Classics Teaching In Europe

Here contributors from 14 European countries, including the UK, outline the state of classics teaching in their own countries: what part classics play in the curriculum, how many pupils take Latin and Greek, and what kind of courses are offered.

Building on and updating some of the issues addressed in Starting to Teach Latin, Steven Hunt provides a guide for novice and more experienced teachers of Latin in schools and colleges, who work with adapted and original Latin prose texts from beginners' to advanced levels. It draws extensively on up-to-date theories of second language development and on multiple examples of the practices of real teachers and students. Hunt starts with a detailed look at deductive, inductive and active teaching methods, which support teachers in making the best choices for their students' needs and for their own personal preferences, but goes on to organise the book around the principles of listening, reading, speaking and writing Latin. It is designed to be informative, experimental and occasionally provocative. The book closes with two chapters of particular contemporary interest: 'Access, Diversity and Inclusion' investigates how the subject community is meeting the challenge of teaching Latin more equitably in today's schools; and 'The Future' offers some thoughts on lessons that have been learnt from the experiences of online teaching practices during the Covid-19 lockdowns. Practical examples, extensive references and a companion website at www.stevenhuntclassics.com are included. Teachers of Latin will find this book an invaluable tool inside and outside of the classroom.

Designed for instructors in schools and universities, as well as stakeholders and policy-makers in education everywhere, this book is a systematic guide to contemporary school teaching of classical languages, literature and civilisation in major countries across the world. This book examines the trends and assesses the rationale for such diversity in programmes of study and asks the question: What are classical subjects for in today's schools? Each chapter is arranged by geographical area and draws on the experiences of teachers and other education experts in each country, commenting on contemporary practices. Themes such as the impact of national education policies, enrolment, assessment, accessibility and inclusion are discussed. The teaching of Classics has wide variations in practices and purposes from one education system to another: in some, the teaching of Classics continues to be focused on the mastery of language and grammar; in others, active use of the ancient languages is growing in popularity; and yet in others, the focus is shifting towards the study of the languages and civilisations in translation. Presenting an overview survey and comparison of practices across the world, this book is essential reading for instructors and teaching training courses in the world of classical education.

This book for teachers provides both practical, up-to-date guidance and a theoretical overview on a number of key topics in Latin teaching. Updated throughout, this new edition includes information about and analysis of recent Latin textbook publications and curriculum developments across the globe. Using a wealth of interviews, observations and pupil transcripts, Steven Hunt utilizes case-study evidence of excellent practice in teaching and learning from a wide variety of institutions: from outreach programmes, community schools and academies in the UK and USA. Offering practical advice on topics such as essay writing, teaching controversial topics including women, slavery, ethnicity and social hierarchy, making use of primary sources and using ICT to advance language skills, this book also engages with broader questions of approach and theory. These include a survey of the three main approaches to Latin teaching: grammar-translation, communicative and reading approaches; explanation of cognitive and social approaches to learning; and analysis of the differences between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Moreover, traditional arguments about the value and purpose of learning Latin at school level are re-examined in the light of current educational thinking and government policy-making. This book is invaluable for trainees, newly qualified teachers and more experienced practitioners looking for practical ideas and strategies to motivate and engage learners of Latin.

The impact of ICT on the teaching of classical languages, literature and culture has not until now been extensively described and evaluated. Nevertheless, educational technology has made a huge difference to the ways in which Classics is taught at junior, senior and college level. The book brings together twenty major approaches to the use of technology in the classroom and presents them for a wide, international audience. It thus forms a record of current and developing practice, promotes further discussion and use among practitioners (teachers, learners and trainers) and offers suggestions for changes in pedagogical practices in the teaching of Classics for the better. The many examples of practice from both UK and US perspectives are applicable to countries throughout the world where Classics is being taught. The more traditional curricula of high-school education in the UK and Europe are drawing more and more on edutech, whereas educational jurisdictions in the US are increasingly expecting high-school students to use ICT in all lessons, with some actively dissuading schools from using traditional printed textbooks. This book presents school teachers with a vital resource as they adapt to this use of educational technology in Classics teaching. This is no less pertinent at university level, in the UK and US, where pedagogy tends to follow traditionalist paradigms: this book offers lecturers frameworks for understanding and assimilating the models of teaching and learning which are prevalent in schools and experienced by their students.

Despite their removal from England's National Curriculum in 1988, and claims of elitism, Latin and Greek are increasingly re-entering the 'mainstream' educational arena. Since 2012, there have been more students in state-maintained schools in England studying classical subjects than in independent schools, and the number of schools offering Classics continues to rise in the state-maintained sector. The teaching and learning of Latin and Greek is not, however, confined to the classroom: community-based learning for adults and children is facilitated in newly established regional Classics hubs in evenings and at weekends, in universities as part of outreach, and even in parks and in prisons. This book investigates the motivations of teachers and learners behind the rise of Classics in the classroom and in communities, and explores ways in which knowledge of classical languages is considered valuable for diverse learners in the 21st century. The role of classical languages within the English educational policy landscape is examined, as new possibilities exist for introducing Latin and Greek into school curricula. The state of Classics education internationally is also investigated, with case studies presenting the status quo in policy and practice from Australasia, North America, the rest of Europe and worldwide. The priorities for the future of Classics education in these diverse locations are compared and contrasted by the editors, who conjecture what strategies are conducive to success.

This is the first book to provide a practical toolkit, grounded in both current educational practice and pedagogical research, on teaching Latin and ancient Greek at primary school with the aim of empowering primary school age children who do not traditionally get access to Classics in education. Taking the author’s decade of experience in coordinating primary school-level Classics projects in the UK and Belgium as a starting point, this book investigates how we can move towards educational equity by teaching primary school students Latin or ancient Greek. Following an introduction to educational inequity and the role of Classics in this, readers encounter four aspects of teaching Classics at primary school which, together, improve educational equity: widening participation, transformative learning, translanguaging, and community engagement. Through reflections on the author’s personal experiences, practical steps are set out in each chapter to demonstrate how these ancient languages may be taught at primary school in ways that are accessible for every pupil. Each chapter ends with a series of reflection questions to help readers consider future practices. Classics at Primary School: A Tool for Social Justice is designed for all those engaged or interested in teaching Latin or ancient Greek at the primary school level. Both the practical and theoretical components of this book appeal to teachers as well as researchers and policy makers with a background in education and/or Classics.