Back in 2011, I was in the process of completing my dissertation: ‘An investigation into teacher and student attitudes of the key tenets of Dogme ELT’. The was first introduced to to the publication ‘Teaching Unplugged’, authored by Luke Meddings and Scott Thornbury, in 2010 when I wrote a review of this new book. Returning back to my original dissertation and action research, around 15 years later, I thought it would be best to share personal experiences and reflections post-dissertation (albeit 15 years too late).

Nonetheless, if you are interested in reading my dissertation, you are more than welcome to download. Unfortunately, it is unavailable from the University of Sussex library which I guess is related to the recent ethical guidelines that universities have to abide by these years. Anyhow, it is freely available below and you will see the time and effort I spent conducting quantative and qualitative research through the use of surveys with local language schools as well as speaking with teachers and transcribing these interviews.

MA Dissertation: ‘An investigation into teacher and student attitudes of the key tenets of Dogme ELT’Download

Where did Dogme ELT originate?

When approaching the topic of Dogme ELT, it is best to remind ourselves of the origin towards this philosophy of teaching. In actuality, we need to go back to March 1995 a movement where film directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg suggested a ‘vow of chastity’ with filmmaking by listing 10 key rules.

  1. Shooting must be done on location. Props and sets must not be brought in (if a particular prop is necessary for the story, a location must be chosen where this prop is to be found).
  2. The sound must never be produced apart from the images or vice versa. (Music must not be used unless it occurs where the scene is being shot.)
  3. The camera must be hand-held. Any movement or immobility attainable in the hand is permitted.
  4. The film must be in colour. Special lighting is not acceptable. (If there is too little light for exposure the scene must be cut or a single lamp be attached to the camera.)
  5. Optical work and filters are forbidden.
  6. The film must not contain superficial action. (Murders, weapons, etc. must not occur.)
  7. Temporal and geographical alienation are forbidden. (That is to say that the film takes place here and now.)
  8. Genre movies are not acceptable.
  9. The film format must be Academy 35 mm.
  10. The director must not be credited.

Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg, 13 March 1995

Obviously, Scott Thornbury was inspired by such a movement within filmmaking that he considered that it was “high-time Dogme-type principles were applied to the classroom” and wrote in response to this in IATEFL Issues in 2000 titled “A Dogme for ELT: Scott Thornbury Takes a Vow of EFL Chastity”. In this article, Thornbury asserted that things should be stripped back to basics and learning should be negotiated between the learners and the teacher, less reliance upon published materials, as well as reducing the inclusion of technology in the classroom. Fast forward to 2009, Luke Meddings and Scott Thornbury published “Teaching Unplugged: Dogme in English Language Teaching” which is a valuable resource for any language teaching wishing to experiment with Dogme ELT within their classroom. Within Teaching Unplugged, Meddings and Thornbury included ten key principles for Dogme ELT.

  1. Materials-mediated teaching is the ‘scenic’ route to learning, but the direct route is located in the interactivity between teachers and learners, and between the learners themselves.
  2. The content most likely to engage learners and to trigger learning processes is that which is already there, supplied by ‘the people in the room’.
  3. Learning is a social and dialogic process, where knowledge is co-constructed rather than ‘transmitted’ or ‘imported’ from teacher/coursebook to learner.
  4. Learning can be mediated through talk, especially talk that is shaped and supported (i.e. scaffolded) by the teacher.
  5. Rather than being acquired, language (including grammar) emerges: it is an organic process that occurs given the right conditions.
  6. The teacher’s primary function, apart from promoting the kind of classroom dynamic which is conducive to a dialogic and emergent pedagogy, is to optimise language learning affordances, by, for example, directing attention to features of the emergent language.
  7. Providing space for the learner’s voice means accepting that the learner’s beliefs, knowledge, experiences, concerns and desires are valid content in the language classroom.
  8. Freeing the classroom from third-party, imported materials empowers both teachers and learners.
  9. Tests, when used, should have relevance for the learner, in both their learning and using contexts.
  10. Teachers and learners need to unpack the ideological baggage associated with English Language Teaching materials – to become critical users of such texts.

