Curriculum Panel Response

I found the curriculum panel compelling in that it brought together people from such different subject areas, but all of them had the same objectives in mind. I was especially interested in what Rabbi Ed Horowitz had to say about the nature of teaching text for the purpose of content or for the purpose of developing skills. I have always wanted to develop a teaching style where all teaching was built around some type of text, but I also was interested in a blend of both skills and content. I believe that content is necessary for the engagement of the student. This also seems necessary for the students to be willing to ingrain themselves within the difficult task of learning new skills. If we are only concerned with developing skills, what motivation do we give to students to actually use those skills later on?

I do admit that I approach Jewish text study differently than math, science or social studies. While the study of all of those serve utilitarian purposes that are extremely valuable to the students’ future. I am as concerned or even more concerned with the students’ future. For all the obvious benefits of the fact that involvement in Judaism helps someone be a better person, but also because it seems integral to the students interest in engaging life as a Jew that they appreciate what it means to be a Jew. The engagement in text, and thus the need for the skills to do so, is the most accessible way for these students to be able to engage long term with this tradition. An ability to handle the texts and appreciate their value will allow the students the ability to discuss debate and decide thoughtfully how they might engage as Jews in an intellectual honest way. None of this will ever be able to happen if as teachers of Jewish texts we don't inspire them. This can't necessarily be done by teaching them how to read Rashi script, or how to make use of a Gezeras Shava, or how to find a Halacha in the Tur or the Mishne Torah. Also, if we teach texts only to teach the skills, how does one reach those students not interested in engaging with the texts directly, or without the learning abilities to do so? We most broaden our approach so that is not one or the other. Both approaches are integral to the development of the Jewish student.

The next issue to be resolved is how to integrate studies. Obvious opportunities evolve out of the connections between the subjects' content areas. The teachers acknowledged the need for time to create specific projects that allow for integration. As schools expect more and more specialists to handle subject areas, the more teachers to have to pull together to get these projects off the ground. The question becomes whether a school wide effort to develop curriculum specifically around integrated curriculum and to hire teachers who are capable individually to educate to this objective. As someone who is especially interested in developing a curriculum that uses as its foundation Judaic learning, I would like to explore how to teach Judaism while still developing the skill sets used in math, reading, writing, historical analysis, etc. I want to explore how it may be possible to still expose the students to the content that has been used in the past to teach the General studies subjects, but in a way that can still be used in conjunction with Judaism. I hope that I have other opportunities to explore these concepts with other educators in the future.

CS Inquiry-Notes

Matt

8 years old
2nd grade

Initial Description

Bright
friendly
goofy
tallest kid in the class, lanky
likes to read
one sister, age 11
father law professor, mother is argentinian (highly encouraging)
goes to school in summer in argentina (dual language)
reads books at 5th grade level
does work very quickly, sometimes so quiçkly makes obvious errors, not of judgement, but of rushing
asks questions' regarding basic instructions, "I don't get it"
likes approval
eager to help others if they don't understand
wants to be recognized as smart
told principal that he should skip second grade
has friends, tends to hang out with the same group at recess
at synaguage only sits with dad and reads book
parents are very encouraging of him, according to teachers they sometimes set too high expectations
overachiever

Judaic Studies

a little more confused by Hebrew Language. During instruction. During kabballat shabbat he is involved when teaching bivrit hedoesn't pay attention, when in English he does.
higher learning- understands high concepts, very creative writing, figures out own ways
pays attention visually, not so much listening wise
playing with eraser during frontal instruction

General Studies

language: speaks in two langauges. Learns in two languages.
wants approval.

Doesn't mean to do anything wrong.
Likes to read.Likes to talk to adults. Teacher doubts comprehension of books that he reads
-monitors others behavior, to allow to be the fastest
-desk inside organizted, relatively neat, not overflowing.
-in p.e. Plays hard, will cheer other kids on, gets involved. Doesn't ask questions to coach.
-shares desk items
-helpful to don, who he shares a desk with.
-desk top is neat
-doesn't forget work at home
-finishes math work very fast, forget to write nujmbers sometimes because going too fast.
During instruction plays with eraser or pencil.
-eager to raise hand and answer qusetions
-wants to prove himself,gets very excited
-doesn't close his nines because writing too fast; doesn't pay attention to directions and makes mistakes
-doing reading sentance completion makes silly spelling miskates even with word right on page.
-claims didn't get how to do spelling worksheet, because wasn't paying attention
hurries through work, just to get finished then gets bored and zones out. Very quick to just finish work
-concerned about blessings for food. Forgot if said with class, so said on his own.
Areas of focus
-social, cognitive, spiritual
work with friends/ playtime, helping others
judaic involvement
judaic apreciation
language
higher order thinking (creativity and conceptual thought)
instruction: oral vs. written
mel lavine: higher order thinking
Interview: Day One
-medium apprehension about the school day. does not like cloudy day.
-likes seeing friends at school.
-looks forward to math. favorite subject. Like art, get to paint get to do whatever you want. writing is communnicating to someone, but art not. writing in math too.
-mom speaks to mark in spanish, but speaks back in english. Certain words speak back in spanish. accustomed to saying certain things in spanish.
-in argentina, not fully speaking, can answer, not fulent. Go to spanish school and learn english, and in english.
-likes jewish day school
-likes school in U.S. better
-likes learning in spanish better than hebrew, because more fluent
-doesn't like learning in hebrew, can't understand. Teacher gets frustrated
-likes general studies more
-likes the content matter, just not learning in hebrew
Attention
-Processing Controls (cognitive activation)
-Production Control (tempo & self monitoring)

Delet Kallah Bet

Hebrew Language
Values
Role of Teachers, centrality of the teacher in school culture
How were their narratives different?
How and why were they choosing to reflect on that?
Choosing a narrative that is close to heart and also one struggling to implement.
Both at Stephen S. Weiss and Pressman Academy, the head of schools spoke about the need to constantly reevaluate the programs they discussed with us. At Heschel they discussed the evolution of the way the school interacts with physical space, whether it be the kindergarten classroom or the beit medresh. The need to reevaluate the school's own value systems and to decide what they want most to impart to their students and how best to utilize their resources to meet that goal. In a school like pressman where space limits, the intention is to grow the student curricular, by bringing in Hebrew Immersion in a strong way in order to both develop that specific area, but also because of the benefits it brings in other cognitive and development areas. In all the school, when developing new projects, a new to be aware and constantly reevaluating those projects to ensure their efficiency.