Learning and Teaching Leader Diana Platt is Carmel College, Thornlands lucky penny.
Over the course of her teaching career Diana has become an expert in deciphering ancient coins and relics and is now showing other ancient history teachers how to use ancient coins in the classroom.
The Brisbane Catholic Education (BCE) employee recently had two pages published in the prestigious QHistory, an Annual Journal of the Queensland History Teachers’ Association, discussing the importance of ancient coins and how to teach students to decipher them in the classroom.
Diana said ancient coins are an important part of ancient history study.
“Ancient coins provide insight into society, beliefs, power, politics, and economics of civilisations,” she said.
“Often coins are the only archaeological evidence we have of an ancient civilisation and by demonstrating a way for teachers to integrate ancient coins in the classroom, it provides our students with the power to decipher the past.
“I wrote this journal entry to encourage other Ancient History Teachers to teach the skill of interpreting coins, not only to keep the skill alive, but to also educate students about how coins can give us real insight into past civilisations.”
Carmel College School Principal Stephen Adair said Diana has reinvigorated ancient history studies for both students and teachers.
“Her passion for ancient history has been passed down to our students, and some of whom will become archaeologists and ancient history teachers themselves.
“I would like to encourage other teachers to take a look at Diana’s work in the QHistory Annual Journal and complete the ‘Using Coins in the Ancient History Classroom’ activity with students.”
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