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We were very impressed by the level of fluency the participants gained over the course of two days. The transformation between the participants' rather hesitant introductions on Day One and the much more confident full sentences generated during the game of 'Versipellis' on Day Two was wonderful to witness.
We benefited significantly from having an experienced Latin speaker present throughout the workshop. Avitus' help, patience, guidance, and mentorship were a great part of what made the day a success, and participant feedback suggests that this was an important factor in aiding their confidence in developing written and oral composition skills.
The activities were generally well-structured so that people with various levels of Latin proficiency could participate equally, and could challenge themselves in accordance with their experience and comfort levels.
The workshop received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with half of the 14 respondents writing on their feedback forms that they are 'very likely' to continue exploring immersive methods, and 9 participants designating that they 'strongly agree' with the statement that immersive methods are of use to Latin pedagogy.
Many participants described the ways in which their ideas about 'Living Latin' had changed as a result of attending the workshop:
- 'I recognize it as a spoken language and I feel already prepared with the vocab & grammar to speak it now!'
- 'Particularly hearing it spoken by Avitus with perfect fluency over the course of an hour showed me that Latin has more tonal flexibility than I at first believed'.
- 'I have come to see that it is a real possibility for me to develop skills in this area & that Latin is definitely a worthwhile living language'.
- 'I have seen Latin in a new, outward-looking, rather different light - I have been surprised by the number of applications it has to modern day life'.
- 'I am much clearer on how this can be used in the classroom, & more confident about using such materials'.
- 'I had reservations about the feasibility. I realised that it is easier than I thought and fun'.
We hope that following the success of this workshop at UCL Greek and Latin we can run similar workshops, a Latin conversation group, or other related activities in Living Latin at UCL, and perhaps in collaboration with existing Living Latin initiatives in the UK and further afield. We have witnessed in a very short period of time the great potential for the pedagogical methods in the active use of Latin to raise students' confidence, enthusiasm, and proficiency in language skills. When students are invited to approach Latin on their own terms, they have a personal stake in mastering grammar concepts and acquiring vocabulary, and when they engage in dialogue on ancient literature in the original language, they carve new interpretative channels that might reflect a greater sensitivity to the cultural perspective found in the language itself.
We thank UCL ChangeMakers and UCL Greek and Latin for helping to make this event a wonderful success, and we look forward to seeing its legacy grow and flourish!
Note: Watch this page for videos of the workshop to be added!
