August 6 | Jewish Portal of Teacher Education

Aug. 06, 2014

Dear subscriber,

MOFET JTEC Portal Newsletter

We are happy to send you the latest issue of The MOFET JTEC Portal resource listing.

The current bulletin contains a number of articles dealing with 21st Century Jewish learning as well as research findings, educational resources, conference information, etc. selected from journals and other Jewish education publications.

As we experience the dramatic events in Israel and Gaza, we have included a number of Jewish education items to help us discuss times of crisis and ways of dealing with them with our colleagues and students.

We remind you that registration is now open for the Fall, 2014 semester of the MOFET Online Academy. Reserve your place now in our teacher education courses.

We pray for a lasting peace to return to the Middle East.

Wishing you interesting and enjoyable reading,

Reuven Werber

The MOFET JTEC Portal Team

August 6, 2014

Jewish Portal of Teacher Education

Please note: a complete list of recent additions to the portal follows the Featured Items.

August 2014

Featured Items

MOFET Online Academy Opens Registration for the Upcoming Fall, 2014 Semester

The MOFET Institute's Online Academy for Teachers has opened registration for the Fall, 2014 semester of online courses which will begin on October 26, 2014. The array of courses offered touches upon the fields of Integrating Technology into Education, Teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL), Teaching Jewish Studies, and Teaching Hebrew as a Foreign Language. Several courses will be conducted in Spanish.

Educators are Real People Too

I also cannot help but think of all of the Jewish educators in the world, those at summer camp and in southern hemisphere classrooms today, and those who in a few short weeks will be seeing the fresh faces of children coming back to school after their summer vacations. In conversations with many of you, I can sense the anxiety of what you will say and do in relation to this summer’s events in Israel. But this piece is not about what an Israel educator ought to do. Nor is it about what to include when educating about these conflicts or when it is developmentally appropriate to do so - both are clearly important topics for educational settings to address. This piece is about something even more fundamental - acknowledging that our educators, just like our learners, are real people.

Jewish Educational Leadership. Spring, 2014 – 21st Century Learning

Four skills have been identified as critical for the twenty-first century – Creativity, Critical Thinking, Communication and Collaboration. The skills of creativity and critical thinking will equip students to deal with an ever-changing world. The skills of communication and collaboration both focus on the increasing need for interaction with others. This issue of the journal addresses challenges of twenty-first century learning. For many, when they hear of 21st century learning they immediately think of technology. That is understandable, but as Gary Hartstein writes in the opening article, the technology is nothing more than a tool – like a pencil or a whiteboard – and needs to be harnessed properly with educational thought to move education forward.

Jewish New Teacher Project Receives $1.8m from Two Foundations

To further support Jewish day school teachers and to retain them in the field, the Jim Joseph Foundation and The AVI CHAI Foundation have announced combined grants of nearly $1.8 million to the New Teacher Center for its Jewish New Teacher Project, an initiative that offers teacher induction, ongoing support and training, and mentorship opportunities for day school teachers. The grants are a vote of confidence for the twelve-year-old organization following an intensive business planning process with Wellspring Consulting that charts a path to sustainability.

The Matan Institute for Congregational School Teachers

The Matan Institute aims to provide educators with the tools they need to create inclusive Jewish communities for students with special learning needs. The Matan Institute for Congregational School Teachers, to be held on August 10, 2014 in New York City, is an intensive day of professional development focused on working with diverse learners within the congregational school classroom. The Institute will include interactive workshops on differentiated instruction, multi-modal learning and behavior management, among other topics.

August 2014

All Recent Items

Trends in Jewish Education