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Teacher Education
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Section archive - Trends in Jewish Education
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491 items
271
At the end of March, about 45 scholars, educators, and Jewish community policy-makers gathered at Brandeis University Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education to critically examine the ways that the concept of “Jewish identity” is used and sometimes abused in discussions of Jewish education. As it turns out, the topic is of interest to many, and we had to turn away many people who wanted to join the conference. We asked audio producer Ari Daniel to pull together the strands of the conversation, to make it accessible to a broader audience. The podcast is now available.
Published: 2014
Updated: Jun. 11, 2014
272
Why and towards what ends are we engaging in Jewish engagement to begin with? To me, the answer is clear: We should engage the next generation around our powerful Jewish values and texts, which form the very foundation of the Jewish people. We should engage them around our raison d’être of being a unique and extraordinary people with a storied heritage and purpose in the world. I believe the Jewish people’s compelling value proposition comes through embodying, teaching, creating community around, and yes, engaging, in the texts and values, which are our birthright and heritage. It is vital that we start from this position of strength, of having something concrete and in fact precious to offer the next generation and all generations to come. Otherwise, we run the risk of becoming no more than the crumbling institutions referenced – and it will be no wonder when young Jews walk away.
Published: 2014
Updated: May. 28, 2014
273
How can it be that the most narcissistic, self-absorbed, self-indulgent, materialistic generation that the world has ever known is also capable of causing social revolutions in any number of countries and mobilizing the masses in countless political campaigns — perhaps even saving the planet from environmental disaster?This ambiguity plagues any organization that has young people on its radar. And, at a time when institutions are clamoring for relevance if not survival, this complexity should be front and center for discussion in the Jewish community.
Published: 2014
Updated: May. 26, 2014
274
The Holocaust was a cataclysmic and seminal event in modern Jewish history. It cannot but be a part of our current identities — not the sum total of Jewish (or Israeli for that matter) identity but a part. Jewish identity is a multidimensional mosaic. The Holocaust is an aspect of this mosaic, and we must strive to provide it with depth. How do we ensure that the memory of the Holocaust motivates positively for our identity and heritage?
Published: 2014
Updated: May. 14, 2014
275
The Norman E. Alexander Award for Excellence in Jewish Student Writing is seeking essays on the American Jew the writer most admires and who has made significant contributions to humanitarian causes, social justice, medicine or science. The contest subject relates to the 2014 theme of American Jewish Heritage Month, “American Jews and Tikkun Olam, Healing the World.” The annual contest is sponsored by Fresh Ink for Teens (FIT), the Jewish-American Hall of Fame and The Jewish Week Media Group.
Published: 2014
Updated: May. 07, 2014
276
The aim of this research is to investigate the intergenerational changes that have occurred in Australian Jewish day schools and the challenges these pose for religious and Jewish education. Using a grounded theory approach according to the constant comparative method, data from three sources (interviews [296], observations [27], and documents) were analyzed, thus enabling triangulation.
Published: 2014
Updated: May. 07, 2014
277
A groundbreaking study highlighting weaknesses in the way Hebrew and Jewish studies are being taught at Jewish schools across Australia has been welcomed by Australian Jewish educators, who agree with the findings that Australian Jewry has entered a “new era” and curriculums must be revised accordingly. According to the report – authored by Bar-Ilan University’s Professor Zehavit Gross and the University of Sydney’s Professor Suzanne Rutland – the priorities of the adult community are no longer the priorities of the youth, and this “incongruity” has resulted in student dissatisfaction with the style and quality of education on offer in key areas.
Published: 2014
Updated: May. 07, 2014
278
First, the good news. The most recent census revealed that, for the first time in decades, the decline in Britain’s Jewish population has been arrested. In 2011, 263,346 chose to identify themselves as Jewish by religion in England and Wales, compared to 259,927 in 2001. Beneath the headline figure, however, all it not as it appears. The Institute for Jewish Policy Research, having recently published the preliminary findings of its substantial and substantive National Jewish Community Survey, demonstrated that British Jewry is undergoing a generational shift in Jewish identity, culture, and affiliation, one that has the potential to transform Jewish life in the United Kingdom – and not necessarily for the better.
Published: 2014
Updated: Apr. 30, 2014
279
A think tank, Education in a Renewing World - Future Intelligence, established by the MOFET Institute – an Education Ministry funded, non-profit organization that works on research and development of programs in teacher education, convened on last Sunday for their first meeting. The committee comprised of education and futurology experts, hosted Knesset Member, Amram Mitzna, Chairman of the Knesset Education, Culture and Sports Committee at their first meeting. This committee has been tasked with addressing the issue of evolution in education in light of constant breakthroughs in technology, medicine and the humanities that are achieved every day.
Published: 2014
Updated: Mar. 26, 2014
280
The Consortium for Applied Studies in Jewish Education (CASJE) today announced a first-of-its kind collaboration among practitioners, researchers, and funders of Jewish education. With gifts to the Stanford University Graduate School of Education, the Consortium will lead efforts to identify key education questions, assist researchers in designing more robust methods, and facilitate work that translates research findings into strengthened practice — in informal and formal Jewish education. The key to the Consortium is creating the conditions for collaboration among scholars of practice and scholarly practitioners in the world of Jewish Education. Those involved with the Consortium already include a host of scholars from over twenty universities, hundreds of practitioners in an array of Jewish education venues and organizations, and a small but growing contingent of funders from across the Jewish world.
Published: 2014
Updated: Mar. 26, 2014