Rachel Naparstek has been teaching Hebrew as a second-language at Bar-Ilan University, as of 1992. She has taught courses in Hebrew instruction for Israeli and non-Israeli teachers on behalf of the Israeli Ministry of Education and Ulpan Akiva.
Two days have passed since the summer meeting of the MOFET International Forum of Teachers of Hebrew as an Additional Language was held, and I am still excited about it.
We met members from all over the world – people whom we usually only encounter "virtually" via the Internet website.
It was very interesting and enjoyable to meet them face to face.
The session took place as a learning encounter that included two artistic interludes.
At this meeting, the emphasis was placed on learning difficulties and ways of resolving them.
Nachum Ganor from Ulpan Or spoke about positive thinking in the acquisition of the Hebrew language and the use of technology as a tool for achieving this. Dr. Shirli Har-Zvi related to the special difficulties experienced by pupils in the acquisition of reading and writing in Hebrew and suggested ways to resolve them.
Actress Bibi Shafir presented a moving monologue on excessive parental criticism and its consequences.
We heard an interesting lecture by Ayala Lili Mozes on a new anthology of literature for students of Hebrew, and we listened very attentively to Chen Tityon speaking about politics and society in Israel through the lens of song. We enjoyed community singing led by musician Rivka Bar, and this afforded us the opportunity to discover several extremely impressive musical talents:
Ruti Ben Yehuda Adler from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island., and Gila Efrati from Washington, D.C.
Our final treat was a lecture given by Dr. Orly Forman and Margalit Kavenshtock on the use of video for teaching Hebrew.
At the end of the session, the Forum's favorite members for the year 2014-2015 were announced:
- Dr. Ya'akov Levi from Minneapolis, U.S.A., for his contribution to enriching our knowledge of the Hebrew language.
- Smadar Raveh-Klemka from Hamburg, Germany, for her on-site reporting of an interesting class activity.
- Rachel E. Lerner Moore from Buenos Aires, Argentina, for her presentation of important study materials.
- Dr. Dania Shapira and Dr. Sigal Shlomo from Israel, for being "the cool responder (HaMegiv HaMagniv)" i.e., active and beneficial participation in the Forum.
See photos from the meetup on Facebook .
The Forum was moderated bravely and tastefully by Gila Efrati.
The Forum was established some five years ago and operates alongside MOFET's Online Academy, which offers an online specialization program in teaching Hebrew as a foreign language. Scores of Hebrew teachers from all over the world participate in the Forum, which operates online all year round. All the teachers contribute to and benefit from the cooperation with their colleagues in the field.
We invite and welcome new members to join us. Membership and participation are free of charge.