REDI Webinar Series for fall 2023
Webinar bundle for 2023-24 available in REDI store
REDI Webinars for Fall 2023
2023-24 Webinar Bundle available here
Title: Make Your Students Olympians: Techniques, Materials, and Sources to Do the Ancient Olympics in Latin and Classics Classes (Parts I and II)
Presenter: Bob Simmons, Monmouth College, Monmouth, IL
Level: elementary through university
Track: Civilization
Description: The Olympics (summer and winter) come up every two years, and their mystique never wanes. Their ancient origins provide an opportunity to demonstrate the continuing relevance of the classical world in a fun way. This session will lay out techniques for doing a variety of ancient Greek Olympic events, all of which are different enough from contemporary methods of doing comparable events that they tend to be both a challenge and a lot of fun. Participants will learn how to carry out various running events (including one in armor), long jump (with weights), discus, javelin (including the leather strap wrapped around it), chariot racing, boxing, two types of wrestling, and pankration (much like professional wrestling, but without the ring). They will learn ways of acquiring the materials to make these events work at different price points. And they will receive a bibliography of primary and secondary sources on these events.
About the Presenter: Bob Holschuh Simmons is the Minnie Billing Capron Professor of Classical Languages and Chair of Classics at Monmouth College, where he has taught Greek, Latin, and a host of classical-world classes since 2014. He earned a BA from St. John’s University in Minnesota, where he grew up; an MAT from Minnesota State University; and a PhD from the University of Iowa. His first book, Demagogues, Power, and Friendship in Classical Athens: Leaders as Friends in Aristophanes, Euripides, and Xenophon, was released in 2023 by Bloomsbury Press. He has received the Outreach Prize from the Society for Classical Studies, awards for excellence in outreach and teaching from the Classical Association of the Middle West and South, and awards for service and advising from Monmouth College. He has taught a Sports in Greece and Rome class five times at Monmouth College and three times to grade-school students at a College for Kids; he has done workshops on, or demonstrations of, the ancient Olympics for audiences of all demographics; and Olympic sports have been central parts of the Classics Days he has put on five times at Monmouth and four times at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Recordings available here.
Title: Implementing the Seal of Biliteracy Assessment
Presenter: Brian Compton
Level: Middle through high school
Track: Teacher Preparation and Professional Development
Description: State and Global seals of biliteracy are great ways for students to show high levels of proficiency in English and a second language. They are markers for colleges and employers to know what students are able to do in their given languages. There are still a number of questions about how students can earn these seals, what assessments are available, and how to implement a program for assessment and awarding seals school-wide. My presentation will draw upon my experiences setting up a program at my school to help teachers determine the best assessments and how to convince world language departments and administrators of the benefits of awarding these seals to students.
About the Presenter: Brian Compton has been teaching Latin for 24 years at both public and private schools, and he is now a teacher at Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy in Cincinnati, OH. He is also Constitutional Advisor and State Chair Coordinator for the Committee on the National Junior and Senior Classical Leagues. He studied Latin Education and Classical Humanities at Miami University, and he recently earned a Masters in Theology from Mount St. Mary's Seminary and School of Theology in Cincinnati. He lives in Cincinnati with his wife Jill, their son Cole (also a Latin student in 8th grade), and their dog Fonzie.
Date of free live webinar: Thursday, September 21, 2023 at 7PM EST
Title: Quem ad finem educatio classica? Using controversia and suasoria (debate) in a classical language class to enhance critical thinking and language skills
Presenter: Mark Pearsall
Level: All Levels
Track: Standards Based Instructional Design
Description: What are the takeaways from studying classical languages? How do they help students in a modern world? Implementing the techniques of a Roman rhetor, we can teach students how to think critically, reflect upon their world, and become knowledgeable citizens with the skills necessary to lead happy and productive lives. Learn how to use debate, controversia and suasoria, at any level of language study. Teach students to read critically, understand cultural perspectives, and make convincing arguments to articulate their ideas.
About the Presenter: Mark Pearsall teaches Latin and Ancient Greek at Glastonbury High School in Connecticut. He received his BA in Classics at UMass, Amherst, his MAT in Latin and Classical Humanities at Boston University and his PhD in Medieval Studies at UConn. He is a founding member of The Pericles Group which provides game-based learning solutions for learners, teachers, and administrators in a wide range of situations and a variety of disciplines. When he is not teaching or studying, he works on his farm, raising goats.
Coming soon to the REDI Store!
