The New Standards for Learning Classical Languages (organized by the Committee on Education)

In this paper I will discuss how the Standards for Learning Classical Languages, formulated in cooperation between ACTFL, ACL, and SCS, can be useful in helping teachers establish goals, implement lessons aimed at diverse learners, and find means of assessment for the various pedagogical methods they apply in the classroom. The categories of learning and assessment stated in the Standards provide a teacher with a broad view of the benefits that derive from language study, and encourage the instructor to seek a many-faceted approach to teaching language.

The World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (2015) and its application to Latin and ancient Greek, the Standards for Classical Language Learning, embrace knowing and understanding the culture behind a language as part of the five Cs of learning languages (Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities). These standards recognize both that language offers a gateway into another culture and that a true understanding of another language cannot be attained without an appreciation of the language’s cultural context.

The newly revised standards for teaching Classical languages provide an occasion to recontextualize the teaching of ancient Greek at all levels. Given the precarious enrollments in Greek, seizing this opportunity may well be essential to the future of teaching ancient Greek in the US.

It is tempting to think that the revised Standards for Classical Language Learning are just for grades K-12. Many college and university instructors feel the time crunch of covering “all the grammar” in just one year. Many college textbooks tend to minimize the cultural content or else to offer it as random snippets that might add color and interest rather than present a coherent overview of the major aspects of Roman history and culture.