Search results for: Teacher education

In this article we explore how we as teacher educators translate a new vision of Israel education into curricular practice in the preparation of emerging Jewish educators. Using a practitioner inquiry mode of research, we reflect on our existential vision of Israel education and its translation into practice as creators and directors of a semester in Israel program. Analyzing a variety of data sources—including internal and external documents, course syllabi, the program’s experiential components, and strategic institutional partnerships, as well as students’ course papers, emails, exit interviews, and oral conversations—we find that an immersive cultural curriculum yields important outcomes for students who engage with our vision of Israel education.

MOFET International is proud to announce the launching of its online international conference website, Ivrit B'Kavvanah T'Chila - Teaching Hebrew as an Additional Language to Diverse Populations in Israel and Around the World. The online conference, to be conducted in Hebrew (Ivrit), is scheduled for May 10-11, 2015. The conference will focus on teaching Hebrew as an additional language to diverse populations in Israel and around the world, and on the challenges facing teachers, teacher educators, researchers, educators, and policy makers in the field. Researchers, educators, teacher educators and administrators are invited to submit proposals for presentations.

When considering the state of complementary Jewish education, I am struck by the absence of conversation about the 800-pound gorilla sitting in front of us: the fact that our Jewish educators are largely untrained as teachers. There is a lot of lip service given to innovation, experiential education, differentiated learning and engagement. I read about the ecosystems of complementary education, the need (or not) to emulate the summer camp experience, the introduction of technology, and the role of families in their children’s learning. What I don’t read about is improving the quality of instruction.

This study analyzes the ways in which practitioner inquiry engages graduate student educators in understanding how to navigate the complexities and contingencies of teaching. By examining the challenges graduate student teachers faced while conducting practitioner inquiry, as well as the categories of teacher knowledge they developed in the process, this article demonstrates that the primary value of novice practitioner inquiry is in the cultivation of educators who can approach their practice with deeper analysis, self-awareness, and sophistication. By learning to adopt an inquiry stance and translate their research into action, they can elevate the quality of their own teaching. As they become more seasoned, and if a culture and scaffold can be created to advance and support their inquiry, teachers have the potential to enrich best practices in the field by sharing their research-generated perspectives with colleagues.