The Complete
Certaminer
by Steve Perkins, North
Central High School, IN
Original text
© 2000 Steve Perkins
Every fisherman would like to stand with
net in hand and watch the fish jump in. This does not happen
in fishing, nor do students enter school asking to play certamen,
so we must give some thought to recruitment. Before deciding
which tips and techniques work best, teachers must return to
the goals they established for why they are building a certamen
program. Those with the most generous hearts may find themselves
bitterly disappointed if, after opening up the team to everyone,
they discover that they would prefer to lead a highly competitive
program. The reverse can also be said, and in either case, students
and teachers have a less than satisfying experience.
The recruitment dynamic differs greatly
depending upon the experience of the teacher. Teachers starting
a new program of study or teachers who are new to the profession
have an advantage in starting from scratch. The students do not
know what to expect, and their view of Latin will be whatever
the teacher presents. My advice to teachers in such circumstances
is to "gather ye rosebuds while ye may." Explain
early what certamen is and communicate your expectation that
this will be a regular and important feature of the Latin experience.
Teachers of "motivationally challenged"
students, or those in schools with an extraordinarily large offering
of extra-curricular activities, face a different challenge. Two
approaches can be helpful in such situations. The first involves
the playing of certamen in class, whether as a review technique
before assessment or as a reward for achievement. It should be
noted here that the purpose of certamen in this setting is to
spark interest. Questions should be accessible, and teachers
must make the effort for the experience to be positive and enjoyable
for the students. The second approach involves directly inviting
individual students to participate in competitions, and I shall
say more about this as a general recruiting technique shortly.
In situations where selling the idea of certamen is the first
hurdle, teachers should use the direct invitation to elicit participation
of students who will be successful. Although the ultimate goal
may not be to lead highly competitive teams, the early stages
of program development must produce enough success to vie with
whatever alternatives are clamoring for students' attention and
time. Once the certamen program is established, teachers should
feel free to restructure their approach in ways that best fit
their goals.
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