Teaching Classical Languages Symposium 2026: Imagine the Perfect Textbook

Teaching Classical Languages Symposium 2026: Imagine the Perfect Textbook

Friday 14 August | 9:00am - 4:30pm

*VENUE CHANGE* - New Law Building Foyer, F10.2.201

This is a hybrid event

This year's keynote speaker is Carla Hurt. Carla is a high-school Latin teacher and You-Tuber who has converted to input-based approaches. She is based in Melbourne, Australia. More about Carla can be found here: https://foundinantiquity.com/about/

This year's theme is: "Imagine the perfect textbook."
Under this theme speakers will address critical issues related to Classical Languages pedagogy, the full range of formats available in an increasingly hybrid world, the integration of social themes and Classical content and best practice in raising student confidence.

The full list of speakers and titles is as follows:

• Philip Brophy (James Ruse) “Co-textbooking” with Ørberg.

• Phillip Dupesovski (Newington/University of Sydney) “Suburani: Learning Latin ‘Below the City’”

• Emily Gilbert (University of Melbourne) “Between Textbook and Text: How Textbook Choice Shapes the Transition to Original Latin”

• John Tuckfield (University of Melbourne) “Reflections on a new Textbook”

• Carla Hurt (Heathdale Christian College) KEYNOTE “Classical languages as heritage language: why are we learning "dead" languages while indigenous languages are dying all around us?”

• Jamie Nguyen (Scotch / University of Sydney) “Reconceptualising the textbook”

• Craig Barker, Yasmina Chotochova, & Julian Woods (Chau Chak Wing Museum, University of Sydney), “Artefact as textbook: Lessons from teaching classical languages in a museum context”

• Kathryn Welch (University of Sydney) “What should go in a Textbook. A View From the Roman Republic”

• Monique Webber (Melbourne Girls’ Grammar) “Material culture in the Latin Classroom: Provocations and practice”

• Sota Maruono (Tokiwa University, Mito) “Ancient Writing Systems”

• Alison Griffith (Canterbury), Elizabeth Minchin (ANU), Gary Morrison (Canterbury), Alexander Madeira (Canberra Grammar School) “Embracing “Grammar”: The Longer History of ANU’s Traditional Grammar Experiment; Teaching Ancient Language in a Bums-on-Seats Tertiary Economy; Reflecting on Traditional Grammar from a Former Student’s Perspective”

Provocations include:

Should textbooks try to include “culture”?
Is there still a role for a physical book?
What kinds of exercises do students really need?
Should we be insisting on translation from English into the target language?

For further details, please contact Tamara Neal: t.neal@sydney.edu.au or Sarah Lawrence: slawren4@une.edu.au

The TCLS is hosted by Classics and Ancient History at the University of Sydney and proudly supported by the Classical Association of NSW. ANZUK education provides further funding.

Tickets/Registration:

Please note that spaces are strictly limited.

Key details

Date: Friday 14 August 2026 from 9:00am-4:30pm

Venue: Face-to-face at the New Law Building Foyer, with a live-virtual option via Zoom for those unable to make it to campus

Cost: Free but registration is essential. Light refreshments provided for morning tea and lunch – please indicate dietary requirements upon registration. There are also a number of food and coffee outlets on campus.

Professional Development:Completing the Teaching Classical Languages Symposium 2026 will contribute to NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) Accredited PD.

Registration essential.

On-campus attendance

New Law Building Foyer
New Law Building F10, Room 201, Eastern Avenue, University of Sydney
Click here for map

Online attendance

The Zoom link will be sent out 2 days prior to the commencement of the event. Please check your email for the link.

Image: © The Trustees of the British Museum. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence.