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Changing the Way We Teach Hebrew in Part-time Settings!

8/23/2013

2 Comments

 
After three to five years of “Hebrew School,” our pre Bar/Bat Mitzvah age students studying in part-time Jewish educational settings often complain that they don’t know Hebrew.  And certainly when compared to their successes in Spanish, French or Chinese in their elementary school public or private school classes, they have a right to feel like something is amiss.

To help open the conversation, I’m delighted to share a short video that I’m hoping will provoke discussions amongst a variety of Jewish professionals and lay leaders: educators, clergy, professional staff, faculty, education committee members.  The video suggests three reasons why pre-Bar/Bat Mitzvah age students are not succeeding in learning Hebrew to the degree we might expect, and offers three strategies that will create stronger success. 
  • Some of the arguments will feel familiar – e.g., not enough time to achieve our goals that haven’t changed for decades, even as the number of days have decreased for Jewish learning. 

  • Some may feel counterintuitive – e.g., that learning to decode Hebrew is not as easy as those of us who already competent in this skill might feel.

  • And some are not for the faint-of-heart – e.g., that we shift the learning of decoding to the later grades.  

I firmly believe that the Hebrew model that has been in use for decades is not serving our students well and that the learning process needs to honor sound-to-print language learning, even in our part-time settings. I’m not asking you to agree with me, but I would like to open the conversation.  

As mamy of you know, the JECC has been working on curricular materials that support a sound-to-print model of learning Hebrew, including Hebrew Through Movement and Let’s Learn Hebrew Side-by-Side.  It would be wonderful if over the next few years, alternative curriculum and materials would be developed by other educators - ours is but one approach, and there will hopefullly be many!

In the meantime, feel free to use this video as you wish.  And please feel free to click the COMMENT button and share your thoughts, questions and concerns.

Nachama Skolnik Moskowitz, JECC
2 Comments
MIRIAM SCHIFFMAN link
7/16/2014 04:41:15 am

I WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS MY OPINION ON WHY WE SHOULD BE TEACHING HEBREW LANGUAGE IN OUR PART TIME SETTINGS...
PERSONALLY I AM GRATEFUL EVERYDAY THAT MY PARENTS WORKED SO HARD TO SEND ME TO YESHIVA AND SUBSEQUENTLY A HEBREW/SECULAR COLLEGE.
HEBREW HAS BEEN INTEGRAL AND INSTRUMENTAL IN MY TEFILAH IN MY CONVERSATIONS AND IN BEING ABLE TO READ AN ARTICLE OR SING A SONG OR HELP ANYONE THAT HAS DIFFICULTY WITH THE LANGUAGE.
I TRULY BELIEVE THAT AFTER THE STUDENTS BECOME BAR AND BAT MITZVAH THAT THE HEBREW WILL CARRY THEM THROUGH THEIR VISITS TO ISRAEL AND BEING ABLE TO HELP THEIR CHILDREN LEARN AND PROSPER.
I AM SO BLESSED TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK AND UNDERSTAND HEBREW ESPECIALLY TEACH IT. WHEN MY ESTEEMED PRINCIPAL OR COLLEAGUES ENTER MY CLASSROOM AND WE COMMUNICATE IN HEBREW I ALWAYS TELL MY STUDENTS THAT ONE DAY THEY WILL HAVE THE SAME HONOR AND PRIVILEGE.
MIRIAM SCHIFFMAN

Reply
Esther H link
12/6/2020 05:43:17 am

Interesting thoughts, I really enjoyed your blog

Reply



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  • Home
  • Background
  • Foundation
    • Level 1
    • Level 2
    • Level 3
    • Level 4
    • Level 5
    • Level 6
    • Level 7
    • Level 8
    • Level 9
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  • Holidays
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    • Hanukkah
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    • Purim
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    • Sh'ma and its Blessings
    • Amidah
    • Miscellaneous Prayers
  • Tips
    • Blog
    • Tips: Mastering HTM
    • Teacher Tips
    • Director Tips
    • Hebrew learning project
  • Online Seminar