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thornburyscott.com

http://www.thornburyscott.com/tu/Nerina.htm

Teachingunplugged:Oneteacher'saccount NerinaConteandScottThornbury NerinaConteteachesEnglishinaprivatelanguageschoolinBarcelona.TrainedatbothCertificateand Diplomalevel,shehasbeenteachingfor12yearsnowandteachesbothadultandchildren'sclasses.Ayear orsoago,afterattendingaworkshopgivenby"DogmeELT"foundersScottThornburyandLukeMeddings, shedevelopedaninterestinmaterialsfreeteaching.TheDogmephilosophywasinspiredbytheDogme95 filmmakingcollective,whosecommitmenttoapareddown,technologylightcinema,inwhichthe"inner story"ofthecharactersisallowedtoemerge,unencumberedbyspecialeffects,isexpressedintheir"Vowsof Chastity",thefirstofwhichis:

Shootingshouldbedoneonlocation.Propsandsetsmustnotbebroughtin(ifaparticular propisnecessaryforthestory,alocationmustbechosenwherethepropistobefound)

Byanalogy,DogmeELTpromotesapedagogythatisunburdenedbyanexcessofmaterialsandtechnology, andinsteadisgroundedinthelocalandrelevantconcernsofthepeopleintheroom.Thefirst"vow"of Dogmeteachingis:

Teachingshouldbedoneusingonlytheresourcesthatteachersandstudentsbringtothe classroomi.e.themselvesandwhateverhappenstobeintheclassroom.Ifaparticular pieceofmaterialisnecessaryforthelesson,alocationmustbechosenwherethatmaterialis tobefound(e.g.library,resourcecentre,bar,students'club)

ToNerina,anapproachthatbypassedtheartificialityandirrelevanceofthecoursebookandthatreleased the"innerstory"ofthelearners,hadanintuitiveappeal,particularlywithregardtotheteachingofchildren. Facedwithanewclassofeighttotenyearolds,shedecidedtoabandonthecoursebookaltogether,and replaceitwithwhatshecalled"scrapbooks".Thesethechildrenwouldcompilethemselves,andeachwould beanoriginalrecordoftheyear'sworkaportfoliooftextsandillustrationsthatemergedfromtheirtheme basedclassroomwork.Ayearon,shetalkedtoScottThornburyaboutthisexperiment,andthewayshe planstoadaptitfortheyearahead. SCOTT.Sothiswas2K,sotheagegroupwas. NERINA.From8to10. SCOTT.Andhowmany? NERINA.Ihad9lastyear. SCOTT.Andwhatlevelwerethey? NERINA.SecondorthirdyearEnglish.

