By Dr Arlene Holmes-Henderson
Prof Hall talking on The World of the Hero
On Monday 13th January, Professor Edith Hall and Dr Arlene Holmes-Henderson collaborated with the Schools and Young Audiences Team at the British Museum to provide a lecture for teachers of Classics, Ancient History, Drama and English, and a visit to the Troy exhibition.
Teachers, researchers and home educators travelled from Southampton, Southport, Birmingham, Reading, Leicester, Manchester, Norfolk and all over London to attend the event. Dr Holmes-Henderson facilitated a pre-lecture discussion about the A-Level Classical Civilisation course and possible pathways to its introduction. Professor Hall selected 300 lines of Virgil’s Aeneid Book 3 which link the Aeneid, Odyssey and Iliad in narrative content through Helenus the seer’s speech. Illustrated with fabulous images, the lecture provided additional subject knowledge to enhance teachers’ understanding of this compulsory unit.
Feedback from the event was universally positive. Comments received include:
‘Best afternoon of free CPD ever. More like this please.’
‘Edith Hall is a wonderful speaker. So enthusiastic and inspiring. Thank you for organising this, and for all you’re doing to change the landscape for Classics in state schools. As a pair you are seemingly tireless. Involving the British Museum is SO GOOD.’
‘Great lecture. First class academics who are approachable and don’t make school teachers feel silly for asking basic questions. If only I could attend more afternoon events like this!’
‘Well organised. Easy to book and interesting. Ideal for me as a home educator.’
‘Loved the Troy exhibition. Can’t wait to bring my students to the next ACE event at the museum on 24th February and visit the exhibition with them. Geek fest.’
Our next free event at the British Museum is on 24th February and is for teachers and their students aged 14-18: OCR Classics in 25 objects. It is sold out and there is a long waiting list.
An attentive audience
