Peter Barrios-Lech (University of Massachusetts Boston)
The status-quo of Latin K-12 pedagogy can be characterized as diversity of methods with occasional disagreement about which are most effective and inclusive. The truth is that no one method is a panacea, and teacher education programs should offer students an introduction to the panoply of approaches (CI, Communicative Latin, G-T, to name three) from which s/he may select the techniques that best suit the particular class. My remarks in this panel will be to focus on one of these approaches, alternately called Communicative or Active Latin. The aim is to dispel some misunderstandings and encourage a broader acceptance of Communicative/Active Latin (henceforth: Communicative Latin, or CL). The remarks will conclude with concrete steps that can be taken to encourage teacher-trainers to onboard CL as part of their programs.
One of the misconceptions is that one need to speak Latin fluently in order to take advantage of CL techniques. But this is not true, as already Safire 16 years ago (2006) and Ancona recently (2022) demonstrate. These papers show even scripted exchanges or "a little bit" of the spoken language can facilitate acquisition and improve motivation.
Three reasons may convince skeptics to embrace of CL approaches. First, these are backed by Second Language Acquisition (SLA) Research, which demonstrates that when students are engaged in an activity meaningful to them while remaining in the target language – for example, reacting to a text, or engaging with an artifact, or exploring an ancient site – they acquire (learn) the language. Second, CL methods also help to address diverse learning styles, since all human brains are wired to acquire a language through using language. Since it does not prioritize translation into English, learners who have English as a second language are not at a disadvantage. Third, as Stringer (2019: 83-84) points out, adopting communicative methods can lead to increased enrollments and improved retention.
The concrete steps that can be taken are to increase the number of friendly non-intimidating opportunities to speak Latin, to demonstrate that Communicative Latin is research-backed; and to facilitate the exchange of CL materials and activities amongst teachers and teacher trainers.