The Jewish Educator: New Ideas and Engagement
Source: NewCaje
Welcome to the June 2018 The Jewish Educator, containing articles written by your colleagues. For this issue, we asked for articles on the following topics: 1. As we approach the High Holidays and new beginnings, share changes and exciting ideas you institute in your classroom, in your professional development, or in the climate of your school. 2. With today’s overprogrammed students and overcommitted families, share creative ways of keeping children, with the support of their families, in school and engaged in the learning process.
Dr. Art Shostak’s article, “Making the Case for a Holocaust Education Reset,” puts forth the case for a reset of Holocaust teaching with six pedagogical changes in classrooms and at home. His belief is that we need to move from the teaching method -- dating from 1945 until the present -- of what he calls the “Horror Story,” focusing on the crimes perpetrated against the victims, to the “Help Story,” an account of how victims tried to care for each other.
Jane Tamaren, M.D., titles her article, “Teaching Genesis in the Next Generation.” She suggests teaching Torah stories to young people, using the lens provided by archeological discoveries in Egypt and the Near East. Students paint pictures that illustrate these stories by using the literary approach provided by Robert Alter.
In her article, “Looking at an Effective, Low-Cost Means of Long-Term Professional Development? Try a Community of Practice!,” Miriam Rosalyn Diamond outlines the rationale behind COPs, describes how to create them, and shares practical information on motivating participants.
Hana Bor, Ph.D., and M.Paz Galupo, Ph.D., in their article, “Using Creative Leadership to Transform Jewish Education,” suggest the importance of Jewish educators being encouraged and trained to develop skills in creative leadership. Their article describes the Creative Leadership Institute at Baltimore Hebrew Institute at Towson University and three areas on which Jewish educators can focus to “up the game” in their field of practice.
Ora Shulman, in her article “How Do We Creatively Engage Students and Provide a Sense of Community Through the Learning Year?,” describes the #MADE@AHS program, which was inspired by the new Makerspace at Associated Hebrew School, Posluns Campus in Toronto.
Emily Aronof Teck, Ed.D., in her article, “How Can My Jewish Institution Attract Families with Young Children?,” sets out five things to do before you begin a program for families with young children to help ensure the success of the program.
Lisa Dvorin, M.Ed., in her article, “Connect, Engage and Inspire,” describes her methods of connecting with and keeping families and students both in and out of the classroom in spite of their busy lives. One of these is a Jewish inspiration blog.
Cantor Wayne Krieger, in his article, “NOSH—a New Oneg Shabbat Happening,” describes and reflects on a Friday night service program for families with young children.
Melissa Hofman, in her article, “The Ark Project: A Groundbreaking Service-Learning Curriculum for Bnai Mitzvah Students,” describes a newly-created (2016) service-learning curriculum, Jewish Imitative for Animals (JIFA), for Bar and Bat mitzvah students.
Mick Fine, in his article, “How Can We Integrate Hebrew Language with Social Emotional Learning?,” looks at implementing an integrated curriculum of Hebrew and social-emotional learning, leaning on Howard Gardner’s belief that social-emotional intelligence is one of the ways humans develop.
Cantor Daniel Eli Friedman suggests, in his article “A New Pedagogy for Teaching Torah Trope Utilizing Multiple Intelligence Theory.” that teaching Torah to the very young as well as to those past Bar/Bat mitzvah age, can be successfully accomplished by using Gardner’s multiple intelligences theory.
Mindy Gold, in her article, “Text, Technology, and Multiple Intelligences: A Model of Collaborate Professional Development,” describes the ways that technology can help and enhance teaching and professional development through the Jewish Educator Technology Imitative (JETI), which she created. She focuses on chavruta text study with technology tools in order to reach different learners.