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SCOTT.Beforewegoontotalkaboutwhatyouaredoingthisyear,let'sgobacktothebeginningoflast year.So,whatmotivatedyoutoapproachthiscourseinthisway,thattheydotheirownmaterial,prepare theirownscrapbooks? NERINA.Materialfreeteaching:Idon'tthinkthatstudents,littlekidsneedbookstolearnalanguage, becausethat'snothowchildrenlearnlanguages.Ithinkthattheydohavetheirownbackground,theirown experiences,andtheycanbringtheseintotheclassroom.Wedon'tneedbookswithpicturesofwardrobesof clothes.Wecanjustusethekidswiththeirownclothes,wecanspeakaboutwhattheyworeyesterday,when theyplayfootballWedon'tneedpicturesoffoodbecausetheycantellyouwhatfoodtheyeatinSpanish I'venoticedthatlotsofbookstendtobefullofactivitieswhichdonotproducelanguagecolouringinstuff, matchthiswiththattheytendtobetimefillingmorethanlanguageproducing.AndthenwhatIdidn'tlike, mostofthesebooks,oratleasttheonesthatIhaveseen,arereproductionsofadultbooks.Theyfollowthe samesyllabus.Forexample,thebooksI'veuseddon'tusethepastsimple.Theyfocusonpresentsimple, presentcontinuous,possessives,veryspecificgrammaritems,buttheydon'tworkonthepastsimple,andas I'venoticedevenwithadults,it'swhathelpsmegetthroughtothestudents,becauseIcanaskthem"What didyoudothismorning?WhatdidyoudoSaturday,Sunday?Wheredidyougo?"etc.SoIstartedlastyear withthepastwithdinosaurs! SCOTT:Sowhenyousayyoustartedwiththepast,essentiallyyoustartedwithatextpresumably.Youdidn't doafullscalepresentationofthepastsimple? NERINA.No,Ibroughtinstuffondinosaurs.Weworkedondinosaurs,wheretheylived,whattheydid,what theyate,andwhattheywerelike,andsotheygotthepastsimpleinputthroughaspecificthemeandthen theywroteastory.Whatyouseehere[inthescrapbook]isjustthefinalproduct.(UnfortunatelyIdidn'tcollect allthethedifferentexercisesIdidonscrappaperduringtheyear,butIamdoingsothisyear).Andsowe wentontotalkaboutthemselves:whattheywerelikewhentheyweresmall,whattheyate,whattheydid, wheretheylivedAndfromtherewespokeaboutthemnow. SCOTT.[referringtoascrapbooktext]Sohowdidtheygettheseverbsdown? NERINA.BecauseIputtheverbsontheblackboardandtherewerelotsofthingsontheblackboardthatthey hadcomeupwith,describingthem.Ihadspokenaboutthedinosaurs,Iputthewordsontheblackboard: had,were,lived,andtheyhadtogomatching,sortingoutwhatgoeswithhad,whatgoeswithwereandwhat goeswithlivedIaskedthemwhatthosewordswereinSpanish.Sometimes,iftheyhaven'tgotenough Englishtosaywhattheywanttosay,sometasksIgivethemtowriteoutinSpanish,andthentheytryand sayitinEnglishandIwillhelpthem.SothewordsthattheyweregiveninEnglish,thewordsthattheywanted touse,theywouldthenbeabletoreadthem,andsaythem.EverysinglechildIwoulddoonetoone:"OK, whatdoesthismean?Readit,sayittome,speakaboutit"Thentheywouldhavetoworkinpairs:tellyour partneraboutyourselfwhenyouwereachild SCOTT:Doyougivethemtheblankscrapbookordotheybuyit? NERINA:Webuythebooks,thenotebooks.TheDirectorofStudiessendsoutalettertotheparentssaying: "Thekidsarenotusingabook.Wewillproduceourownmaterial".Theygiveus1.500ptasforallthe materialsthroughouttheyear. SCOTT:Don'ttheyexpectthekidstobeworkingwithabook?Howdidyouselltheideatothem?

