What are the main challenges in teaching English to refugees?

Key challenges include delivery and materials being teacher-centric and Western-centric, lacking adaptation to crisis contexts. Additionally, there's a need to balance student-driven, dialogic approaches with the formal requirements of higher education and standardized tests.

How does Mosaik Education decolonize its English language teaching?

Mosaik decolonizes education by centering the curriculum on materials and topics brought in by students, empowering them to share their lived experiences and cultural contexts. This student-driven approach shifts power dynamics and validates learners' identities, moving away from imposed Western-centric syllabi.

How is the Dogme approach adapted for online teaching and refugee contexts?

The Dogme approach is adapted by training teachers to facilitate emergent language from student-brought materials, even in online settings. This involves practical, activity-oriented training and ongoing skill-building sessions, using platforms like Zoom and WhatsApp, while considering limited technology access and diverse student needs.

How can the Dogme approach be reconciled with the need for standardized exams like IELTS?

Reconciliation can be achieved through a two-track program that balances the fluent, learner-centered Dogme approach with focused preparation for exams like IELTS. This involves integrating exam skills practice alongside open-ended, collaborative fluency-based activities.

What are 'recipe cards' in the context of Mosaik's teaching methodology?

Recipe cards are resources being developed to provide teachers with guided lesson ideas that maintain the Dogme spirit. They offer practical activities and suggest external resources for vocabulary, grammar, or academic writing, helping structure learning within the open-ended pedagogy.

How does Mosaik ensure student motivation and agency in language learning?

Motivation and agency are fostered by acknowledging and integrating refugees' own lives, experiences, and languages into the classroom. This learner-driven approach, where students have a say in curriculum content and how lessons are handled, boosts their confidence and self-esteem.

Key Moments

Dialogue Driven Pedagogy: contextually relevant and meaningful ELT for refugees

MIT OpenCourseWare

Education3 min read59 min video

May 9, 2022|57 views|1

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Key Moments

TL;DR

Dialogue-driven pedagogy for refugees makes ELT contextually relevant and meaningful.

Key Insights

Traditional ELT in refugee contexts is often Western-centric and lacks adaptation.

Mosaik's 'Dogme' approach uses dialogue-driven pedagogy and emergent language from student-brought materials.

This approach shifts power dynamics, empowering learners through student-driven dialogue and materials.

Teacher training is crucial, focusing on practical application and building on teacher/student experience.

Balancing learner agency with the need for structured preparation for exams like IELTS is a key challenge.

Developing 'recipe cards' and partnership models can help integrate structured learning with a dialogue-driven approach.

THE PROBLEM WITH CURRENT ELT FOR REFUGEES

The current state of English Language Teaching (ELT) for refugees in regions like Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey is largely dominated by teacher-centric and Western-centric methodologies. These approaches often transplant materials and teaching styles from countries like the US and UK into crisis contexts without adequate adaptation. This raises a critical problem: how to provide English language learning support that is truly contextually relevant and meaningful for refugees, especially as it is a significant barrier to accessing higher education.

MOSAIK'S DIALOGUE-DRIVEN PEDAGOGY: THE DOGME APPROACH

Mosaik Education has developed a 'Dogme' approach, a dialogue-driven pedagogy aimed at making ELT more effective and engaging for refugees. This method emphasizes emergent language derived from materials and topics brought in by the students themselves. Initially inspired by conversation clubs, this approach has evolved into formal English classes where facilitators guide learning based on student-generated content, embodying a shift towards student-driven dialogue and materials, and a collaboratively negotiated syllabus.

EMPOWERING REFUGEE TEACHERS AND LEARNERS

A core principle of Mosaik's approach is the empowerment of both learners and teachers, many of whom are refugees themselves. Ahmed Salim, a former student turned teacher, exemplifies this by leading classes and contributing to curriculum design. The Dogme training, facilitated by experts like Scott Thornbury, equipped teachers, including those with limited prior experience, to teach effectively, even online during the COVID-19 pandemic. This model fosters agency, as learners and teachers co-create the learning environment and curriculum, boosting motivation and self-esteem.

PRACTICE-ORIENTED TEACHER TRAINING

The teacher training program, especially during the pandemic, was designed to be highly practice-oriented, aligning with the Dogme philosophy. Sessions began with demonstrations of practical activities that teachers could immediately use, followed by breakout room practice for teachers to adapt these to their contexts. Skill-building sessions provided ongoing support, allowing teachers to share experiences, ask questions, and receive feedback. The training focused on extrapolating principles from practice, emphasizing the dialogic nature of learning and how to facilitate grammar, vocabulary, and skills development through student-generated content.

