Disce Scribendo!: Pedagogical Lessons Learned from Writing a Beginning Latin Textbook
The purpose of this panel is to share some pedagogical ramifications that have arisen from
the writing and editing of a major new beginning Latin textbook. The process of writing 78
connected readings in Latin with a cast of characters numbering well over fifty and surrounding
them with appropriate grammatical, lexical, and cultural materials has forced the authors to
engage in serious introspection as to what are indeed best practices. How do we teach in a
manner that effectively addresses all of our students’ learning styles? When is the grammar first
method best used and when should one go first to an inductive methodology? Is, in fact, a hybrid
approach possible? And what is the optimal order in which students should be exposed to
vocabulary and grammar should be exposed to students?
What is the true purpose of having cultural material in a beginning Latin textbook and to
what extent should the cultural materials be integrated with the readings? What time period
should the stories be set in? How much of the Roman world should students see and how should
they be exposed to it? How can students best learn about the Roman world that lies outside the
parameters of the fictional, connected narrative?
How can we better address making Latin studies relevant to today’s students? Might we not
learn from Latin books written in other countries? What is the correct amount of variety that
should be used in creating exercises and what of composition and oral Latin?
Should long marks be present in the text and if so, which of the conflicting systems for
showing them should be followed?
All such questions, and many more, arose during the creation of this textbook and this act of
writing caused each of the panelists to evaluate and change teaching strategies. Three panelists
will share what they have learned. One of the authors of the book will discuss several of the
major issues that concern Latin pedagogy in general. The historical consultant will discuss the
ways in which cultural materials should and should not be utilized in a beginning Latin textbook.
The third panelist, who taught from the book and is one if its copy editors, will discuss his
experience in transitioning from the analytical Wheelock used in a traditional classroom to a
completely on-line environment using the new textbook.
After the talks there will be a discussion period.
Labor, Industria, Cura: Searching for the Middle Road in Latin Pedagogy
Each Latin teacher has, after a few years of teaching, an established theory or philosophy of
how Latin should be taught. Convictions are fine things. The problem is that convictions, after
years of unchallenged belief, can all too easily become ruts. And the major difference between a
conviction and a rut is that after a while one cannot look out over the top of the rut any longer.
And so it is that one of the most consistently found traits of the best teachers may be that they
constantly challenge their convictions in light of current circumstances.
Nothing has challenged the presenter’s pedagogical convictions more than the process of
creating, ex nihilo, a new beginning Latin textbook, complete with 78 Latin stories populated by
over 50 speaking characters.
One’s first instinct is to write what one teaches. But this is fraught with danger, for it
presupposes that personalities (of the students as well as of the teacher) play no role in the
success or lack of it in one’s teaching style. The speaker will thus discuss the process by which
he came to change his teaching style based on the introspection afforded him by writing the
textbook. What words should be taught? Which ones memorized? In what order should
grammar be presented and upon what facts should such decisions be made?
Secondly, the project caused the authors to establish what they saw as the one main goal of
any Latin course. For this book, the goal is the swift reading of Latin and the eventual reading of
Latin authors. This Aristotelian telos had a profound effect on the ultimate shape of the book
and on the presenter’s teaching style.
The result of these reflections lead to the book’s becoming a hybrid vehicle, trying to utilize
the best of the grammar-first and the inductive method while embedding the whole in a
continuous narrative. He will argue that to adhere to a single approach is to become a
pedagogical Procrustes, doing grave disservice to many, if not most, of one’s students. Concrete
examples will be offered of where one approach is superior to another.
Finally, insights learned on specific pedagogical techniques will be shared with the audience,
leading to a summary statement of what a 21st century beginning Latin textbook should perhaps
be.
Context for the Text: The Case for Historical Realism in a College Latin Course
Teaching elementary Latin at the college level presents some unique challenges on many
fronts including objectives, pacing, and retention goals. Many of us focus on what we want the
student to be able to read at the end of the language acquisition sequence and rightly focus on the
grammar scope and sequence, the vocabulary bank and the likelihood of finishing the text in the
2-3 semesters available, since we are universally concerned with preparing the learner for the
difficult transition to literature or 'real' Latin. This paper will make the case that it is equally
important to provide the students with a realistic appreciation for the context in which the
Romans actually lived.
Modern language educators have had the luxury of being able to utilize “realia” in their
classrooms in order to contextualize the grammar lessons in the culture of the target language.
Our access to artifacts of Roman material culture is much more restricted, but we could and
should provide a highly structured historical context for the language learner. There are several
ways in which to provide a reasonably accurate historical context for an elementary Latin
textbook, without getting in the way of the primary goal of language acquisition.
This paper will outline several principles regarding inter alia the level of detail, the scope
and sequence and the dangers of anachronism. These principles will be applied to a critique of
existing college level texts and typical practices in the profession, including the new Disce!
Finally it will offer some recommendations to non-historians which should apply to any textbook
in use.
Virtual DISCE! – From the Traditional Latin Classroom to the Online Classroom
This presentation will report on one Latin teacher’s experiences using the new textbook
DISCE! in a virtual Latin classroom. The University represented in this presentation has been
employing the venerable Wheelock’s Latin for decades, but ongoing changes in state and
university standards allowed the languages department to adopt Disce Latinam! (the preliminary
edition of DISCE!) last year. The new textbook represents a major shift in methodology.
Although not conclusive, preliminary results look promising (e.g., students seem to be able to
read at a much higher level, much sooner). Additionally, the University is beginning to shift from
traditional classrooms to online classrooms. This presentation seeks to qualify (and, if possible,
quantify) the new challenges, benefits, and best practices of using this new textbook in an online
environment.
As many Latin teachers already know, DISCE! is a new textbook that seeks to present Latin
using the best traditional techniques blended with modern communicative approaches based on
sound pedagogical research. Since many major universities around the country are now ramping
up online curricula, this presentation seeks to report on the leading-edge methodology of DISCE!
combined with the latest innovations in online learning environments. It will also present a rough
comparison between traditional classrooms using traditional materials and virtual classrooms
using modern materials. This information should prove useful to any teachers who face similar
changes in local policy or who would like feedback to help make the switching-over run
smoothly.
Latin teachers are continually trying to find ways to refresh and re-popularize the Latin
language using modern approaches. This is evidenced by the cascade of internet-based and realworld materials which have recently made or are soon to make their debut. This presentation will
relate the practical experience of a contemporary Latin teacher who was trained in and has taught
via traditional methods (i.e., the analytic method implemented in Wheelock’s Latin) and who is
now making the transition to DISCE! in an entirely online environment.