course book is a necessary help, providing motivation for students and guidance for teachers. Books and materials are not the problem, it is how the teacher uses them; the workman not the tools.

I feel encouraged by the way in which a mindset provoked by the ideas of dogme is connected strongly to the level of attention teachers pay to the students and their learning, adhering to the adage "teach the students, not the material". There also appears to be a strong connection to reflective practice, which is actually, I feel, the most important 'new' idea seeping into teacher development and teaching practice. Above all else perhaps, encouraging teachers to reflect more on their practice and form their own beliefs regarding language teaching and education as a whole, while applying it to their day to day work, offers potential to improve teaching quality in ELT. Teachers, as part of their development, can be encouraged to become critical and to question the methods available to them, the materials they are using, the exams they are preparing students for and the quality of the education they are personally providing their students.

Back to dogme, something that bugs me is this idea of being a 'dogmetician', teaching 'dogmetically', or whatever. Surely a worthwhile endeavour is to be a teacher well-versed in a variety of methods and approaches rather than trying to be one particular thing or another? I have noted how some blog-rolls have been compartmentalised to include people as dogme, or 'other'. Are you in or are you out?!

As far as I believe, our teaching choices rest, as Prabhu (1990) notes, on our sense of "plausibility". Through trial and error, action research and reflection it should be possible for each individual teacher to decide what constitutes good-practice for them. Prabhu states that:

"the best method varies from one teacher to another, but only in the sense that it is best for each teacher to operate with his or her own sense of plausibility at any given time. There may be some truth to each method, but only in so far as each method may operate as one or another teacher?s sense of plausibility, promoting the most learning that can be promoted by that teacher".

What I take from this is that what is possible for you might very much not be possible for me, therefore you cannot tell me how I should be teaching. Prabhu suggests that any attempt to adhere to or search for one method is unrealistic.

"?if we regard our professional effort as a search for the best method which, when found, will replace all other methods, we may not only be working toward an unrealizable goal but, in the process, be misconstruing the nature of teaching as a set of procedures that can by themselves carry a guarantee of learning outcomes."

An awareness of a wide range of possibilities increases the knowledge that informs a teacher's practice, which is why exposure to different ideas is so important and why reading about other teachers' practice on blogs is so helpful. An obsessive focus on doing one style of teaching and of being a particular type of teacher is, I personally feel, a quick way to narrow the number of options available to you. In terms of being a role-model to less experienced teachers, if a teacher/ trainer has such a focussed (narrow?) way of doing things, it seems to me to be representing an expert and apprentice relationship, i.e. this is the way you teach, follow me and watch what I do.

I'm not a dogmetician, I'm a teacher. I can't guarantee any learning outcomes, but I'll try my best, using whatever approach I feel suits the situation I'm in at any given time. I've also spent a lot of time thinking about dogme for quite a long time and I'm ready to follow neither the gourd nor the shoe.

Prabhu, N. S. (1990) There is no best method - Why? TESOL Quarterly, Vol. 24: 2

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