NAVIGATING CHALLENGES: STRUCTURE AND ASSESSMENT

A significant challenge lies in balancing the open-ended, learner-driven nature of Dogme with the need for structured progress, particularly for students aiming for higher education and standardized tests like IELTS. Mosaik is developing 'recipe cards'—guidelines for teachers that offer activity ideas and suggest external resources for academic writing, vocabulary, or grammar, without imposing a rigid syllabus. This aims to provide structure while maintaining the Dogme spirit and enabling teachers to address specific learner needs and track progress, possibly through frameworks like the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

INTEGRATING CONTEXTUAL RELEVANCE WITH EXAM PREPARATION

Reconciling the decolonized, contextually relevant pedagogy with the demands of high-stakes international exams like IELTS is a complex but necessary task. The proposed solution involves a 'two-track program,' where students engage in both fluency-focused, learner-centered Dogme classes and structured exam preparation. This complementary approach allows students to develop confidence and conversational skills while simultaneously preparing for the specific requirements of exams. Partnerships and adaptable resources, like the 'recipe cards,' can bridge the gap between learner-driven content and the formal demands of academic pathways.

BUILDING CONFIDENCE AND AGENCY

Central to the success of any ELT program for refugees is building learner confidence and agency. When learners' identities and experiences are acknowledged and integrated into the curriculum, they are more likely to engage and have a positive learning experience. This is particularly crucial for adults who may feel intimidated by language learning. By fostering a supportive environment where students feel capable of practicing and developing fluency, Mosaik's approach prioritizes self-esteem, which is a foundation for sustained learning and eventual success in academic or professional pursuits.

Mentioned in This Episode

●Software & Apps

●Tools

●Organizations

●Books

●Concepts

●People Referenced

Common Questions

Dialogue-Driven Pedagogy, also known as Dogme, is an approach to English language teaching that emphasizes student-driven dialogue and materials. It aims to shift power dynamics in the classroom by focusing on emergent language from student interests, making learning more relevant and engaging for refugees.

Topics

Mindset & Self-Improvement Society & Philosophy Refugee Education Language Acquisition English Language Teaching Dialogue-driven Pedagogy ELT Methods Decolonizing Education Student-centered Learning

Mentioned in this video

Concepts

Dogme

A dialogue-driven pedagogy and approach to teaching English as a second language that prioritizes communicative language teaching, is not dependent on extensive materials, and is dialogic, aiming to jointly construct knowledge between teachers and learners.

Common European Framework of Reference for Languages

A standard for outlining language ability, used as a benchmark for teachers and students to monitor progress through can-do statements at different competency levels.

Michael Thomas method

A language learning methodology that uses audio-based learning to teach sentence structures, allowing learners to fill in vocabulary to construct sentences, which is suggested as a useful approach for beginners.

Organizations

Mosaik Education

An organization that supports refugees in accessing university by designing programs alongside the refugee community and leveraging technology, focusing on language learning and academic guidance.

British Council

An organization whose resources are utilized to supplement Dogme-based teaching, particularly for preparing students for exams like IELTS and providing guidance on writing skills.

Software & Apps

Zoom

A video conferencing platform used by teachers to conduct online classes and training sessions, especially relevant during the pandemic.

Moodle

An online platform used for discussion forums and hosting training course materials, facilitating communication and engagement among teachers.

Tools & Products

IELTS

An international English language test required for university admissions, which presents a challenge in reconciling with the Dogme pedagogy due to its formal and British-context-based nature.

Books

Teaching Unplugged: Dogme Basics

A book co-authored by Scott Thornbury in 2009, which serves as a practical guide to the principles of the Dogme approach to language teaching.

People

Miki Aristorenes

Manages the English program at Mosaik Education and has been involved since its founding, working in refugee education. Holds a master's degree in International Education Policy from Harvard Graduate School.

Scott Thornbury

A teacher, teacher trainer, and writer with extensive experience in English language teaching. He is an advisor to the Mosaik English program and an advocate for the Dogme approach.

Ahmed Osman

A project manager and volunteer English language teacher with Mosaik, currently pursuing his bachelor's degree. He shared his experiences as both a student and teacher within Mosaik's programs.