Teaching Unplugged - Activities
If you’d like to have a first go at ‘Teaching Unplugged’ your aim is simply to get students to produce language and then to use the language they produce as the basis for your lesson.
The most important part of ‘Teaching Unplugged’ for the teacher is not how you generate the emergent language (that is the language that the students produce as they are talking) but what you do with the language.
The subject you choose can literally be anything in the world but to start off think about the following:
Chewing the fat!
This is the true Dogme ELT approach. You don’t go in with your idea of the subject of the lesson but you take your lead from your group of students. Don’t be afraid to simply ask your students what they did at the weekend or how their journey was to class. It is, after all, the basis of natural conversation. If you can show students how you can take what they say and turn it into a real learning point, they’ll start to understand that you’re not just being polite and that this chat is the core part of the lesson.
A task in which students need to work together to come to a conclusion (task-based learning)
If a shop or restaurant has closed down nearby ask students to decide what they think should replace it. You’re thinking of watching a film in English in class. Ask for five or six ideas of films then get students first to come up with the criteria for choosing, then to discuss, make a decision and give reasons for their decision.
Opinions and debates
Start students off on any controversial topic you think will create discussion. You should take into account cultural norms and taboos and maybe ask students to list some examples before choosing one.