Jewish Portal of
Teacher Education
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Search results for: Practitioner research
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8 items
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This study examines how 3- and 4-year-old Jewish children think and feel about Israel. The research, conducted as a collaboration between scholars and practitioner-researchers who work in Jewish early childhood centers, draws upon group interviews, elicitation/provocation exercises, a drawing task, and teacher documentation to investigate how some of the youngest learners in Jewish educational settings conceive of Israel. We found that 3- and 4-year-old Jewish children think about Israel as a foreign country with its own customs, landmarks, and language. They also think about Israel as a distinctly Jewish place, with a special role in Jewish traditions and stories. We found no evidence that 3- and 4-year-old children reflect on Israel as a place of personal meaning for their own Jewish lives. This absence challenges both the theory and practice of Israel education in the early childhood setting.
Published: 2021
Updated: May. 09, 2021
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Lesson study is a form of professional development where a group of teachers identifies a problem of practice on which they would like to make progress in their teaching. Over an extended period of time, the teachers study the topic and plan a lesson together. One member then teaches the lesson while the others observe; the group reflects afterwards on student learning. The cycle repeats, building teachers’ professional knowledge and their shared views of pedagogy over time. In this article, we argue that lesson study is a collaborative form of practitioner research and we show how this is so by sharing an example of a lesson study cycle conducted in a synagogue school.
Published: 2019
Updated: Jul. 11, 2019
3
This study explores how structured reflective practice by teachers in a Reform congregational school contributes to relational growth and the development of an inquiry stance in teaching. Analysis of teachers’ responses to weekly prompts about their classroom experiences reveals three prominent themes: classroom management as inquiry, the tension between focusing on creating community and focusing on Jewish content, and thinking explicitly about how intention can influence teaching practices.
Published: 2019
Updated: May. 01, 2019
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This special issue of the Journal of Jewish Education marks a double milestone: one for the Journal itself, and one for the Mandel Teacher Educator Institute (MTEI), whose graduates are this issue’s authors. For the JJE, this is the first volume entirely devoted to practitioner research. For MTEI, this is the first publication of research done by graduates. I will share a bit about each of these enterprises before I introduce the articles which make up this special issue.
Published: 2019
Updated: May. 01, 2019
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Drawing on interview data from a practitioner research study involving secondary students in a Jewish school, the following paper presents students’ explanations for why learning through the arts is a valuable and important classroom experience. The explanations offered by students reflected a strong self-awareness and understanding of their own learning styles and how the arts complimented their studies and challenged them in new ways. In addition to hearing how students appreciate learning through the arts, the data also suggests that teachers and other school stakeholders should find ways to provide opportunities for students to contribute to conversations about pedagogical practice
Published: 2018
Updated: Apr. 04, 2019
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The article presents research from a practitioner research study conducted in a non-denominational Jewish secondary school. As part of the study, students created artistic works based on chapter 12 of the biblical book of Numbers. Four of the twelve student groups created works that directly engaged with their conceptions of God as represented in the text while also making direct links to God's role in their lives. Learning through the arts can be a powerful tool that teachers can draw on in order to provide space for students to reflect on their understanding of God and as a way to engage students in conversations about God.
Published: 2016
Updated: Apr. 20, 2016
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Practitioner research was conducted on Grade 10 students’ arts-based projects of Numbers Chapter 12 in order to assess the value of using the arts in Jewish secondary schools. Based on interview transcripts, projects, and written statements, three themes emerged that demonstrated why teachers should use the arts in their classes. The arts provided students the opportunity to act as commentators, form personal connections to the text, and meet educational and curricular goals like memory retention and enhanced group skills. The following article provides a case study of two projects that used the same storyline in order to provide evidence for the importance of using the arts in Jewish education.
Published: 2014
Updated: May. 26, 2014
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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.
Published: 2014
Updated: Apr. 30, 2014