21–23 April saw the annual conference of the Classical Association, held at the Faculty of Classics, University of Cambridge. The three-day event saw numerous presentations by teachers – a real effort made by the CA to attract them paid off. Indeed, the conference organizers (I was one of them) were slightly overwhelmed by the numbers and variety and found it hard to put them all together for convenience. Some inevitably found their way onto Friday or Sunday, although we tried to accommodate all the school teachers on the Saturday. Attendance was excitingly high, and any worries that were held that teachers would not have large audiences because there were so many competing panels did not seem to materialise. The CA is already planning for the 2024 conference, to be held in the University of Warwick from 22–24 March. Details are to be found here and the deadline for submission of papers or panels is 17.00 on 31 August 2023.
Talking of conferences, there have been a number of interesting ones, both in-person and online, relating to the subject of teaching and learning classical languages, literature and civilisation. Subject knowledge enhancement courses have been the bread-and-butter of the examination boards, CSCP and local branches of the Classical Association for some time, and they have been joined more recently by those offered by Classics for All, Hands-Up Education (for Suburani) and Bloomsbury (for De Romanis). Meetings for the discussion of subject pedagogical knowledge have historically been less in evidence, until perhaps the ‘discovery’ of online conferencing in the last year or so, and the facility it offers for greater participation across the continental divide, as it were. There have been several to which I have been lucky enough to contribute to or attend, covering topics such as neurodiversity in classics, the teaching of ancient Greek in the primary school, difficult topics in classical studies, reading ancient texts online, emergent trends in languages teaching, amongst others. I hope to present more on these topics in the pages of this journal, which are relevant and of interest to teachers in the primary and secondary sectors.
In the meantime, the present volume of the Journal of Classics Teaching presents a range of thought-provoking and, I hope, useful articles from across the world – we are getting quite an international flavour! Alberto Regagliolo presents some practical ideas developed by teacher trainees in Spanish schools; Joel Moore reports on his research with beginner students of Latin in their perceptions of the use of online chat rooms; Diego Chapinal-Heras contributes to the discussion of the pedagogical value of photogrammetry in the classroom; Edward Ross presents a fascinating and detailed report on the success (or otherwise) of ChatGPT in translating Latin, ancient Greek and Sanskrit; Peter Swallow suggests ways in which stories about difficult topics in class text books might be sensitively presented; Alan Towey discusses the Love and Relationships A level paper, with a view to improving the questioning; Jerome Moran asks the question: whose text are we actually reading? The variety of pieces throw light on the range and quality of interest in teaching classical subjects – things to be proud of. And let us not forget that, here in the UK at least, the numbers of students studying classical civilisation at GCSE are bucking the general trend of a general decline in humanities subjects, according to Department for Education statistics, with an increase from 3595 to 4480 entries between 2022 and 2023 (24.7%).
Articles
Regagliolo, A. Developing and creating didactic proposals for Latin and Classical Culture.
Moore, J. ‘Caecilius Est Internet’: A Study of Year 7 Latin Beginners’ Perspectives on the use of an Online Chat function and Breakout Rooms using the Cambridge Latin Course.
Chapinal-Heras, D., Díaz-Sánchez, C., España-Chamorro, S., Gómez-García, N., Pagola-Sánchez, L., López de Corselas, M. P. and Rey-Álvarez Zafiria, M. E. Photogrammetry and 3D modelling in university teaching. A case study applied to the History degree.
Ross, E. A New Frontier: AI and Ancient Language Pedagogy.
Swallow, P. Teaching Difficult Stories: Trauma-Informed Teaching in the Classics Classroom.
Towey, A. Plato and Classical Civilisation A Level.
Moran, J. Adapted and unadapted texts: do any of us ever read just what our author wrote?
Book Reviews
Barr, (M). (Ed.). Cicero: pro Cluentio. Chloe Barnett.
Barringer, (J). Olympia. John Martino.
Bleiman, (B), McCallum, (A.) and Webster, (L). (Eds). The Facility and Other Texts - Re-imagining Antigone. Terry Walsh.
Burbidge, (J.) (Ed.). Virgil: Aeneid XII. A Selection. Sophia Drake.
Cunning, (B.). Astronomia: Fabula Planetarum. Sarah Hindocha.
Ferry, (D.). (Ed.). Aeneid. Juliet O'Brien.
Fideler, (D). Breakfast with Seneca: A Stoic Guide to the Art of Living. Timothy Adelani.
Henshaw, (F.) and Hawkins (M.). Common Ground: Second Language Acquisition Theory Goes to the Classroom. Evan DutmerFootnote 1.
Mackenzie, (C.). Pocket GCSE Latin Etymological Lexicon. Clive Letchford.
Mayor, (A.). Greek Fire, Poison Arrows, and Scorpion Bombs. Alan Clague.
McDonough, (C.). Pontius Pilate on Screen: Soldier, Sinner, Superstar. Alexander Lucie-Smith.
Nevin, (S.). The Idea of Marathon. Battle and Culture Charlotte Goddard.
Olsen, (S.) and Telo, (M.). Queer Euripides. John Godwin.
Perring, (D.). London in the Roman World. Timothy Adelani.
Pirenne-Delforge, (V.) and Pironti, (G.). The Hera of Zeus. Intimate Enemy, Ultimate Spouse. Lucy Angel.
Rico, (C.). Unus, Duo, Tres. Latine loquamur per scaenas et imagines. Clive Letchford.
Rowson, (A.). The Young Alexander: the making of Alexander the Great. Juliet O'Brien.
Sheppard, (A.). Oh my gods! Alina Flint.
Sherman, (N.). Stoic Wisdom. Ancient Lessons for Modern Resilience. Clive Letchford.
Stokes-Chapman, (S.). Pandora. Jodie Reynolds.
Strauss, (B.). The War That Made the Roman Empire. Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavian at Actium. Jonathan Eaton.
Tougher, (S.). The Roman Castrati. Eunuchs in the Roman Empire. Tom Johnson.
Many articles for the Journal of Classics Teaching start up as conference pieces or teach-meet talks or presentations at staff meetings. The Editor always welcomes interesting or novel pieces, as well as articles which simply describe good teaching practice or events or things of interest to other teachers. Readers should feel confident to submit articles in the usual way to the Classical Association.
Submitting an article to JCT
The Journal of Classics Teaching is the leading journal for teachers of Latin, Ancient Greek, Classical Civilisation and Ancient History in the UK. It originated as the voice of the Joint Association of Classical Teachers in 1963 under the title Didaskalos, being renamed Hesperiam over the years, and finally JCT. It has a broadly-based membership including teachers in the primary, secondary and tertiary education sectors. JCT welcomes articles, news and reports about Classics teaching and items of interest to teachers of Classics both from the UK and abroad. If you wish to submit an article, it should be sent to the JCT Editor, c/o the Classical Association.
Articles are welcome on classroom teaching practice or on studies about the teaching and learning of Classics in the UK and abroad should be up to 7,000 words. There should be clear pedagogical or academic content. News and reports of events of general interest to teachers of Classics should be between 1,000 and 2,000 words.
For 50 years JCT and its predecessors were published in hard copy and made available to members of the Joint Association of Classical Teachers. From 2015 JCT has been available freely online, generously supported by the Classical Association.
Open access
