52

A year of subversive activity for the ELT classroom

By Lindsay Clandfield and Luke Meddings

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© 2012 Lindsay Clandfield and Luke Meddings

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Edited by Penny Hands

For all the teachers who want to risk it.
Introduction

This book is not for everyone.

52 originally began life as an idea for a blog. We wanted to focus on critical, subversive
and minimal stimulus for language classrooms – the kind of stuff that doesn’t usually
get past the publishers’ radar. Luke had been exploring the use of minimal stimulus to
prompt conversation in his work in Dogme ELT, and Lindsay had been developing a
more critical approach to mainstream materials writing.

In addition, we were living through a time of great change and upheaval. Austerity
measures, economic crises, cutbacks in education and other public services,
joblessness, continuing environmental damage, and at least two disastrous wars were
just some of things we were witnessing every day on the news and in the streets. Yet
we both felt that much of what was going on in language classrooms was happening in
a comfortable little bubble, divorced from reality.

We started experimenting with ideas: things we had tried ourselves as teachers or as

participants in workshops. We began to look outside the field of ELT at what our
colleagues in anti-racist education, peace education and education for social justice
were doing. Slowly, the idea of a blog with a few activities developed into something
bigger.

You are looking at the result: a year’s worth of critical, subversive and unconventional
activity for language teachers – if you do one of these things per week.

But be warned: some of the activities may shock you, some may shock your learners.
We don’t aim to shock people just for the sake of it, but a jolt is sometimes what is
needed to wake us up from our delusions. And we feel that, sometimes, that is the
responsibility of the teacher.

If you don’t feel comfortable with this, or if you feel it is your job to teach only the
language, and leave any political or social ideas at the door, then perhaps it would be
best to leave this book well alone. It is not one-size-fits-all; there is plenty of that for
language teachers in print and online.

If you think otherwise, turn the page and let’s get started.
How to use 52

There’s no ‘right’ way to use 52. The activities don’t come in any order, so one way to
use this book is to just dip in and see what appeals – although you can always start at
the first activity and work your way through numerically.

But this isn’t meant to be a book that you ‘work through’. Some of the activities require
a certain amount of set-up, others less; but each is worth thinking about over a cup of
coffee or a glass of wine. They aren’t last-minute lessons to grab off the shelf; some
are more like reflective tasks for teachers. We know there are activities here that won't
be right for all contexts, but that’s the point. We think teachers and learners should
decide, based on who and where they are.

Most of the activities are ready to use in class, but you might think of a tweak that could
make them even better for your class. Make a note of which activities work best; use
them as springboards for future lessons. Customise them. Re-purpose them.

Occupy them!

There are no levels, and no language exponents, because we think it’s interesting –
and more liberating for the learners – to see what emerges from minimal stimulus.
However, you can always consider in advance what language might come up. You may
also like to prepare some of the texts with a little glossing.

Some of the activities are images, sourced from the Adbusters organisation. We’ve left
these pages blank, apart from the image and a title, because we think this can be a
powerful way to allow the learners to lead discussion. But there’s a page of ideas on
how to use the images at the back, if you want more direction.

Enjoy.
1

Scatter

One day, when nobody is looking, write the following subversive slogans on sticky
notes and leave them in strategic places around the school.

Ask questions frequently.

Children know everything.

Could you be the one?

Delusions comfortable enough?

Don’t label them. Don’t be labelled.

Wake up. Wake them up.

Let them hate, as long as they question.

Every learner, every chance, every day.

Can you escape?

Teach them how to make a life, not just a living.

Replace the empty mind with an open mind.

Listen out for any conversations that result, and join in as you wish.

Do teachers and learners react in the same way?

2

Worst

Tell the class that they have been chosen to curate an exhibition of some of the worst
things about their town. (This can be their home town, if that’s where they are studying,
or the town where they have all come to study.)

Explain that this exhibition will eventually tour the world, so they need to make some
really good choices.

Ask learners to work in groups and choose five things to include in the exhibition. It’s
an interactive exhibition with a lot of government funding, so they can use their
imagination. Anything’s possible!

Tell them to make a shortlist of the five things they’ve chosen, and swap with another
group.

When all the shortlists have been circulated, discuss them as a whole class.

Invite learners to think about and discuss the following questions:

- What might be achieved if you really did organise such an exhibition?

- Might it have any negative effects?

Finally, help the class to draft a real letter to the town mayor (or equivalent). Outline
your choices and ask for a response.
3

Poem

Use the following text as a dictation.

Me? We!

Explain that the poem you read out has been called the shortest poem in the English
language. It has been attributed to the boxer Muhammad Ali.*

Use the following questions for discussion as a follow-up:

- Do you think this is a poem? Why (not)?

- What do you think it means? Can you write this meaning in a sentence?

- Can you write a poem in two words? Try it.

- How about four words? Or eight?

*As quoted by George Plimpton in the film When We Were Kings.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXQ_IjzWN7A
4

School

Write the following questions on the board. Ask the class to discuss them as a whole
group, or (if a very large class) in small groups. Tell them you will leave the classroom
for 20 minutes, and that when you return you want them to share their answers with
you.

- What do you think a school should be for?

- Do you think your school does this?

- What do you think the people who run your school think it is for?

- Do you think your school does this?

- Imagine there were no teachers. Could you still learn? How?

- What would you want to learn?

12

Supermodel

Image courtesy of Adbusters Media Foundation, www.adbusters.org

Like what you see? There are another 47 activities in the complete book!

Get your copy here

http://the-round.com/resource/52/