The GAMES we play……………. (Pt 01 of ???)

As an EDUcator (and, perhaps moreso, as a TEACHer EDUcator) I am not interested in surface or superficial LEARNing…I am interested in “real” LEARNing… deep LEARNing…transformational LEARNing (even).

I have never been a “fan” of educators or institutions that simply say they want to be “different” – I have always found that this perspective on LEARNing is more about “What’s NEW” rather than the more important consideration of “What MATTERS”.

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“Winning” has also never really interested me – though I must admit I hate “losing”!

COLLABORATION beats COMPETITION hands down – always!

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I have also always been more interested in LEARNing that “makes a difference” to the lives of LEARNers – and I push this little “envelope” of mine a little further and actually “define” LEARNing as anything that:

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This is perhaps why I struggle with the way some EDUcators over-emphasise “games” in LEARNing.8

The recent resurgence of games and their role in LEARNing (or to use the sexier, upgraded term “gamification” – the global, cultural phenomenon) and their impact on the brave, new world of technologically-enabled EDUcation (and ELL – English Language LEARNing) has really got me thunking over the past few months.

Just do a search on the term (yes, right now…on Google) and see how many “hits” you get.

It’s scary stuff…for a “word” that ain’t even in most dictionaries, yet!

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I was at an ELT Seminar recently (and why do we call them ELT…not ELL seminars, anyways) and witnessed something a bit “surreal”. A younger “digital cheerleader” and TEACHer I have seen on the “circuit” – did a session on “Gamification in ELT” – he got a half-decent crowd (buzz-words will always have that effect)!

Almost immediately – the first words out of his mouth were “TEACHers need to forget all their language syllabi – and teach English ONLY through games”…

You can imagine the response!

Rotten tomatoes whizzing past my ears (I like to sit in the middle row at seminars – all the “bad kids” sit at the back)…the room echoed with loud “Turkish tuts“…and quiet whispers of “Manyak…yaa!“

He didn’t seem to care…I got the impression that he was not a very good “listener”. He had a “speech” about a “sexy” topic…and he was gonna “deliver“! Mmmmm…

I did!

The thing is…and remember I’m pretty patient (tolerant, too)…he really annoyed me. Actually, the suggestion that “games” should “replace” solid LEARNing and TEACHing practice in the classroom…was the thing that got me!

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This is a job for “Super-Blogger”!

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My aim is not to get into the definitions, history and trends of gamification (that’s been done to death on many other blogs) – but, as ever, Wiki to the “rescue”:

Fair enough!

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The rationale for the “explosion” in gamification in both our leisure activities and workplaces is equally easy to get our heads around:

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I mean, come on, even Ben Franklin “got” it (way back in the day…really back in the day – in 1750):

…in matters of LEARNing!

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As an EDUcator, my “gut” tells me:

This is why I talked about “resurgence” – good EDUcators have known for years that “games” can and do help promote effective LEARNing.

The thing is, I also “know” that:

This is probably why I detest the phrase “EDUtainment” (especially when used to describe what TEACHer LEARNing opportunities “should” be “all” about)…but I (still) use it all the time when I speak to others.

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Yes, for me –

– but is should not be the “goal” of EDUcational experiences!

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I guess my challenge is that I am trying to reconcile myself with the notion of gamification at the level of “beliefs” or the fundamental “assumptions” that drive what I do as an EDUcator (or, perhaps, “how” I do it).

Like many thunking EDUcators (who operate in more “formal LEARNing contexts”), I still struggle with many of my beliefs…that’s the God’s-honest truth…especially when it comes to my own beliefs on informal LEARNing (or what is sometimes called “self-INSTRUCTion” or “self-TEACHing”) – even though I view myself as a very talented “self-TEACHer”!

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What do I mean here?

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It’s difficult for me (as a TEACHer) to separate my own intuitive assumptions about LEARNing from the stuff I am still LEARNing from the (emerging) “science” of good LEARNing and the notions that (rightly or wrongly) are functioning as the engine of change in EDUcation these days.

It is equally difficult for me to see the difference between what I have LEARNed (over years and years) about the “artistry of good TEACHing” (for myself, often by myself – by “failing”…a lot) and the things I have LEARNed (and continue to LEARN every day) from my interactions with those that I “LEARN” (OK – you know I mean “teach” there)!

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Whoa! Heavy!

What the hell has happened to the Tony we know and love?

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As I said, “FUN is a SERIOUS business” – but LEARNing is “seriouser”!

With this in mind…I thought it was time for me to “thunk” over what happens if and when I am confronted with “ideas” that could (eventually) remove or replace “formal TEACHing and LEARNing” (in a face-2-face institutional context)…that’s what some “gamification cheerleaders” are saying these days! That’s what my young “digital gamification cheerleader” was banging on about!

Especially, when we thunk about ELL…or even “Chinese Language Learning” (the other “disruption” that keeps me awake some nights), if it comes to that.

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I “know”, in my heart-of-hearts, that what Carl Rogers said:

…makes more sense in ELL than it might in “other” disciplines.

