The JOY of Collaborating and Co-Teaching

Hi WOL Friends! 

We wish you the best as we head into the winter, holidays, and cold weather. 

Your heart will be warmed listening to our conversation with our TWO Latin facilitators! Ann and Chrissy are eager to share their experiences with collaborative teaching in a virtual setting in this episode.

Faculty Meeting December 2023 - the Heart of Where Collaboration Begins

It is great fun to hear both Ann and Chrissy talk about the transition from traditional teaching roles to the virtual landscape at World of Learning. They highlight the significance of their collaboration in teaching Latin, expressing the joy, confidence, and sense of freedom they've found through working together.

Latin 1 Story - A Way to Bring Joy and Relevance to Learning

The highlight of their teaching partnership focused on student engagement. They stress the importance of creating an inclusive, comfortable environment where students feel valued and excited about learning Latin. Ann and Chrissy discuss the use of Comprehensible Input (CI), aiming to make the language more understandable and relatable for their students, thereby fostering participation and a relaxed learning atmosphere.

I loved that they related how Latin phrases and stories illustrate cultural connections, showcasing the relevance and joy that the language brings to the learning process. It’s awesome to hear them describe how their teaching style, which includes some banter and back-and-forth interactions, offers a casual yet confident approach, which contributes to a dynamic classroom atmosphere that encourages students to participate and engage actively.

Here are a few takeaways from the conversation - and a few Latin phrases that are certainly relevant in our daily lives: 

1. Find ways to create engagement and make learning joyful

2. Don’t underestimate the power of Collaboration and Co-Teaching - we all need mutual support, confidence, and joy to be our best for the learners.

3. Use Comprehensible Input (CI) - World Language is best learned in context. CI focuses on making the language understandable and relatable for students, which encourages participation and creates a relaxed learning atmosphere.

Latin Phrases and Connections: Here are a few Ann and Chrissy share that illustrate the cultural connections and engagement fostered by the language, showcasing its relevance and the joy it brings to the learning process.

Chrissy mentioned a quote by Vergil:

• Here is a link to the Latin and a translation of it. And perhaps it will be pleasing to have remembered these things one day https://www.quotes.wiki/forsan-et-haec-olim-meminisse-iuvabit-and-perha/

Here are two of Ann’s:

• Io (that's a capital i) pronounced Yo! This is a word like "hey" that expresses celebration.

• festina lente. A motto liked by Augustus Caesar (Octavian). It means "hurry slowly".

As always, we are here to help if you can’t find a teacher. 

Have a great holiday,

Pat

ps - this is an episode that Ann and I recorded last year with a student! Enjoy!