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NERINA.WhentheparentscamefortheTeachersParentsMeeting,IshowedthescrapbookstothemandI explainedthemethodologyanditwasfinebythem.Idon'tknowhowitwillgothisyear,butIshowedthe kiddieswhatascrapbookis,becausetheycouldn'tunderstand:"Whatarewegoingtodowiththiswhite book?Nolinesinit,nopicturesinit?"AndIshowedthemone,andtheysaid,"Arewegoingtodothat?"They werereallysurprised,becausewhentheygohometheygohomewithabook,theirownbookOK,withlots ofmistakesinit,becausethatiswhattheycandobuthighlypersonalised. SCOTT:Thekidsseeeachother's? NERINA:Ohyes,becausetheyaskeachother,theyhavetospeaktoeachother.Histextisthreesentences, hersismuchlongerThisisthegoodthingaboutthistypeofbookormethod:theyproduceaccordingto theirownlevel,becauseit'snotourlevel,andnobodyispenalisedfornotdoingalltheexercisesinthe activitybook. SCOTT:Whereisthepushthen?Isitsimplyintheirtakingprideintheirownworkandwantingittobeas goodastheypossiblycan?Isthereacompetitiveelement?Tryingtokeepupwiththeothers? NERINA:Well,thepushisinthefactthatkiddieswantadultstolikewhattheydo:that'sfundamental.Sothey wantmetobeproudofallofthem.Andalsotheyseethattheycanproduceorally,forexample,interacting withvisitors,andthroughtheirscrapbookproducingtheirownmaterial.Itcomesfromwantingmetobe proudofthem,butalsotheirawarenessoftheirownprogress. SCOTT.Partofitmusthavealottodowithcreatingagoodclassroomdynamic.Doyouconsciouslysetout todothat,orisitthroughactivitieslikepersonalisationthatthedynamicdevelopsnaturally? NERINA.Ithelps,butItrytounderstandmyclass.Forexample,Itrytoguesswhotheonlychildrenare, becausetheytendtobedisruptive.They'renotusedtosharingtime,andtheywantalltheattention.You havetofindoutwhatkindofgrouptheyareusedtoathome,sothatyoucanautomaticallyfocusonhowto workwiththemintheclassroom.Thosearethekidsthatneedtobehuggedmore,theyneedmoreattention.. SoIwillgoandhugthem.Becauseifyoujustgointhereandteachandyouforgetthattheyarepeoplewith theirownproblemsthattheybringintotheclassroomandyoudon'tunderstandthem,theywon'tlearn,and oneofthewaystheyletyouknowthisisbybeingdisruptive.Youkindofhavetopayforit.Theyaretryingto tellyousomething,andyouarenotlistening.Thatdoesn'tmeanthatlotsofmykidsdon'tfinishinthecorner. Sometimestheyarereallydisruptive.AtthebeginningIsay:"OK,tothecorner!"Bytheendoftheyear,Ijust lookatthemandtheysay"Inthecorner?andIsay"Yes",andtheywouldgoandsitthereontheirown, becausetheyrealisethatthatwasthelimit,andtheyhadgonebeyondthelimit. SCOTT.Itsoundsasiftobeeligibletoteachthisagegroupyouneedtobeamotherorparentyourself. NERINA.IthinkthatI'vegotlotsofhelpfrommyownchildren.That'shelpedmealot.I'vegotthislittlegirl thisyear,forexample,she'sreallylazy.Theywereallsupposedtobringthispicturein,andIcouldn'tstartthe classbecauseherpicturewasmissing.Theotherstoldme:"Sabesquehadicho,queaellanoleimporta nada"[Doyouknowwhatshesaid?Thatshedoesn'tcareless].SoIsaid,"Thisisateam,soweareplaying soccer,andthereisonlyonepersonrunningaftertheball,andtheotherteamhaselevenofthemrunning aftertheball,whoisgoingtowin?"SoIsaid,"Weneedyou.Youhadbetterrunaftertheballwithallofus.If youdon't,wewilllose."Andthefollowinglessonshebroughtinherpicture. SCOTT:Really!