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Classroom interaction is a very “poor substitute” for immersion in the culture and the day-to-day happenings of an actual English-speaking environment (this is how I LEARNed Turkish – after dropping out of a couple of “courses” because the TEACHers were driving me up-the-bloody-wall)!

A pile of lessons on lexico-grammatical structures and skills-based strategies (in a very “artificial” classroom environment) can never match (blow-for-blow) the struggles of balancing life, study and work (not to mention a relationship with someone you fall in love with – and having to dance around the pitfalls of a “mixed-marriage-to-be”) on some distant shore…without your mum and dad to protect you!

As I said…this is how I LEARNed Turkish!

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What I keep coming back to is the basic “truth” that Language LEARNing is bloody hard work…but it’s hard work that can be made easier when there is a bit of “fun” involved…and when we hit the sense of “flow” that comes from engaging in “real” problem solving and the feeling of “success” that comes from solving those problems (feelings that are magnified when you know you did it…on your own)!

What I have just described there is exactly (maybe not word for word) what the gamification cheerleaders are saying about “doing ELL” through games!

At an intuitive level…I agree…but then again those bloody “belief-thingies” get in the way!

As such, I thought it might be a good idea for me to explore my own “beliefs” – and check out why it is that the term gamification (and the prospect of games replacing formal LEARNing) “scares” me so much.

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I believe:

• All students can learn…and, indeed, have the right to LEARN and be LEARNed by others. 

• LEARNing is (a lot) more than “knowing” – it is about doing something with what we know and our ability to continue to LEARN and grow after “formal EDUcation” is over. 

• LEARNing is a complex process that involves the whole person in a constructive, situated and collaborative exercise of sense-making. 

• LEARNers develop knowledge, skills and attitudes best when they are connected “to” and transformed “by” their LEARNing – in addition to “taking responsibility” for that LEARNing. 

I do…I really believe these things!

…and I can show you “evidence” of this…through what I “say” and “do” in my interactions with others! Hopefully, a few of those others (those that “know” me in the non-virtual world) will vouch for me on this!

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I also recognise that I (yes, even me) was “socialised” by my experiences within “institutions” and systems of “formal” EDUcation. This is why I mentioned the second point above. Many of my beliefs on LEARNing have been shaped by my LEARNing within these formal institutions – and by the fact that TEACHing plays an important role within the schools, colleges and universities that have made me the EDUcator I am today.

This having been said I do not subscribe to the view that dominates the way many of these institutions “do business” – this being that the “means” (TEACHing) are more important than the “ends” (student LEARNing and SUCCESS).

 

Hence, I also believe:

• The best EDUcational institutions maintain an unshakeable focus on student LEARNing and success in everything they do, they have a “living” mission (rather than one that is little more than “wall decoration” for visitors) and a “lived” educational philosophy (that they “walk” every day). 

• A focus on “student engagement” is also the key to successful LEARNing in “formal LEARNing environments” and that this engagement has two key components: the time, effort and other activities students put into their studies and the ways in which an institution allocates its resources and organises LEARNing opportunities to encourage students to benefit from such activities. 

• The primary role of EDUcators and institutions is to support LEARNers to achieve success – read that again (nuff said)! 

• TEACHing and LEARNing are two sides of the same coin – the LEARNing of students (in an institutional context) is largely dependent on the quality of TEACHers, the TEACHing they receive and the level of student engagement created by TEACHers. 

• The best institutions (and their TEACHers) do not simply “cover” their curriculum – they “UNcover” it by listening to their LEARNers, by hearing their LEARNers…and by adapting themselves and what they do to the reality of LEARNing environment in which they operate. 

• Curricular should be (a lot more) more than a “TEACHing plan” – TEACHers and institutions should conceptualise of curriculum as the expression of “educational beliefs in practice” and must think of curriculum in terms of the “whole educative process” (rather than simply “content” or a document that collects dust on a shelf somewhere)! 

• Many of the dispositions required for successful LEARNing are the same as the positive behaviours and dispositions that characterise effective TEACHing professionals (yani, the best TEACHers are also the best LEARNers). 

• Effective TEACHing is grounded on a multi-dimensional set of abilities: what teachers know and understand about LEARNing, how they prepare to TEACH, what they expect of students, what they do when they TEACH and assess LEARNing, how they treat students, and how they evaluate their own practice and improve as professionals. 

• Highly effective TEACHers help all students to identify their individual LEARNing goals, perform at their highest levels and achieve success. 

• Highly effective TEACHers view students’ strengths and weaknesses as opportunities for LEARNing – and (actually) encourage their LEARNers to “fail” (by modelling this themselves as “real” people – not as infallible “knowers”). 

• Great TEACHing involves articulating and generating enthusiasm for LEARNing and modelling the skills of a lifelong LEARNer. 

• TEACHing grounded on a ‘just-in-case’ model is not as effective as TEACHing at times when students need to and are highly motivated to LEARN (a ‘just-in-time’ model).

