Dogme in Practice: Classroom Reflections by Fellow Teachers - Hardcover

Thornbury, Scott; Meddings, Luke

Hardcover

ISBN 13: 9798988089254

Publisher: International Teacher Development Institute, 2025

Synopsis

What if you could step away from the textbook, the syllabus, and the rigid lesson plan—and instead co-create meaningful learning experiences with your students? Dogme in Practice invites you into a world where language is emergent, learner-centered, and built around authentic communication.

Inspired by Scott Thornbury’s influential article “A Dogma for EFL” (2000), the Dogme approach has resonated with teachers around the world who are seeking more responsive, materials-light ways to engage learners. This book brings together reflections from educators who have tried Dogme in diverse contexts—ranging from young learners to adults, from university classrooms to online learning spaces, across both ESL and EFL environments.

Inside, you’ll find:

• Practical examples of how teachers have implemented Dogme in real classrooms
• Reflections on the opportunities and challenges of teaching “unplugged”
• Thoughtful commentary from Scott Thornbury and Luke Meddings, co-authors of Teaching Unplugged

Whether you’re new to Dogme or already teaching in ways that echo its principles, this book offers both inspiration and grounded insights to support your journey.

About this title

About the Authors

Scott Thornbury has taught and trained in Egypt, UK, Spain, and in his native New Zealand. Until recently, he taught on an online MA TESOL program for The New School in New York. His writing credits include several award-winning books for teachers on language and methodology, including About Language (Cambridge) and The New A-Z of ELT (Macmillan). His latest books are 30 Language Teaching Methods,101 Grammar Questions, and 66 Essentials of Lesson Design (all Cambridge). He is also the series editor for the Cambridge Handbooks for Language Teachers. His website is www.scottthornbury.com

Luke Meddings is an award-winning author, trainer and international speaker. In 2000 he co-founded the Dogme ELT movement with Scott Thornbury, and their book Teaching Unplugged (Delta, 2009) won a British Council ELTon award in 2010. He and Lindsay Clandfield set up the independent e-publishing collective called 'The Round' in 2011. Their book, '52: a year of subversive activity for the ELT classroom', was published in 2012.

Edition details

• Publisher: International Teacher Development Institute
• Publication date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 13: 9798988089254
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 326