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NERINA.Yes,becauseshefeltpartofthegroup.Shewassaying,"I'mnotpartofthegroup.Idon'twanttobe partofthisgroup".AndI'msuresheisgoingtocomeupwiththisagain.Nowsheisworking,butintwoor threedays'timeshewillprobablystopworking,andIwillhavetoremotivateher.Butifyoudon'tdothis,they won'tlearnEnglish. SCOTT:Anotherargumentfortheuseofbooksisthattheysaveteachersplanningtimedyouthinkthatyour planningtimehasincreasedbynothavingabook? NERINA:No,notatall.Onewayofsavingtimeisbypersonalising,byspeakingaboutyourownlife,bringing inpictures.Istartedoffthisyearspeakingaboutmypet.Mydog'snameisNikita,etc.Andlater,whenI showedthemjustalistofwordsthatthey'dcopiedfromtheblackboard,theysaid"ThisisaboutNikita".Andit was.Theyimmediatelyknewwhatitwasabout,soit'sreallypowerful. SCOTT.Doyouthinkthereisadangerofbasingeverythingonthechildren'sownlivesandexperiences? Theirlikesanddislikesetc.? NERINA.No.Theylovespeakingaboutthemselves. SCOTT.Whathappensifyougetintoriskyareas?Likeifyouaredoingfamilies,andtherehadbeenarecent breakup? NERINA.Yes,lastyearIhadaproblemthere.Ihadagirl,whenweweredoingjobs,theyweresupposedto speakabouttheirparents'jobs,andnearlyeverybodywas,"Mydadisabusinessman,doctor,teacher" Andherdadisawaiterandhermumisacleaner.Andoneortwostartedpickingonher,anditwasreally difficulttosupportherandmakeherfeelproud,butintheendshewasspeakingaboutherunclewhowasa truckdriver.So,whenyouspeakaboutthefamilyandsomekidsaregoingthroughadivorceandthingslike that,thatcanbedynamite,reallydifficult. SCOTT.Isuspectthatiswhysometeachersfeelmorecomfortablewithafictitiouslifewithcoursebook characters.Itprotectsthemwhenthingscomeup. NERINA.Yeah,butkids,theyaresosensitive.Theycan'tjustspeakaboutthepeopleinthecoursebooks, becausewhentheycomeintotheclassroom,theyarebringingtheirwholeselvesinthere.SoIthinkitiseven moredifficultthanwithadults,becauseadultscanputtheirmaskon.Theyhavelearnttodoit.Theycomein fromahardday'swork,orwithfamilyproblems.Butkiddiescan't.Theywanttospeakaboutthemselves, abouttheirfamily,theirfriends,whattheydidattheweekend.Andtheycanspeakaboutsomethingthatis reallyaproblem.Ithinktheyneedto,becauseiftheaffectivebarrierishigh,theywon'tlearn. SCOTT.Anothercriticismaboutmaterialsfreeteachingisthatthisisallverywellinourkindofrather luxuriouscircumstances,wherebywehavesmallclassesoffairlymotivatedchildren.Also,wearenative speakerteachersandthereforehavemoresecurityintermsofbeingabletodealwiththelanguageissues thatcomeup.Doyouthinkthatthisisjustsomethingexclusivetoourparticularsituation? NERINA.Ithinkthatitcouldbeaproblemforteachersathighlevels,evennativespeakerteachers,butIdon't thinkit'saproblemforlowerlevels.I'veseenItalianteachersdowondersinaclassroom,eventhoughthey mightnothavetheknowledgeofthelanguagethatanativespeakerteachermighthave.Ithinkthatwhatis reallyimportanthereismotivation.Ifyoubelieveinsomething,youcandoit,andyoucangobeyondthe book.Youhavetoaskyourself:isthismyaimoristhisjustameans?

