By Kimcha Rajkumar | Programme Director
At The Latin Programme we make Latin come alive. Using interactive and kinaesthetic teaching methods we include rap, games and storytelling in our lessons so that children often don’t even realise they are learning. In fact, “fun” is the word most often used to describe our classes in student feedback.
However, teaching this ‘dead’ language in an innovative and engaging manner is not easy. As Zanna Wing-Davey, the Executive Director of The Latin Programme explains, “We struggle to find appropriate teachers. Whilst there are a number of Classics graduates interested in teaching, few have any experience in the classroom and even fewer have the skills needed to engage, excite and hold the attention of young children, manage a classroom and respond to the needs of mixed ability classes.”
In an effort to address the scarcity of classroom-ready Latin teachers we have designed the Teacher Training Project. Supported by Classics for All, this training scheme, like our Latin classes is bespoke and personalised. Combining small seminar groups with hands-on classroom experience, trainees from all walks of life will learn how to engage with the challenges of the inner-city classroom. Topics covered will include addressing the literacy challenge, how to ensure the participation of students with special educational needs, engaging students with English as an additional language and cultural diversity in the classroom. We believe that having fun is fundamental to learning, whether in a primary school classroom or teacher training seminar, so fun will be an essential element of this training as well. There is certain to be quite a bit of laughter when our trainees attempt to rap for the first time!
Enthusiasm for the Teacher Training Project is coming in from all corners. Academic, author and television historian Professor Michael Scott says, “It's fabulous to see Classics for All and The Latin Programme work together on this new project to enable teachers to open up the wonderful world of Latin for their students. The Latin Programme team are fun, dedicated and brilliant at what they do. Anyone working with them is guaranteed to never regret it."
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