Source: AVI CHAI Foundation
The AVI CHAI Fund has released a new case study: “Ma’arav High School: An Organic Approach to Implementing Blended Learning in an Established School.” This case provides an in-depth look into a long-established Orthodox high school that is bringing online/blended learning into the school. The case study explores several factors that have influenced Ma’arav’s implementation of online/blended learning. As a long-established school, it has well-developed norms, a sense of school history, and places an importance on tradition. It has a strong reputation for high-quality academics in both general and Judaic studies. Finally, perhaps as a consequence of these factors, it has taken an “organic” approach to the incorporation of online/blended learning
The case study examines: 1) steps taken to ensure that teachers have professional development; 2) necessary strategies, decisions and resources; 3) financial investments and their implications; and 4) the trajectory of the organic change.
The case study’s author – Dr. Leslie Santee Siskin of New York University’s Institute for Education and Social Policy – concludes, “We can learn from this case. It demonstrates that even a long- and well-established day school can find ways to innovate, can tailor new initiatives to fit with their unique capacity, culture, and traditions, and can slowly and gradually move toward implementation according to their needs.”
The release of Ma’arav follows after a first case study, “Zafon Elementary School: A Station-Rotation Model for Supporting 21st Century Learning.” The Zafon case describes an Orthodox, pre-K through 2nd grade school which opened in 2012 with blended learning as a core element of its design.
Webinar Opportunity on Wednesday, December 16, from 1-2pm EST:
Dr. Siskin, the case study author, and AVI CHAI Senior Program Officer Rachel Mohl Abrahams will present a webinar exploring the findings from the two released blended/online learning case study. Please sign up for this webinar here.