oa Les manuels destinés à l’enseignement du latin et du grec en Belgique francophone au niveau secondaire

Handbooks for the teaching of Latin and Greek at secondary school level in the French speaking part of Belgium.

Like society itself, education has undergone major mutations in Belgium over the past forty years. Methods for the teaching of classical languages have undergone a deep renewal; the inductive method has progressively imposed itself: it is based on the observation of language facts, their analysis and comparison leading to generalisations. The use of authentic ancient texts with a rich cultural content has also been privileged. This new approach is more scientific and favours active student participation. On the other hand, the school system - here secondary education in the French speaking part of Belgium - has undergone a deep renewal since the early seventies; the number of periods devoted to the teaching of Latin has been reduced drastically and the status of Latin has been modified accordingly. Grammatical translations from French into Latin and Greek have mostly been abandoned while literary translations from Latin and Greek and the study of classical authors have come to foreground. Comments and annotations have also been enriched by the insights gained through structuralism and linguistic research. This renewal of methods and renovation of the education system have led to deep changes in handbooks, especially those for the teaching of Latin and Greek. Their number has increased and they have constantly evolved. Our inventory lists the titles available in 1992 from the catalogues of Belgian publishers, the richest of which is Dessain's. French handbooks commonly used in Belgium are mentioned as well.