Havruta Inspired Pedagogy: Fostering An Ecology of Learning for Closely Studying Texts with Others
Source: Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education at Brandeis University
Reading texts closely and discussing and interpreting them with others is a core and complex practice for learners of many ages, in many contexts. In this article, the authors present a pedagogical framework for reading texts with others, "havruta inspired pedagogy". The framework is comprised of three overlapping domains: teaching structures, teaching stance and teaching and learning practices.
They define each of these domains and illustrate through teachers' words and classroom practices how teachers in one context work within these domains to support rich student text-learning experiences. This conceptual framework grows out of a year-long program of design research at a Jewish supplementary school and ongoing documentation and analysis of how teachers implemented their professional development learning in their K-7 classrooms. The pedagogical framework is a conceptual evolution of earlier work and is applicable not only to havruta dyads, but also to small group and whole group lessons and discussions.