The most important thing in your teaching toolbox
Many Latin teachers work alone. Even in departments or districts with multiple teachers, not everyone may be on the same page in terms of pedagogy. Most of us didn't learn Latin "for acquisition." For these reasons and others, community is your most important tool as you begin the journey toward teaching Latin for acquisition.
Interactive Groups
Latin-specific
Non-Latin specific
- Teaching Latin for Acquisition (FB): If you like what this site is about, definitely join this. I'm a little biased because it's my baby, but I've been told by others that it's invaluable as a source of support and inspiration.
- TLA Cambridge Group (FB): Spin-off of TLA specificallly for teachers doing a hybrid approach with CLC.
- Latin Best Practices (Yahoo Groups): the original, excellent mailing list for discussing acquisition-oriented Latin teaching. Its archives alone are a goldmine.
- Virtual Professional Learning Community: Justin Schwamm is running online PLCs now for Latin teachers, particularly those who want to teach in a CI-friendly sort of way.
- Latin Teacher Idea Exchange (FB): Not specifically oriented toward CI, but many sympathetic members. It's also just a useful place to talk about more general Latin stuff, especially cultural work done in English.
- Multiculturalism, Race, and Ethnicity in Classics Consortium (FB): Not CI-oriented or even teaching-specific. It tends to be rather academic, actually. However, since many CI-oriented teachers care a lot about making their classrooms truly inclusive, this is a good group for us to participate in... and make sure the conversation applies to secondary school Classics, as well!
Non-Latin specific
- iFLT / NTPRS / CI Teaching (FB): Really big on TPRS specifically, but basically an awesome place to keep up with happenings and trends in the wider TCI community. Also, importantly, this is where you'll hear about regional CI-oriented conferences!
- CI Liftoff (FB): Ben Slavic's spin-off group, which is more into non-targeted CI
- Story Listening for Language Acquisition (FB): Focuses on one activity, but a very useful one!
- Ben Slavic's Professional Learning Community: Standalone site, paid registration.
Blogs & Websites
Latin-specific
Non-Latin specific
- LIMEN: By far, my favorite one-stop resource for everything you need to know about CI Latin. Part of Justin Slocum Bailey's Indwelling Language, which has an actual blog too.
- Todally Comprehensible Latin: Down-to-earth reflections, activities, and LESSON PLANS! from Keith Toda.
- Pomegranate Beginnings: Miriam Patrick and Rachel Ash share this site which is full of great reflections and activities. Particularly useful if you're looking at untextbooking.
- Latin Best Practices: Run by Bob Patrick. Originally meant to be a repository for materials shared on the Latin Best Practices Yahoo group. Tons of activities and ideas here.
- Latin for Everyone: Arianne Belzer is full of awesome ideas and one of the best Latin speakers I've had the privilege of meeting.
- Latin Tool Box: This one is mine. The whole schtick is basically that I don't know what I'm doing, and I reflect on it and share ideas and activities I come up with as I learn. I'm told it's helpful.
- CI Latin: John Bracey's Latin blog. John is a middle school teacher and super awesome.
- Two CIceros: K.C. Kless's new blog. He is full of great ideas for activities, so stay tuned for more awesome stuff in the future.
- magisterp.com: Lance Piantaggini's site, with lots of pre-made CI-friendly materials. Especially notable for the Discipulus Illustris and TPR stuff, but there's a lot there.
- JohnPiazza.net: Lots of great materials, activities, and reflections.
- Inclusive Latin Classroom: A joint effort by a number of CI-oriented Latin teachers to share thoughts on teaching Latin to any student, not just the elite who have traditionally taken it.
- Hybrid Latin: Building Reading Proficiency: Chris Buczek's new blog on how he uses CI while sticking to a textbook (LNM) and a mandated scope & sequence.
- Triumfeminae: A new blog by Ashley Kruebbe, Lauren Dill, and Jennie Luongo on their adventures starting to teach with CI while still using CLC.
Non-Latin specific
- The Comprehensible Classroom: Martina Bex is my hero. You could spend hours on her site, learn a zillion things, and still not be anywhere near done.
- There are tons more CI-oriented blogs out there, and I'm going to farm it out to Justin Slocum Bailey to tell you all about them
Organizations & Conferences
Latin-specific
Non-Latin specific
These conferences are really worth going to if you can afford it. They tend to be HUGE but they're beginning to have really good Latin teacher presences. There are also many regional conferences that I don't necessarily know about, so keep an eye out on the iFLT/NTPRS/CI Teaching FB group.
- SALVI: Home of the Rusticationes and several other annual events around the country. One of the premier spoken-Latin organizations in the country, if not the world.
- The Paideia Institute: Paideia offers many courses and spoken-Latin events around the country and the world. One of the biggest conferences for spoken Latinists, however, is probably their annual Living Latin in NYC event.
- American Classical League (ACL): Annual Institute, Facebook page. Every year there are a lot of great CI-oriented panels at the Annual Institute. They are also one of the major sponsors of the effort to re-write the Standards for Classical Languages, which now reflect ACTFL (see below) standards.
- Classical Association of New England (CANE): Annual Meeting, Facebook page. Same deal- lots of CI-oriented panels at the Annual Meeting, and also just a really nice group of people. Psst, I run the FB page, so you should "like" it :)
Non-Latin specific
These conferences are really worth going to if you can afford it. They tend to be HUGE but they're beginning to have really good Latin teacher presences. There are also many regional conferences that I don't necessarily know about, so keep an eye out on the iFLT/NTPRS/CI Teaching FB group.
- ACTFL: American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. Annual Convention & Expo, Facebook page.
- National TPRS Conference (NTPRS)
- iFLT Conference: Here you can see TPRS demos by experts, and the classes have real students in them!
- SWCOLT: SouthWest Conference on Language Teaching.