Implementation of “The Art of Reading and Writing in the Middle Ages” (SoI-GR-575)
Author: Georgia Tsirmpa, Teacher of English
School/ Organization: 3rd Senior High School of Tripoli, Greece
Abstract/Introduction
Inspired by the scenario created by Marijana Ćorlukais, I found it intriguing to shed light on the positive events that took place during the Middle Ages. It should be made clear that the dwellers of castles and monasteries were, on the one hand, the ones who prosecuted anyone opposed to their ideas, but on the other hand, the ones who collected, copied and protected the cultural and especially literary, heritage of that era.
In the material provided by the Greek Ministry of Education for the teaching of English as a Foreign Language to the second grade students of the public Senior High School, there is a chapter on Renaissance. Before tackling the texts referring to this important period of evolution not only in arts but also in sciences, I thought it would be useful for my 16 year old students to delve into the Middle Ages, that is, the period that preceded the Renaissance.
Instead of spending two classroom sessions, as suggested by the initial scenario, I employed the “flipped classroom technique”. I thus asked my students to study “the ARMA – the Art of Reading in the Middle Ages project, hosted by the Europeana site, in an attempt to appreciate that “although often misrepresented and considered brutal or unsophisticated, this long and complex period of history was in fact a time of thriving arts and great inventiveness.”
1. The narrative (Learning process/Stages of implementation)
Aims and Objectives
The implementation of this scenario aimed at familiarizing my students with the wealth of the Europeana portal, both its exhibitions and the suggested learning scenarios, appreciating its significance in preserving Europe’s digital cultural heritage, as well as in respecting the creators’ copyrights.
In addition, it would encourage my students to examine the Middle Ages as a literary period during which the development of the reading and writing skills of some people played an important role in connecting the highly valued Antiquity with the upcoming Renaissance, that is, in ensuring the evolution of medieval reading culture as a fundamental aspect of European culture. According to the ARMA project, “classical literature and philosophy were not ‘lost’ at all during the Middle Ages, they were just re-interpreted under the lens of Christianity and focused towards the most important of medieval pursuits: salvation.”
Preparation
Divided at random into four groups of five members each, my students were assigned to consult the Europeana exhibition entitled “The art of reading in the Middle Ages”, in order to create a common google doc. However, instead of preparing a public speech, put forth by the initial scenario, they were actually called to take part in a role-play activity, as in the next live session in the classroom they would present their findings in the first personal singular.
- As if they were monks of that period, they would present their role in the development of reading,
- As if there were nobles of that period, they would present their role in the development of reading,
- As if they were troubadours of that period, they would present the evolution of courtly songs into the first written romances and
- As if they were scholars of that period, they would present the establishment of the first Universities during the Middle Ages.
They were also encouraged to use some of the Europeana images to illustrate their work, as long as these resources belonged to the public domain.
The classroom session
In the ensuing 50 minute lesson that took place in the classroom equipped with a laptop and a projector, all groups presented their work to the rest of the class, discussed the information that made most impression on them and assessed to which extent they enjoyed but also benefited from this innovative learning process, which was student-centered and self-paced. With the aid of the mentimeter they were asked to summarize as homework what they used to believe in contrast to what they have now learned about the Middle Ages.
2. Outcomes
Both my students and I enjoyed the process of inquiring what is not so dark in the Dark Ages. We had the chance to get rid of some prejudice that might have been falsely cultivated to us through imagination-fuelled images or movies. The mentimeter activity gave us concrete evidence of the change in all the participants’ knowledge and attitude towards the progress of reading culture during this long period of history. Working in groups and using digital collaborative tools like the google doc were really instrumental in creating a friendly and stress-free atmosphere in which each and every student could be actively involved and contribute their own share. Last but not least, what they all loved best was the role-play activity, the fact that they had to present the newly required knowledge in the first person, thus taking a virtual trip and experiencing the real essence of those times.
Did you find this story of implementation interesting? Why don’t you read about the related learning scenario? Link to the learning scenario implemented: The Art of Reading and Writing in the Middle Ages.
Do you want to discover more stories of implementation? Click here.
PDM 1.0: the featured image used to illustrate this article has been found on Europeana and has been provided by the Girona City Council.