Connect English

One of the joys of teacher training is witnessing how motivated and curious new teachers are. They want to try new methods, experiment with ideas, and make their teaching unique.

But sometimes, this eagerness can lead to trying things they are not yet prepared for. A common example is a trainee who wants to run a Dogme (“unplugged”) lesson.

Dogme (Thornbury, 2009) is conversation-driven, materials-light, and responsive to emergent language. In experienced hands, it can be a powerful approach. But for a novice, it can actually do more harm than good.

Here’s why:

🔹 Overload & Frustration – Without a solid framework, trainees can quickly feel lost when learners don’t produce what they expect. This often results in stress, confusion, and a sense of failure.

🔹 False Feedback Loop – If things don’t work, trainees may mistakenly think they are “bad teachers” rather than recognising that the method was too advanced for their stage of development.

🔹 Missed Learning Opportunities – Training courses like CELTA are designed to build essential skills systematically – clear instructions, scaffolding, lesson staging. Skipping ahead can mean missing the practice of these crucial foundations.

🔹 Harm to Confidence – Confidence grows from successful experiences. Attempting advanced methods too early can undermine that confidence, making trainees more hesitant and less willing to take risks later on.

As Scrivener (2011) highlights, structure and scaffolding are not restrictions but scaffolds for growth. And as Freeman (1989) notes, teaching is a craft that develops through cycles of supported practice and reflection, not sudden leaps.

💡 My role as a trainer is not to limit creativity, but to guide trainees in building strong foundations. That way, when the time comes to experiment with approaches like Dogme, they do so with the skills, awareness, and confidence needed for it to truly benefit their learners – and themselves.

👉 What’s your view? Should trainees “try anything” during training, or should experimentation wait until a solid base is established?

References:

• Thornbury, S. (2009). Teaching Unplugged. Delta Publishing.
• Scrivener, J. (2011). Learning Teaching (3rd ed.). Macmillan.
• Freeman, D. (1989). Teacher Training, Development, and Decision Making: A Model of Teaching and Related Strategies for Language Teacher Education. TESOL Quarterly, 23(1), 27–45.