Search results for: Teacher education

This dissertation explores the complexity of collaborative professional development by analyzing the learning experiences of participants in a Fellowship for Israel educators. Using a practitioner inquiry approach, I asked how the practice of Critical Friendship and other group learning experiences shaped teachers’ thinking, assumptions, and beliefs about their teaching practice. Data collection took place over the course of the year, and included facilitation and observation of monthly meetings, classroom observations, and interviews with each of the seven participants in the study.

The Jim Joseph Foundation created the Education Initiative to increase the number of educators and educational leaders who are prepared to design and implement high-quality Jewish education programs. The Foundation granted $45 million to three premier Jewish higher education institutions--Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR), the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), and Yeshiva University (YU)--(each institution received $15 million) and challenged them to plan and implement programs that used new content and teaching approaches to increase the number of highly qualified Jewish educators serving the field. As with nearly every major Foundation grant, independent evaluation was built into the grant from the outset. Annually, American Institutes for Research (AIR) provided the Foundation with a comprehensive evaluation of nearly every aspect of the Initiative – number of program enrollees and their experience in the workplace; how the institutions were working together; progress on programs achieving sustainability; and more. Now, with the final evaluation, recently completed, we believe the field has much to learn from the Foundation’s and grant partners’ experience with this investment.

The article presents a system-wide change initiated in the faculty of education at a major teachers’ college aimed at developing students’ reading, and written and oral communication proficiencies, while focusing on clarity and coherence, and the use of rich, correct and precise language for purposes of studying, teaching and research. The ‘philosophy’ section introduces the theoretical basis of the process, defines the essence and the nature of the academic change and explains its context and timing. The ‘process’ section reports on the survey, which addresses students’ perspectives on the subject of academic writing, describes how the agenda was implemented and how the commitment among the faculty members was developed. The ‘outcome’ section presents the characteristics of the agenda as were designed by the steering committee and the analysis of the discourse that took place during the faculty seminar sessions. The advantages of a participatory action research approach when implementing a broad academic-pedagogical change are discussed.

The Pardes Day School Educators Program – training outstanding Jewish studies teachers for day schools since 2000 – is a vibrant and innovative two-year program in Jerusalem that combines intensive text study at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies with a Master of Jewish Education from Hebrew College. This program is highly selective, seeking outstanding applicants for whom day school teaching is their calling. The Pardes Day School Educators Program includes core components of the Pardes Year Program, plus: holistic education courses preparing teachers for the 21st-century Jewish studies classroom; customized Hebrew language ulpan with Ulpan Or; student teaching at Jewish day schools for one month each year in North America; seminars on Jewish history, spirituality, conflict resolution, Jewish thought and Israel education; one-on-one mentoring with expert teaching coaches; career coaching, job placement assistance and alumni support.