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Whoa! What the hell has happened to Tony, shiriously?

…why have you “kidnapped” him and replaced him with this “BOT-version”?

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My beliefs have been further shaped (nearly there, guys) by my own “imagineering about the future” – what I believe is important for the future of LEARNers as we race into the brave, new word of 21^st Century LEARNing (yes, I “hate” the phrase, too – but you get what I am saying).

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These beliefs are:

• Knowledge in the 21^st Century is expanding so rapidly (bla,bla,bla!) and, just as students can’t LEARN everything about a “discipline” (especially “language”) or even everything across a range of disciplines (trans-disciplinary LEARNing is the “way ahead”) during their school or university career, TEACHers can NOT (and should NOT) try to TEACH “everything”. 

• Facilitating “real” student LEARNing (that continues to “evolve” after “graduation”) must involve developing students’ critical thunking, independent problem-solving and performance capabilities (towards the same multi-dimensional sets of abilities that make for great TEACHers). 

• EDUcational institutions need to make technology integral to LEARNing and adopt new digital technologies to achieve TEACHing practices more appropriate to 21st Century LEARNing. 

• 20^th Century institutions will only survive into the 21^st Century, if they can adapt (and re-adapt) themselves by first creating and nurturing institutional cultures that are open and responsive to meaningful change and real LEARNing – the days of creating institutions for TEACHers and administrators are well and truly “over”, boys n’ girls! 

• To survive – schools, colleges and universities must realign their processes, policies and practices around the notion of student LEARNing (and put that LEARNing at the heart of their decision-making) – because “survival is not mandatory” and systems that place their “means” over LEARNer “ends” will also go the way of the dinosaurs!

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What is it about all these beliefs that might account for the “bad taste” that many of the current discussions on gamification leave in my mouth?

Many of them do, in fact, seem to support the “theory” that gamers and EDUgamers work with…

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Actually, after getting all those thunks on “paper” and re-reading them…

I suddenly feel very “naked”!

Is that part of the problem, acaba?

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Mmmmmm…

 

Why “SMART Goals” are just “plain DUMB”…

…especially for TEACHers heading into…

The New Year is “nigh”…and my inbox has been filling up with notifications to check out the latest “Top 10 List of 2012″ and…a few, just a few, posts on best practice in “goal-setting” for 2013.

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I say only a “few” posts on goals and targets because…well, it seems more than a few of us are more interested in “looking back” than “looking forward”. Maybe, that’s all part of the “quiet reflection” needed to get us to the “effective action” that Peter Drucker (and Shelly Terrell) were talking about this morning.

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Both Shelly and Uncle Pete are right – we can all “grow through REFLECTion”…

…it is “looking forward” and the “effective action” we plan for 2013 that is the key.

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This is why I was so keen to look at these posts on “goal setting” – especially, all that “SMART goal-setting” EDUfolk are talking about.

Now, if you are not up-to-speed on goal-setting – it’s all about PLANNING.

Horrid word!

But, in practice, many supporters of “goals” also try to flog their wares by telling us that the process of goal-setting allows us to:

…while also reminding us that:

Funny that! None of my dreams (ever) come with a deadline…

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The “SMART” version of goal-setting is all about doing that PLANNING – “RIGHT”!

Yani, if you do not “plan RIGHT”…you are “plain DUMB”!

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Am I really? Shirously? You’ll be “asking” for something soon…good luck with that!

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SMART is an acronym (an acronym we, in EDUcation, “borrowed” from the world of “busyness”).

“Busyness?” - yes, just hold that thunk for a second or three!

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…an acronym that is more fully spelled out in this way:

OK – …the “realistic“ is often swapped around for ”relevant” (and “time-bound” is frequently selected over “timely“)…but that’s just the small stuff we do not need to “sweat” too much!

Some “smartyER pants” have even done this:

…but you get the “BIG picture”‘ yes?

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Ne se…the “logic” goes like this: if we develop our goals or targets in line with the letters of this lovely little acronym, we will all become more “productive”…more “effective”…more “successful” (mış mış, yani)!

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For example, this is not a SMART goal:

• I will endeavour to ensure that I LISTEN to my kids and help them all “love” LEARNing in all its wonderful shapes and forms!
• I am gonna make sure that I “really, really” LEARN my kids how to SPEAK…this semester…in just 15 hrs!

Actually, on second thunks – that 2nd thunk ”is” pretty SMART!

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BUT…it is goals like this that really get an EDUmanager’s juices “flowing”:

• I will hit my weekly pacing guidelines EVERY day and ensure 97% of my kids pass their weekly grammar tests – and go on to ace the end-of-year proficiency examination (at the end of the year, yani)!

OK – the language might be a bit “off”…but the warm, tingly sensation that this SMART goal will give “rise” to will stick around longer than…

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RUBBISH!

…it simply does not work as the “manual” outlines…especially for TEACHers!