Title: Tunics for Everyone and Every Occasion
Presenter: Rachel Ash
Level: Middle school through high school
Track: Civilization
Description: Explore the impact of fashion on the culture of the Romans and the impact of their fashion on modern clothes--while learning to make your own! Each episode will offer a different item of Roman clothing, from the tunica to Roman armor, and describe not only how to make it, but where that piece of clothing fit into Roman life, what influenced it, and what it influences today. Whether preparing for a costume contest or just interested in Roman every day life, this series will give you new insight into the Romans and the fabric of their lives.
About the Presenter: Rachel Ash has taught Latin for 20 years in Oklahoma, Texas, and Georgia. She has always believed that all students can learn and deserve to know they can learn, and that is the driving force behind most, if not all, of her approaches to teaching Latin. She holds a B.A. from the University of Oklahoma and an M. A. from the University of Florida.
Available after October 11, 2023
Title: Togas and the Art of Wrapping
Presenter: Rachel Ash
Level: Middle school through high school
Track: Civilization
Description: Explore the impact of fashion on the culture of the Romans and the impact of their fashion on modern clothes--while learning to make your own! Each episode will offer a different item of Roman clothing, from the tunica to Roman armor, and describe not only how to make it, but where that piece of clothing fit into Roman life, what influenced it, and what it influences today. Whether preparing for a costume contest or just interested in Roman every day life, this series will give you new insight into the Romans and the fabric of their lives.
About the Presenter: Rachel Ash has taught Latin for 20 years in Oklahoma, Texas, and Georgia. She has always believed that all students can learn and deserve to know they can learn, and that is the driving force behind most, if not all, of her approaches to teaching Latin. She holds a B.A. from the University of Oklahoma and an M. A. from the University of Florida.
Available after November 1, 2023
Title: Stolas, Pallas, and Womanly Wiles
Presenter: Rachel Ash
Level: Middle school through high school
Track: Civilization
Description: Explore the impact of fashion on the culture of the Romans and the impact of their fashion on modern clothes--while learning to make your own! Each episode will offer a different item of Roman clothing, from the tunica to Roman armor, and describe not only how to make it, but where that piece of clothing fit into Roman life, what influenced it, and what it influences today. Whether preparing for a costume contest or just interested in Roman every day life, this series will give you new insight into the Romans and the fabric of their lives.
About the Presenter: Rachel Ash has taught Latin for 20 years in Oklahoma, Texas, and Georgia. She has always believed that all students can learn and deserve to know they can learn, and that is the driving force behind most, if not all, of her approaches to teaching Latin. She holds a B.A. from the University of Oklahoma and an M. A. from the University of Florida.
Available after November 15, 2023
Reflective Assessment: Designing Intentional and Equitable Measures of Student Performance (90 minutes)
Presenter: Lindsey Sears
Level: Middle school through college/university
Track: Assessment & Feedback
Description: Assessing student learning and performance is one of the most personal, complex, and potentially problematic aspects of teaching. Many teachers have never considered that the way their textbook assesses or the way they were taught to assess may not be compatible with their own teaching philosophies or provide equitable opportunities for student success. Reflection is essential to designing intentional and equitable assessments: teachers need the tools to reflect on their own personal philosophy of assessment and to use it to guide their design choices, and students need to be shown the value of reflection as an integral part of the cycle of learning and assessment. This workshop will offer concrete and specific strategies for developing equitable assessments that align with teachers’ educational philosophies and values.
About the Presenter: Lindsay Sears began studying Latin in high school to improve her SAT scores, and reluctantly came to enjoy the language so much that she majored in Classics at Smith College, and then earned a PhD at Cornell University. She currently teaches Latin at Norwich Free Academy in Norwich, CT, and serves on the executive boards for both ClassConn and CANE. (available October 2023 in ACL's REDI store)
Available October 2023
Title: Languages are for Everyone: Dyslexia and reading disabilities in the language classroom
Presenter: Todd Wegenhart
Level: elementary through university
Track: Outreach and Equity
Description: We all want all of our students to succeed, but when we have students who have language learning deficiencies or disabilities many Latin and Greek teachers lack the support and resources to help these students find success. This session will address what dyslexia and other common reading disabilities are and how those impact learners, followed by discussion on best practices for intervention and differentiation to support all of our students.
About the Presenter: Todd Wegenhart has taught Latin at Wyoming High School in Cincinnati for 18 years. In addition to teaching Latin, Todd earned is masters degree in Reading Science from the College of Mount Saint Joseph in 2011, and has been licensed as a reading specialist since then. Todd later earned licensure as a special education intervention specialist in 2020, and while he hasn't had the opportunity to teach reading or special education in his school, he frequently is pulled in by administrators and colleagues as a resource and support to bridge the gap between special education and general classroom practice. Todd's favorite lunch to eat at school is a bowl of soup, so if you have good recipes, send them his way!
Available winter 2024