Classics and 21st-Century Skills
Dr Arlene Holmes-Henderson
Postdoctoral researcher in Classics education
Qualifications: MA Oxf PGCE Camb Ed.D. Glas
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I was an undergraduate at St. Hilda’s College, Oxford, where I read Literae Humaniores. Thereafter I won a scholarship to study at Harvard University. I returned to the UK and pursued postgraduate studies in Classics Education at Trinity College, Cambridge and at the University of Glasgow. My doctoral thesis examined the role of Classical rhetoric and responsible citizenship in contemporary education.
I have been awarded a number of prestigious fellowships. I was a Fulbright Visiting Professor at the University of Hawaii, a Churchill Fellow in Australia and an Erskine Fellow at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. I am also the recipient of a Teaching Star award from the Institute of International Education in New York. I am currently collaborating with the Classics department at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa on a project to boost children’s literacy through the study of Classics.
My research interests lie in Humanities education. I research the value of a Classical education in the twenty-first century. I lead research on the Classics in Communities project (https://classicsincommunities.web.ox.ac.uk) where I investigate what impact the learning of Latin and Greek has on children’s cognitive development. I am particularly keen to understand if the learning of Latin and Greek boosts the cultivation of literacy and critical literacy skills.
The intersection of Classical rhetoric, oracy and citizenship education is an area in which I am research-active. I work on the rhetorical theories of Aristotle, Cicero and Quintilian. I am currently contributing to a range of pedagogical and academic projects where this expertise is directly benefitting teachers, speechwriters, politicians and policy-makers.
Classics education, rhetoric, citizenship, literacy, critical literacy, political discourse, argumentation, pedagogies and teacher education.
I have extensive experience of teaching both in secondary schools and in Higher Education. I have taught a range of topics including the Latin and Greek languages at all levels, Roman History, Republican oratory, Epic literature, Numismatics and Classical Drama. I regularly contribute to Initial and Continuing Teacher Education in the Humanities as a subject expert.
Full Publications: dr_arlene_holmes-henderson_full_publications_list.pdf
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Forward with Classics
2018|Book -
Teaching Latin and Greek in Primary Classrooms: the Classics in Communities project
2016|Journal article|Journal of Classics Teaching -
A Celebration of Greek Language and Culture Education in the UK
2016|Journal article|Journal of Classics Teaching<jats:p>On Saturday 10 June 2016, the Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic to the UK, Mr. Konstantinos Bikas, and the Classics in Communities project hosted a conference celebrating the teaching of Greek language and culture in the UK at the Hellenic Centre in London. The conference had multiple aims: to bring together a variety of teachers, committees and associations to discuss the state of Greek language and culture education in the UK; to anticipate and confront the challenges; and to collaborate to find solutions and action plans for its survival and growth.</jats:p> -
Responsible Citizens and Critical Skills in Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence: The Contribution of Classical Rhetoric to Democratic Deliberation
2015|Chapter|Democracy and Decency What Does Education Have to Do with It?This book advances the notion of decency in relation to democracy, and is underpinned by an analysis of meaningful, critically-engaged education.Education
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