And, to add insult to injury…ends up being nothing more than “busywork” (..makes sense now, yes? Even if it was not just a couple of seconds) handed down from EDUmanagement to EDUpractitioners that, more often than not, allows the aforementioned manager to “tick” a box somewhere!

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I mentioned Pete Amca earlier…for a reason…two…actually:

…He was a lot SMARTer than many EDUmanagers these days - especially those that “read-a-book-and-tell-the-world” – or (worse) – “read-a-blog-post-and-jump-without-thunking”!

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This is why I “dropped” this whole idea of “SMARTness” in my goal-setting a few years back.

Nowadays, I sez this:

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A wee idea I “stole” from Mark Murphy - another “business” (not “busyness”) guy!

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Scary?

Not at all!

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Go on…have a “guess” what this little acronym stands for (don’t scroll down)!

I said…DON’T SCROLL DOWN! I asked nice…

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Now, check it with your “team” (or online PLN)…you have 3 minutes!

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Isn’t that first one so much better than “specific”?

I won’t mention “measurable“…promise! But, that “animated” one sounds kinda cool, too. Click HERE to take a closer look at all the others.

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We all know that…

Don’t we?

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We also “know” that:

…despite the fact that many of our institutions are doing their bestest to knock the “challenge” out of what we “do” – and the “creativity” of those that we do “it” with!

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This is why we need to bring the “H” and “A” together with the “R” and “D” - in all we do…especially in any goal-setting we might do for 2013-14!

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I think this is why I like Shelly’s (no….did not forget her) “30 Goals Challenge for EDUcators” – take a look…not a SMART goal in sight…but lots of “dreams”…lots of “inspiration”….and….lots of the RIGHT things to “do” across 2013…and into 2014, too!

Yes…some of them are “hard“, sure…but the HARDer the BETTER!

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This is (probably) the last post of 2012 for moi…yes, Nazli Hanim (aka the “missuz”) has just confirmed this!

So it is probably the right time to THANK YOU ALL for your continued support of allthingslearning…but, more importantly, to wish YOU and YOURS…nothing but the BEST as we step into 2013!

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Keep up the good fight!

If we DON’T…who WILL?

The LISTENing Educator…

GUEST POST

by Laurence Raw

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It’s amazing what can be learned from isolated conversations.

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I was talking to three separate sets of LEARNers this week in different departments, as well as from different educational levels (under- and postgraduate, as well as trainee educators).  All of them had plenty of work to complete for their courses – assignments, lesson-plans, assessments and the like.

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Yet many of them admitted to finding such tasks extremely difficult, chiefly because they did not quite understand what was expected of them by their “educational peers”.  Did they have to produce ‘scholarly’ pieces, using examples taken from secondary texts; or were they expected to give their own opinions on the material?  What kind of criteria did educators use to distinguish a ‘good’ from a ‘bad’ submission, and how could LEARNers work towards meeting them?  And what kind of feedback could learners expect, apart from being given a grade?

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The question of assessment is a complex one; too complex, in fact, for a short blog-post.

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However I got the distinct impression that no one was actually listening to one another.  That term “to listen” is a complex one: it doesn’t just involve decoding words and sentences, but rather participating in a process described thus by Richard Sennett in a recent book: “though we may use the same words, we cannot say we are speaking of the same things; the aim is to come eventually towards a common understanding.”

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It is that “common understanding” that is conspicuously absent from many classrooms.

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How can we improve the listening environment?  The public speaking consultant Lisa B. Marshall offers three effective solutions: 

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1.       Tune In.  Make sure you give listeners your undivided attention.  Turn off your “mind chatter” and look at how they react to what you say.  If you feel they haven’t understood a point you have said, then try and clarify it.  Or better still, find another means to explain it – for example, by writing it down.

2.       Show You are Listening.  This is something many educators find difficult, especially if they are accustomed to monopolizing the learning environment.  The key is to concentrate on the words you hear and – perhaps more importantly – understand the body language signals you see.  Are learners smiling?  Are they talking amongst themselves? Are the words and body language congruent?

3.       Understand What You’ve Just Heard and/or Seen.  Educators need to translate and interpret their learners’ reactions.  They have to decide what they mean.  We all create meaning based on our own experiences, but sometimes that’s not enough.  We need to ask open-ended questions to confirm our understanding, and try to eliminate possible miscommunications.

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Such steps might seem rather obvious (aren’t all educators supposed to listen to their learners?) but it seems that their significance is frequently overlooked. However difficult it might be, we need to pay less attention to content, and concentrate instead on how we can communicate better.

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Guy Claxton believes that this is the key to acquiring “learning power” for educators and learners alike.  By listening to others, we can learn how to ask better questions, and thereby learn how to co-operate with one another.  This is essential to learning: in this kind of environment, everyone can ask themselves what they don’t understand and why.  If they can’t understand something, they ask more questions – not only of themselves, but also of other members of the group.

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What we’re (really) talking about here is a redefinition of the relationship between educators and their learners. Effective listening means treating learners on equal terms; to ask questions of them, as means to help them develop the confidence to ask questions themselves.