Meddings and Thornbury (2009, pp.7-8)

From these ten principles both authors declared that Dogme ELT was conversation-driven, materials-light, and focuses on emergent language (2009, p.8). Throughout the rest of the book, Meddings and Thornbury included a variety of activities to inspire the reader where they could incorporate within their own classroom, and I would urge anyone to consider experimenting with Dogme ELT in their context.

I came across Teaching Unplugged during my MA studies (2010-2011) and was honoured to meet both Luke Meddings and Scott Thornbury in 2011 when I was volunteering at IATEFL 2011 in Brighton. I was so pleased that they signed my book as it was truly inspiring to meet such professionals early on in my English teaching career.

I recall that Luke when signing my book wrote “Hope you enjoy the book!” and Scott reminded him that I was actually researching Dogme ELT, so Luke added “Again!”. It was rather a humorous exchange and we all had a good laugh. Finally, I was able to have a photo with both of them.

During the IATEFL Conference, I was fortunate to have met other authors including Jim Scrivener and managed to sit down with him, where he gave me his valuable time to have a chat. I also had a chance to document my experiences of being an IATEFL Steward on this website back in 2011, before I purged a lot of old posts. However, I do still have some images from that era.

What is the Future of Dogme ELT?

With Dogme ELT being 15 years old since the publication of Teaching Unplugged in 2009, and at least 26 years since that original publication in IATEFL Voices, what is the future of Dogme ELT? Well, from my original MA research, it certainly informed my philosophy and approach to teaching both online as well as within the physical classroom.

Curiously, last year at Cannes Film Festival, Dogme 25 was announced with a renewed and updated manifesto, particularly taking aim at the artificiality and algorithmic process of filmmaking now evident in most blockbusters.

  1. The script must be original and handwritten by the director.
    • We compel ourselves to write the script by hand in order to nurture the kind of intuition that flows most freely from the dream, channelled through the hand onto the paper.
  2. At least half the film must be without dialogue.
    • We insist on a cinematic approach to filmmaking, because we believe in visual storytelling and have faith in the audience.
  3. The internet is off limits in all creative processes.
    • We commit to produce the films relying on real people within our physical reality – rather than in a digital one infused with algorithms.
  4. We’ll only accept funding with no content altering conditions attached.
    • We assume responsibility for keeping budgets down so the team retains final say in all artistic decisions.
  5. No more than 10 people behind the camera.
    • We commit to working in close collaborations to build trust and strengthen our shared vision.
  6. The film must be shot where the narrative takes place.
    • Film as an art form becomes artificial and generic when we portray a location in a false light.
  7. We’re not allowed to use make-up or manipulate faces and bodies unless it’s part of the narrative.
    • Just as we strive to maintain the authenticity of the location, we also want to portray the human body without a filter. We celebrate it – warts and all.
  8. Everything relating to the film’s production must be rented, borrowed, found, or used.
    • We commit to making films using objects that already exist and renounce the ahistorical and self-destructive culture of consumerism.
  9. The film must be made in no more than one year.
    • We abstain from any lengthy processes that stand in the way of creative flow.
  10. Create the film as if it were your last.

May el-Touhky, Milad Alami, Annika Berg, Isabella Eklöf, and Jesper Just, Copenhagen, 11th May 2025

Obviously, with Dogme 25 recently announced, we should ask ourselves whether the ten principles of Dogme ELT be updated in accordance to how technology has invaded much of the educational and pedagogical landscape, especially with how generative AI is quickly becoming embraced either by learners as well as educators.

So, what would be your ten key principles in 2026 for Dogme ELT? Should these principles both be applicable for in-class and online teaching, or should they be separated?

Let me know your thoughts.