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SCOTT.Youaresayingthatforalotofteachers,thematerialsbecometheaim? NERINA.Thematerialsbecomethefilterbetweentheteacherandthestudentswhenitissupposedtobe: "OK,I'vegotthisbookandI'vegotthisgrouplet'sseewhatthegroupislikeandI'llchoosesuchandsucha book,orI'lladaptthebookthatI'vegot".Butinsteaditgoestheotherwayround.Thisisthedangerofthe book.Ithinkwegrewupwithbooksandwedependonthem. SCOTT.Youcan'timagineaworldwithoutthem. NERINA.Ibelieveinbooks,Ilovethesmellofpaperandinkandallthatbutit'sgoneabittoofar. SCOTT:Publishersseemtobenotonlyproducingbooks,buteverythingbutthekitchensink,everythingthat goeswiththebook,resourcebooks,bigbooks,storybooks,workbooks,CDRoms,websites,etc.Isthisof anyusetoanybody? NERINA.Whenstudentscomeandaskforacourse,theycometolearnEnglish,theydon'tcometodoa book.Theywantthebookasabackup.I'veneverheardastudentsay,"Iwanttodosuchandsuchabook". SCOTT.Gettingbacktoyourclass,howdoyouratetheirprogress? NERINA.Myevaluationwasthattheyweremotivated.That'swhatIwaslookingforthattheywantedtodo thingsinEnglish.So,oneofthelastthingsIdidwiththem,Ihadatraineecomeintovisitme,shewantedto seethelessonandsoIsaid"Wecaneitherdoavocabularyrevision,whichiswhatIhadprogrammed,orI canuseyou".Soshesaid,"OK,doso".Andsoagroupstayedintheclassroom,andinterviewedherand hadtowriteasmuchastheycouldabouther.Theothergroupwentoutsideandtheywrotewhatthey thoughtshewaslike.Sotheysaid,"She'smarried,she'sgotchildren,she'sateacher".Sotheycameback, andtheyhadtocomparethetwotexts.Soitwas,"No,she'snotmarried,shecan'tdothisandthat"And thenthekidswhohadtheincorrecttexthadtogettheothergrouptocorrecttheirtext.Thentheyhadtogo tothetraineeteacherandshegaveherfinalresponse:"Yes,that'scorrectetc".That'swhatIwantthemto do. Ontheotherhand,Iaskedacolleagueofminewhohasgotmychildrenthisyear,whatshethinksabout them,andshesaidtheyareweak.Shesaidthattheycouldn'tdoanactivitythatotherstudentsofthesame levelcoulddo.Iaskedhertoshowmetheactivity,anditwasanactivityontheverbtobe:theyhadtoputin thecorrectsubject,etc.SoIrealisedthatIhadworkedonwhatIthoughtwasgoodforthem,butthatIhadn't keptinmindthattheyarepartofasystem,andthatlaterontheywouldbeworkingwithotherteachersthat dodiscreteitemgrammaractivitiesandthattheyarenottrainedtodothat.SoI'mstartingtonoticethatthere isagapinthere:youcan'tjustdoactivitieswherelanguageisbeingusedasaskill,notasasubject.AndI neverdidthatduringtheyear.Ididdolotsofgrammar,butthroughhighlymotivatedstuff,gamesandsoon, butIneverfocussedexplicitlyonthingslikesubject,plural,singular. SCOTT.So,whatareyoudoingdifferentlythisyear? NERINA.WhatI'vedecidedtodothisyearisbesideshavingascrapbookthey'veeachgotalittle notebookwhichisgoingtobetheir"workinprogress",andthisiswhereIkeeparecordofallthelittle exerciseswedothroughtheyear,andIspecifywhattheyare,sothatthiscanbeakindofrecordforwho comesafter,toseewhatkindofexercisestheyareusedtodoing.Thescrapbookiswheretheyputthefinal copyoftheirtext,interviewsetc.

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SCOTT.Onefinalquestion:intermsofmyinterestinthis,intheDogmegroupandsoon,hasthathelped? Yousayyouweremotivatedabitbythesessionsthatyouwentto,andalsothatyouhavebeenlurkingon thewebsite.[www.groups.yahoo.com/group/dogme].Wereyoureadytotakethisstep? NERINA.No,youdefinitelypushedme.Idon'tknowifIwouldhavedoneitallthesame,butI SCOTT.Ittalliedwithyourintuitions? NERINA.Icouldseeit,itwasincredible,Icouldreallyfeelitandseeit.ItrieditoutandI'msoconvinced,that I'mdoingitagainthisyear.Becauseafterspeakingtomycolleague,whatI'vedecidedisthatI'mgoingtodo itagainbuttrytobemorecomplete,sothekiddieshavethingsintheirportfolio.I'mexpandingit.Idon'twant togobacktousingthebook,unlessIreallydoseeabookthatsaysthisisreallyworthwhileusing.

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