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Wouldn’t it be great if more educators could shed some of their pride in their knowledge and/or status and actually initiate this process?

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Laurence Raw
Baskent University.
Department of English, Ankara, Turkey.

Editor: Journal of American Studies of Turkey
http://baskent.academia.edu/LaurenceRaw
www.radiodramareviews.com
@laurenceraw (Twitter)

We ARE how we TEACH…

A few days back I did a very short post…and some of you thought I could never do it!

I drew on a few of the ideas of Carl Rogers to highlight what “MATTERS” when we thunk about allthingslearning. Actually, I’m still entertaining the fantasy that “Uncle Carl” may be my “birth father” - and spreading rumours that he was actually in the UK around 9 months before I was born!

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Although, I loved what he said about “real LEARNing”…my favourite quote from Carl Amca is:

See that? He said “his LEARNing“…

…”proof”…definitive proof…that he had an illegitimate “son”…during his stay in the UK!

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The problem is, of course, that we all “define” ourselves as TEACHers (saying “I’m a facilitator of LEARNing” is still a bit of a mouthful for most of us)…and, sadly, most of us are still evaluated by how well we “sages” on our “stages”…

…or, far worse, by the “grades” our LEARNers get by listening to (and memorizing) the diatribes of their EDUthespians – especially in our schools of so-called “higher LEARNing”!

BUT, I digress!

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There is nothing wrong with being a TEACHer (despite what many parents “say” – Thanks Pat) – what matters more, however, is the kind of TEACHer we is…

Another of my favourite quotes comes from Parker Palmer – indeed, I “stole” today’s title from this very non-EDUthespian TEACHer:

Take another look – what do you thunk Parker is saying to YOU?

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It makes total sense…when we work it out (it took me a few stabs)!

The first step in becoming a better TEACHer is all about LEARNing more about “who we are” as TEACHers (pre-, while- and post-classroom “performances”).

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This, in turn, requires that we recognise…

…Yes, I am on a roll with all my “stealing” today!

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In recent years, we TEACHers have started to talk a lot more about LEARNacy - the LEARNacy of our students.

This is wonderful…but not enough.

We really have to explore our own levels of LEARNacy…a wee bit more, first!

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So, here’s another whacky idea - I’m coming up with a lot of these of late - why don’t you speak with your Head of Department…your Supervisor…your Dean…today…

…and ask her to cancel this week’s (boring) “meeting” (you know it’s going to be a waste of time, anyways)…and replace it with a “brown bag TEACHer LEARNing Forum”.

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You know…so you can share some thunks on the following questions:

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…these ones even:

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…and, here’s a few that will “retire” a few cells of that old grey matter:

Afterall…

Should we be TELLing or ASKing LEARNers…about “their” LEARNing? (Pt 01)

This one is for Gökhan…

…and any other TEACHer that wants to make a real difference to the lives of their LEARNers…rather than just be a TESTUcator!

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A while back I did a mini-series about how best we can help TEACHers LEARN more about how they are “doing business” in the classroom…when we do classroom observation.

There were 3 parts to the series…

• Should we be TELLing or ASKing TEACHers…about “their” classrooms (Pt 01) 
• Should we be TELLing or ASKing TEACHers…about “their” classrooms (Pt 02) 
• Should we be TELLing or ASKing TEACHers…about “their” classrooms (Pt 03) 

…but there could have been 30!

And, “yes” Adam…still flogging the blog!

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In a nutshell, this series highlighted the fact that if we want more TEACHer LEARNing…we need more ASKing from those whose job it is to “observe” (always hated that word) the classes of others.

And…a lot more LISTENing!

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Isn’t this the same with LEARNers?

You’d THUNK…would you not?

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Sadly, most of us are so busy “COVERing the CURRICULUM” (and TELLing)…that we (sometimes) forget to ASK…and LISTEN…and DO “something” with what we HEAR.

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Let’s try a really “wacky” idea!

Just for TODAY…forget the CURRICULUM…and…throw those wonderful LESSON PLANS in the bin!

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YES…I’m saying… “join” the…

…and ASK your “kids” a few “questions”!

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Try this one first:

…turn it into an “activity” - poster creation, mini-presentations, class debate – anything that gets them “off” their seats!

USE what you “HEAR”…tomorrow!

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What about this:

You will be amazed what they come up with!

USE what you “HEAR”…tomorrow!

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Now, “personalise” it…with questions like this:

Get them to tell “their stories”…hammer home the importance of that third question (and ASK them why THEY thunk you are ASKıng this one)!

USE what you “HEAR”…tomorrow!

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Go on…now really push that envelope! ASK:

…by getting them “together” to record what they share (yes, I am saying iPhones are “good”)

USE what you “HEAR” (and “SEE”)…tomorrow!

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Wrap it up with this one:

…and get them to “own” their promises to YOU and EACHOTHER!

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JUST for TODAY!

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What?

You have too much to “do”…you have to “COVER” that curriculum of yours…you have “the test” at the end of the week?

