Up until the beginning of this year, my experience in teaching was limited to the Foundation Phase (3-7 years old) and SEN support. The enjoyment I get from assisting the ‘learning through play’ programme is incredibly rewarding and I have always thought that learning and teaching should be for enjoyment and fun. While obviously important, I do not believe that learning should solely be done for the benefit of top test results and university places, which often seem to be the primary target. My perception was that as children become young adults and primary school becomes secondary, the fun is lost from both learning and teaching. I could not have been more wrong. The Literacy through Latin programme allowed me to experience how that enjoyment and engagement is needed, perhaps even more so at Key Stage 3. I was placed with an already successful teaching group and a Year 8 already fairly established Latin class. The classes were interactive and engaging for both teachers and pupils and I was able to join in and assist-teach a lively and intelligent class who engaged with the ancient language happily (something I would not have expected from 12-13 year olds). I was happy to be proven wrong. Having only done 3 months of Latin myself, I was able to remember the techniques and rhymes that I had utilised and was able to pass them onto the students who were taking a little longer to grasp some concepts. Being a near beginner myself, I felt confident in planning and delivering the lessons as I was able to remember what had tripped me up or the sections I had found daunting initially.
From Foundation Phase to Key Stage 3 and with the wheels in motion to teach an adult Beginner’s Latin class with Literacy through Latin’s sister project, Ancient Languages in the Park, it is obvious to see that there is a call for fun and exciting lessons being taught for the sake of learning, improvement and enjoyment. Learning Latin has vastly improved my own vocabulary, increased my appreciation for the ancient world and most importantly, enhanced my understanding and ability to use the English language effectively; the project is clearly living up to its name!
Written by Kimberley Jones (MA level), 9 May 2014
From Foundation Phase to Key Stage 3 and with the wheels in motion to teach an adult Beginner’s Latin class with Literacy through Latin’s sister project, Ancient Languages in the Park, it is obvious to see that there is a call for fun and exciting lessons being taught for the sake of learning, improvement and enjoyment. Learning Latin has vastly improved my own vocabulary, increased my appreciation for the ancient world and most importantly, enhanced my understanding and ability to use the English language effectively; the project is clearly living up to its name!
Written by Kimberley Jones (MA level), 9 May 2014