The workshop demonstrates ways of effective integration of theatrical performance elements created by teenage students into a General English language course. The participants will have a chance to analyse how a theatrical performance generated by students can allow the teacher to devolve their responsibility for classroom procedures and help students break language barriers. The combination of the main tenets of the Dogme approach with the concept of theatre as ‘mirrored life’ enables a lot of language to emerge in the classroom, giving the teacher an opportunity to work on the students’ interlanguage and cover the grammatical and lexical material prescribed by most syllabuses. The presented way of teaching can also help students fight their phobias of answering too personal questions frequently found in coursebooks, let them share what matters to them and adapt learning to their own needs. Experiencing and discussing elements of the theatre-based syllabus designed by the presenter, those attending the workshop will take a look at an alternative way of practising Dogme in the classroom. The goal is for participants to walk away with concrete ideas for their own classes.

1. Natalia Belousova
“CLASS” Study and Training Centre
26th
November 2016
Moscow
Dogme in
the
classroom:
doing
drama
devised by
students

2. Questions to answer:
• Why Dogme?
• Why drama?
• What do Dogme and drama have to do with
each other?
• How did it all start?
• What happened in the classroom?
• Conclusions

3. Why Dogme: Issues
coursebook
limitations

4. Why Dogme: Issues
coursebook
limitations
GE as English
‘for student
specific
purposes’

5. Why Dogme: Issues
coursebook
limitations
mixed
abilities
within a
group
GE as English
‘for student
specific
purposes’

6. Why Dogme: Issues
coursebook
limitations
mixed
abilities
within a
group
GE as English
‘for student
specific
purposes’
personal
questions
found in
coursebooks

7. Why Dogme: Issues
coursebook
limitations
mixed
abilities
within a
group
GE as English
‘for student
specific
purposes’
personal
questions
found in
coursebooks
lack of
confidence
resulting in
silence

8. Why Dogme: Issues
coursebook
limitations
mixed
abilities
within a
group
GE as English
‘for student
specific
purposes’
personal
questions
found in
coursebooks
lack of
confidence
resulting in
silence

9. Why Dogme: Solutions
• Dogme is about teaching that is
conversation-driven;
• Dogme is about teaching that is materials-
light;
• Dogme is about teaching that focusses on
emergent language.
From L. Meddings and S. Thornbury “Teaching Unplugged”, – Delta
Publishing, 2009.

10. How Did It All Start

11. How Did It All Start

12. Why Drama
develops
creativity

13. Why Drama
develops
creativity destroys
psychological
barriers

14. Why Drama
develops
creativity destroys
psychological
barriers
real life is
the source
of
information

15. What Happened In The
Classroom

16. Me again

17. Me again
Andrew,
13 years old

18. Me again

19. Me again

20. Me again: Route
1. Think about it: We sometimes think of imaginary scenarios as
being remote from reality – but they are often closely linkedto
the changes we want to make in our life (Meddings, Thornbury,
‘Teaching Unplugged’, p.46)
2. Get it ready: No preparation required
3. Set it up: Ask the class to imagine who or what they’d like to be
if not themselves. Let Ss close their eyes and imagine their
‘new version’ in detail: appearance, personality, physicality,
habits, etc.
4. Let it run: When the Ss open their eyes, give them some
thinking time to write their new profiles. Monitor and help
with the language if necessary with each S. When they finish,
tell them they are going to be interviewed by the group .
5. Round it off: Sitting in a circle, Ss ask questions to their ‘new
friends’.
6. Follow-up: Ss tell what they have found out about their ‘new
friends’, which is followed by delayed reformulation.
7. Home-task: Ss keep working on their character profiles.

21. What Happened In The
Classroom

22. Tell me what’s in your pocket:
Route
1. Think about it: To really believe in their characters, Ss need get
to know themselves better.
2. Get it ready: No preparation required
3. Set it up: Ask the class to work in pairs. S1 is the coach, S2 is
the trainee. The coach keeps asking ‘What’s in your pocket?’.
His/her task is not to let the trainee relax. The trainee takes out
objects, people, animals, feelings and personal characteristics
he/she needs in her life.
4. Let it run: Ss do the task, then exchange their roles.
5. Round it off: Give Ss some silent time to remember the things
their trainees took out of the pocket, write them down and
make up a story about their trainees life.
6. Follow-up: Ss read each other’s stories and say whether they
are true, or something is different.
7. Home-task: Ss keep working on their character profiles. They
start writing diaries about their experiences through their
characters’ eyes.

23. What happened?
‘…developing and exercising autonomy
also implies moving beyond these safe
horizons in order to realise the potential
to growth or change (Dam, 1995)’

24. What happened?
• There was a friendly and comfortable atmosphere in
the classroom;
• Ss were the source of all the information used in class;
• They talked about what mattered to them;
• They felt more comfortable talking about their personal
lives under the mask of their character;
• The emerging language was unpredictable;
• The interaction was meaning-driven, not pre-set;
• The teacher acted as a facilitator, provider of
opportunities for output, provider of feedback (NOT
transmitter)
• Any other ideas? ☺

26. 1. What did you like / didn‘t you like about the lesson?
I liked that it wasn't a usual English lesson but a real theatre experience.
2. Was this the first time that you had a lesson like this? How different was it
from usual lessons?
Yes, it was. It was completely different from usual lessons, and that's why very
interesting.
5. Did you learn anything new in this lesson? If so, what (grammar, vocabulary,
anything else?)
Yes, of course. I learnt vocab that was closely connected with the stories from
our life.
6. Did you feel tense or relaxed? Why / Why not?
I felt a little bit tense because sometimes I wanted to cry when I remembered
my childhood.
(anon)

27. Drama Resources
• Drama and Improvisation, (2009), Wilson K. OUP
• 101 drama games & activities, (2007). Farmer, D. Lulu.
• Drama: Resource books for teachers, (2002). Wessels, C. OUP.
• Teaching English with Drama, (2007). Almond, M. Keyways
Ltd.
• Theater games for the classroom, (1986). Spolin, V.
Northwestern University Press.
• Drama techniques in language learning, (2004). Maley &: Duff.
CUP
• Easy plays in English, (1993). Malkoc, A. M. Prentice Happ
Regents.
• Drama with children, (2004). Phillips, S. OUP.
• On Stage: Theater Games and Activities for Kids, (1997), Lisa
Bany-Winters, Chicago Review Press

29. From D. Farmer “101 Drama Games and Activities”, – David Farmer,
2007.

30. THANK YOU!
• Natasha Belousova
natalie.belousova@gmail.com