Your CHOICE!

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THEIR future!

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TOMORROW, tomorrow…I love ‘ya tomorrow
You’re ONLY a day away!

I WANT to talk about LEARNing…

This will be one of my shortest posts…ever!

So, I’ll let “Uncle Carl” speak…

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Time…me thunks…to ask some questions:

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The “LEARNing Academic” Vs. The “LEARNing Publisher”…

…and never the twain shall meet?

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A few days ago, one of my favourite “guest-bloogers” (actually, I’m begining to think he has become a permanent “squatter“ on the ‘ole blog) – Laurence, did a great post for me.

The post was entitled – Going to the Dogs!

Now, this was probably all my fault…because I had suggested (in an earlier post) that he might enjoy the company of those wicked, wicked “ELT dogmatistas“ we hear so much about these days.

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Laurence is not an ELT expert per se – but he works with groups of “future ELT Teachers”…to improve their speaking and communication skills. I have seen him in action – he does a grand job!

In his guest post, he did a wonderful job of reflecting on how his own philosophy of LEARNing and TEACHing “mapped” onto many of the tenets of Dogme ELT – as personified in Teaching UNplugged (by Luke Meddings  and  Scott Thornbury  – 2009).

However, what was really interesting came a bit later…

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A “publisher”! 

Yes, a “real” Sith Lord……called Tim, read the post and added a wonderful comment.

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Now, I’m sorry – but who the hell would take a Sith Lord called ”Darth Tim” seriously?

I would…now!

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Both Laurence and Tim talked about the “A-ah” moments they are experiencing…no, “living” – as LEARNing takes a bigger, and bigger role in how both of them “do business”.

Tim, for example, noted:

Discovering the ethos of Dogme and how it puts learning at the centre of its thinking has altered my perception as a publisher well and truly.

Even Luke….sorry… Scott  picked up on that juiciest of comments and a few of us had a little tweet-fest!

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I also had a little “A-ah” moment…of my own!

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I wondered (acaba)…what would happen if I put this LEARNing Academic and this LEARNing Publisher together…in the same room!

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BUT…I had a wee problem!

Those of you that know the blog…and Laurence…know that he lives and works in Ankara.

Like me – he is a hanım köylü!

Tim, on the other hand…while being very involved in H.Ed projects for the Turkish “market”…is based in Cambridge – and is very much the sert erkek…

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Wot to do?

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What about if we put them in a virtual “coffee shop” – with a strong cup of Turkish kahve (“sade”, of course)…I thunked to meself.

Would it turn out like this:

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…or would something “beautiful” happen? 

Judge for yourself!

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GUEST POST 

by

Laurence Raw & Tim Gifford

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Laurence: I’m intrigued that we should be meeting like this. I’ve not actually met an ELT publisher before; my stereotype of them is that they’re more than happy to sell their existing materials to unsuspecting customers, but less willing to listen to them – unless, of course, they happen to be big names who can sell books. But it’s nice that we’ve got together to discuss the Dogme movement, even though I’m still not sure exactly what it signifies. Any views?

Tim: … in a way the Dogme movement could be described as being like a cup of coffee: it’s rich and invigorating. It offers both stimulation and comfort to the educators that enjoy it. But it’s also prone to being branded and commercialised by “my kind” as another edu-commodity when in fact everyone’s preferences and contexts are different. Imposing educational ‘tastes’ doesn’t benefit anyone, in the same way that assuming how people like their coffee isn’t going to get great results.

Laurence:  Only if publishers use the name all the time, without actually investigating what it signifies.  Since writing my last post, I’ve been mentioning Dogme to both learners and educators; their initial reaction is one of mystification, as if it were some new kind of technique or strategy that departs from prevailing approaches to language teaching.  But when you get down to it, we’re not really talking rocket science here; just a re-emphasis on learning and collaboration, rather than an overreliance on textbook learning.  Perhaps you’ve got a different view?

Tim: That’s what I’m getting at. My past experience of ELT publishing has been the “mass production” approach which entailed including gratuitous references to assessment frameworks or developments in education within our products in order to make them more attractive to teachers and directors. There was very little consideration given to actually understanding what these materials or concepts were or what they’d mean to the student sitting at their desk in a classroom halfway around the world. But that was “how it was done”.

Laurence:  Which strikes me as exceptionally intriguing. In my youth, I always assumed that a textbook was there to help learners find out “how it was done” - whether it was learning French, doing comprehension exercises, or finding out about biology (a subject I was never very good at).  It seems that, from the view of conventional publishing, a textbook is rather like the Emperor’s New Clothes; so long as it looks good, and draws on prevailing – some might say modish – frameworks, then it might sell and hence prove suitable for publishers.  This is why I am so against the idea of textbooks per se.  They are often an impediment to, rather than a resource for learning.  But I’d really like to know: what is it about Dogme – or the strategies associated with it – that proves so attractive for you?

