Developing Multiliteracies through Classical Mythology in British Classrooms

In Britain, where classical studies has long been well established within education, a case study of some current uses of classical myth is presented. Arlene Holmes-Henderson considers the use of mythology as a different type of stimulus, namely to literacy, or, more accurately, multiliteracies, for primary school children in the United Kingdom. Although classical myth exists only on the fringes of the school curriculum, British children frequently discover the stories outside of the school framework, through reading, popular media, and informal education, and their attraction to the tales allows for exploitation for educational reasons, within a classroom setting. Presenting two case studies in which classical mythology was deliberately and creatively introduced to British classrooms, Holmes-Henderson demonstrates how the projects enhanced the development of multiliteracies in children aged seven to twelve. The complete volume "Our Mythical Education: The Reception of Classical Myth Worldwide in Formal Education, 1900–2020", edited by Lisa Maurice, focuses on school education including a wide geographical and chronological range. The volume covers Eastern and Western Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas (including Canada, the USA, and South America), Australia and New Zealand. Published in the series “Our Mythical Childhood” edited by Prof. Katarzyna Marciniak, Faculty of “Artes Liberales”, University of Warsaw, Poland. Open Access of the complete volume is available at https://www.wuw.pl/product-eng-14887-Our-Mythical-Education-The-Reception-of-Classical-Myth-Worldwide-in-Formal-Education-1900-2020-PDF.htmlThis project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement No 681202 (2016–2022), "Our Mythical Childhood... The Reception of Classical Antiquity in Children's and Young Adults' Culture in Response to Regional and Global Challenges", ERC Consolidator Grant led by Katarzyna Marciniak. Project's Website: www.omc.obta.al.uw.edu.pl. The publication is licensed under (CC BY 3.0 PL) (full license available at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/pl/legalcode)