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Tim:  What struck me as I started reading about Dogme was that there was a learner involved in this arrangement who was having assumptions made about their learning needs and behaviours without them being consulted at all. The textbooks, materials and references we were piling into these learning environments weren’t doing anything to assist the student in their learning journey, and were in fact perpetuating the “course book is king” principle.

Laurence:  But isn’t that what publishers need to do in order to ensure a profit? What interests me above all about dogme-inspired learning approaches is that they are “bottom-up” rather than “top-down” in conception.  Your term “piling into” is a significant one, suggesting that in some ways publishers are trying to impose from the top, rather than listening to the views from the bottom. I’m not being critical of these policies; it’s what all publishers do, whether they’re involved in ELT or any other branch of learning.  So, how do you think you can accommodate Dogme-inspired principles into future publishing strategies?

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Tim:  It’s essential that publishers “walk the walk” alongside the teachers and directors they publish for as well the students that are, ultimately, the end users in this educational process. Rather than creating and selling content and components to shore up a brand or to “glamify” the annual sales catalogue, they need to immerse themselves in the realities and motivations of the learners they are going to be in contact with via their materials. The key words here are responsibility, responsiveness and respect; publishers need to recognise and fulfil the responsibility that their position requires, and appreciate that their involvement in the process doesn’t finish once the order has been delivered.

Laurence: I think it’s necessary to go beyond these terms, to be honest with you. I really believe that publishers, just like many educators, have a sketchy grasp of the “realities and motivations” of learners in different contexts, chiefly because they don’t want to listen. “Responsiveness” only comes about if everyone is prepared to be responsive to everyone else in a communal situation. I’ve attended so many conferences where publishers’ representatives exist solely to sell books to teachers, and don’t really take the trouble to listen to what is being discussed, especially in informal discussions. The publishers I really like working with are those who take the trouble to listen, to criticize, to negotiate, and thereby reshape the ideas of those that they try to serve. Sometimes this can lead to what diplomats call “a full and frank discussion” but at the end of it, both readers and publishers end up having learned something about themselves, their approaches, and the validity of what they are doing. In other words, we’re back to what I believe lies at the heart of Dogme learning principles – negotiation and cooperation are useful in themselves as ways of advancing knowledge, understanding, and more significantly, LEARNing – a question of adapting oneself to changing educational conditions.

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Tim: Absolutely, and that’s LEARNing that can and must happen for all involved, I think.

Laurence: So we are on the same page! But, I have to ask – as a publisher – what do you think “Dogme-inspired” materials should “look” like?

Tim: Ahhh, now there’s a question…

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…to be CONTINUED…

Going to the DOGS!

I always loved that phrase – but not the idea of “greyhound racing”.

Aren’t the idioms of the English language bloody amazing? And, some people say we do not need “culture” to really LEARN a langwich…

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Over the past few years (certainly since the publication of Teaching UNplugged by Luke Meddings and Scott Thornbury (in 2009) – lots of ELT professionals have been “going to the DOGME” more and more…

Of course, going to the “dogs” is not really the best way to describe what all these “dogmeticians” are up to (unless you believe what you see in that little image).

….I just needed a “sexy” title to draw you all in!

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This is a guest post from Laurence Raw – prompted because I suggested that he would indeed enjoy the company of these “dogmetitas“.

He actually wanted to use the title – “On Sitting Down to Read Dogme ELT Once Again” (a title shamelessly borrowed from John Keats’ poem “On Sitting Down To Read King Lear Once Again”)!

But, I am the CBO of allthingslearning…so I get the last say!

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GUEST POST by Laurence Raw

I had come across the idea of Dogme ELT in the past, but had never reflected on it in any great depth until I was described by Tony Gurr as someone who might embrace its basic ideas.

With this in mind, I resolved to look into it a little bit further.

It is both a methodology and a movement, dedicated to principles such as interactivity, engagement, dialogism, scaffolding processes, empowerment, relevance and critical use.  TEACHing should be conversation-driven, using a minimum of materials, and concentrating on emergent language through task-based LEARNing.

Some might argue (and they do) that it represents an anti-establishment approach to language teaching.

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Scott Thornbury’s 2000 article sets forth the basic principles:

“Teaching should be done only using the resources that teachers and students bring to the classroom”;

“Learning takes place in the here-and-now”;

“Teaching – like talk – should centre on the local and relevant concerns of people in the room …. No methodological structures should interfere with, nor inhibit, the free flow of participant-driven input, output, and feedback”.

I am flattered to be placed in such exalted company.

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My basic conception of the classroom experience is based on the principles of interactivity and engagement: LEARNers and educators alike should approach the classroom experience as a shared activity, one whose outcomes might not be identifiable in advance. This is what I understand by the concept of the “here-and-now” – everyone should learn how to adapt to the demands of the moment.

I have to admit, however, that I’m a little worried by the idea of “local and relevant concerns.” Let me illustrate this with two short anecdotes.  In the last week I’ve had two “Aha-moments,” where learners have left me absolutely gobsmacked with what they have produced; the quality of their work was something I could never have predicted.  The more I work with them, the more I realize how little I know or understand about how individuals learn.  While assuming – perhaps too complacently – I understand their “local and relevant concerns,” I discover repeatedly that my assumptions are undercut.

LEARNing, for me…consists of the ability to adapt to shifting concerns, whose relevance changes from moment to moment; this is as significant for educators as it is for LEARNers.

The second “Aha-moment” came when we were working with something I’d last approached five years ago. As we worked, I suddenly understood something about the material that I’d never thought of before. I was inspired; class activities evolved like wildfire; and everyone was exhilarated at the end.

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What do such experiences tell me?

Whether you call it “Dogme ELT” or give it any other name, LEARNing – in any type of classroom, not just in language teaching – comprises a recurring sequence of “Aha-moments.”  Educators and learners alike have to strive to create such moments, both through collaboration and a willingness to adapt themselves to changing situations.

I have no idea what my learners’ “local and relevant concerns” are; likewise, my learners don’t understand my concerns.  But we can spend our time in the classroom trying our best to relate to each other in an open, problem-sharing environment. Like Scott (Luke, too) we might describe such exchanges as “input, output, and feedback;”

I prefer not to give them any names.  It’s just the way LEARNng works.

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If you want to LEARN more about the wicked, wicked ways of these “ELT evil-doers” – why not check out a few of these GREAT BLOGS…

• Authentic Teaching by Willy C. Cardoso
• Chia Suan Chong
• Kalinago English
• Language Moments
• Teacher Training Unplugged
• The Unplugged Index

…and check out Anthony Gaughan’s süper “unplugged public library” for all the bedtime reading you need!

Questions, questions, questions…(Guest Post by Laurence Raw)

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Well, give a man an inch…on a blog, and he’ll want a bloody mile!

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A couple of days ago, Laurence did a super guest-post for us. He must have known it was pretty well-received…’cos he asked me to give him another one.

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Not a “rant” this time…but one of the most honest posts I have read for a while on “real LEARNing”!

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So, I’m going to shut up…and let him tell the story.

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Are you sitting comfortably?

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I’ve been fortunate enough to take on a class of graduate learners – the first time I’ve done so in many years.  It’s a pleasurable experience, but also a tough one.

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The reason is this: I’m continually being asked similar questions by learners.  “Is this right …?” “Am I doing it right?” “Do you approve of what I’m doing?” “Can I do it better?”

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My stock answer to such questions is: “I don’t know.  What do you think?”

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However…this often leads to even more confusion.

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I recently came across a site explaining why learners find Top-Down Learning so congenial: it’s because they are “given the ‘Big Picture’ first, and then, maybe, the details of what’s involved in the process.” This may sound acceptable at first, but how do we know precisely what the “Big Picture” is? Is it defined by the educator, the institution, the learner, or a combination of all three?

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My graduate learners seem to be in no doubt: it’s the institution and the educator who determine their agenda. 

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In my spare time, I devote a couple of hours each week to teaching my thirteen-year-old niece.  Hitherto she has found the task of learning English a difficult one: many of the activities assigned to her have proved difficult for her to complete, and her grades have been correspondingly low.  However this summer she made the effort to improve herself through immersion: watching films, reading books, and trying to converse with as many people in English as she could.

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The results have been fascinating: now she is more than happy to communicate in English, but more importantly, she wants to ask questions – about my life, about her own life, and the different ways in which we were brought up.

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Asking questions is the key to all learning.

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Children learn by asking questions. New recruits learn by asking questions. It is the simplest and most effective way of learning. Brilliant thinkers never stop asking questions because they know that this is the best way to gain deeper insights. Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, has said: “We run this company on questions, not answers.’ He knows that if you keep asking questions you can keep finding better answers.  

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My thirteen-year-old niece has understood that asking questions lies at the foundation of improving her language abilities.  Instead of completing endless assignments, ask a question. Intelligent questions stimulate, provoke, inform and inspire. Questions help us to teach as well as to learn.

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Top-Down Learning may be safe for my graduate learners, but it discourages them from asking questions.  Everything is nicely prepared and packaged for them, just like packets of frozen food in a supermarket.  The only way I can encourage them to learn is to ask questions of them, and encourage them to ask questions of themselves in response. 

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Maybe, just maybe…I should get my thirteen-year-old niece to come and give them a lesson in learning.  If she had sufficient self-confidence, I would certainly do so.  It would be an interesting reversal of accepted wisdom: the further you advance up the educational ladder, the more you are supposed to ‘know.’

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I wonder how it would work in practice?

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Laurence Raw

(aka @laurenceraw on Twitter)
Baskent University - Ankara, Turkey.

Editor: Journal of American Studies of Turkey
http://baskent.academia.edu/LaurenceRaw
http://www.radiodramareviews.com

3 BIG, little questions…for TEACHers

Yep, they are “little”…but they are quite “BIG”, too!

BUT…

…they are not the questions I was getting at in the title of this little post (and it will be little…promise).

The questions I was thunking about are:

Let us know!