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Making Jewish Education Work: Professional Development for Educators
The fourth offering in JESNA's "Making Jewish Education Work" series focuses on Professional Development for Educators. Read it here, or download the full document below. Making Jewish Education Work: Professional Development for Educators (2.76 MB).
- Research Reports and Studies - Publications and Dissemination Project
Toolbox for Teachers and Mentors: Moving Madrichim to Mentor Teachers and Beyond (Review from Jewish Book World)
This short review from Jewish Book World highlights the depth of value in Toolbox for Teachers and Mentors, by Dr. Richard D. Solomon, for use in Jewish educational settings. Drawing on both education and psychology, Toolbox for Teachers and Mentors offers an in-depth approach to preparing our brightest young people to be outstanding teachers in the future. Toolbox for Teachers and Mentors: Moving Madrichim to Mentor Teachers and Beyond (Review) (888.06 kB)
- Reviews
Brandeis University - MAT-JDS/DeLeT
DeLeT is a 14 month (two summers and a school year) program that combines academic and professional study with a year-long internship in a local day school. Small and personalized, the program prepares teachers of general and Jewish studies for grades 1-6. Students study with members of their Jewish day school cohort as well as with members of the public elementary school MAT cohort. Program faculty and instructors include distinguished teacher educators and Judaic scholars drawn from the Brandeis Education Program, the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, and the Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education. The DeLeT/MAT partners with Jewish day schools in the greater Boston area that span the denominational spectrum of Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and community/pluralistic. Trained mentor teachers welcome interns into their classroom and guide them in learning to teach. Students who complete the program receive a Masters of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree from Brandeis University and are eligible for an initial teaching license (grades 1-6) from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts which has reciprocity with 15 other states. The Brandeis secondary MAT program also prepares Bible teachers for Jewish day schools, grades 7-12. In this 14 month program, students further their content knowledge by taking courses in Brandeis' Near Eastern and Judaic Studies Dept. while learning about pedagogy and practice with Brandeis professors and master teachers at Gann Academy ...
- Programs and Initiatives - Degree Programs
How Can Program Evaluation Help Me? Webinar 1 Featured
The first in a 3-part webinar series with Leora Isaacs, JESNA's Vice President for Programs and Organizational Learning, on the how-to's of program evaluation in Jewish education. Webinar 1 focuses on "Why Evaluate," and "How to Get Started."Please note that the video is broken up into 4 parts (due to file size restrictions), posted here in the correct order. When you get to the end of the first clip, simply click on the next one to play.You may view and download the PowerPoint that Dr. Isaacs presents in this webinar HERE. You may also be interested in the JESNA publication Pathways: A Guide for Evaluating Programs in Jewish Settings, which is also discussed in this presentation. Download Pathways here: Pathways part 1Pathways part 2
- Interactive Resources - Webinars
- Audio
- Video
How Can Program Evaluation Help Me? Webinar 2 Featured
Part 2 of 3 in the webinar series with Dr. Leora Isaacs, JESNA's Vice President for Programs and Organizational Learning, on the how-to's of program evaluation in Jewish education. Webinar 2 focuses on articulating outcomes and planning for successful attainment. Please note that the video is broken up into 3 parts (due to file size restrictions), posted here in the correct order. When you get to the end of the first clip, simply click on the next one to play.You may view and download the PowerPoint, worksheets, and Glossary of Commonly used terms that Dr. Isaacs presents in this webinar here: PD_Network_Webinar_II__12_02_09 (1.13 MB). PD_Network_Webinar_II_Handouts (1.3 MB) PD_Webinar_II_Glossary_of_Common_Terms (75.26 kB)You may also be interested in the JESNA publication Pathways: A Guide for Evaluating Programs in Jewish Settings, which is also discussed in this presentation. Download Pathways here: Pathways part 1 (12.3 MB) Pathways part 2 (11.73 MB)
- Interactive Resources - Webinars
Teva Seminar on Jewish Environmental Education Featured
Teva's 15th annual summer seminar on Jewish environmental education will take place June 7-10, 2010, at beautiful Surprise Lake Camp in Cold Spring, NY. Participants can choose from four different tracks: Congregational Education, Ethics and Texts, Camp and Wilderness, or Organic Agriculture and Educational Gardening. Sponsored by the Jewish National Fund, the Teva Learning Center's mission is to renew the ecological wisdom inherent in Judaism. By immersing participants in the natural world and providing structured activities which sensitize them to nature's rhythms, participants develop a more meaningful relationship with nature and their own Jewish practices.
- Organizations - National and International Organizations
- Events - Conference Websites
ADCA Webinar: "Leading Without Authority" Featured
During 2010 JESNA will facilitate a set of webinars for central agency executives and selected senior staff that will focus on the challenges implicit in implementing the WOW project as a case study in leading systemic community educational change. Successfully implementing the WOW project requires that central agencies utilize a range of capabilities that relate to effective change leadership generally (i.e., whether for WOW or for other agency initiatives). The need for central agencies and their executives to further develop a number of these capabilities has been noted on previous webinars.This webinar is the first in a series of six. The topic is Positioning the Central Agency as a “Leader”: Building the Necessary Relationships. The webinar may be viewed below in its entirety; due to file-size restrictions, is has been broken into 8 clips of roughly 9 minutes each. Before or after viewing, you may also be interested in reviewing the following ancillary materials that were shared among the participants.From the Harvard Business Review Blog: Is Your Business Innovative? From the Harvard Business Review Blog: Leading When You Don't Have Formal Authority From BNet at Harvard Business: Leading From the RearVideo from TED Talks: Itay Talgam: Lead Like the Great Conductors You may also download the PowerPoint presentations from this webinar here: Adaptive Leadership (2.41 MB) WOW Project Outline (105 kB) ADCA_Leading without Authority (347 kB) LEADING wi ...
- Interactive Resources - Webinars
Webinar-- "Teaching Mishna: Problems and Creative Solutions" Featured
Join MOFET JTEC on Wednesday, February 17th for this free webinar on challenges and solutions in teaching Mishna, presented by Rabbi Dr. Avraham Walfish. Instructions for registering for this live online encounter can be found at the MOFET JTEC website listed above.
- Interactive Resources - Webinars
Snapshots & Insights: Continuing Rabbinic Education Featured
During their years in rabbinical school, Rabbis acquire a tremendous amount of knowledge in certain areas (e.g., Jewish texts and law), and less, if any, in others (e.g., pastoral care and synagogue management). Like other professions, rabbis benefit from opportunities to engage in professional development and study opportunities throughout their careers. As their careers advance, they need training and mentoring around issues of self-care, and the care of their families, their congregations and the greater Jewish community, emergent issues, new responsibilities, changing field demands, non-profit management, and other such topics. Snapshots and Insights: Continuing Rabbinic Education (330.13 kB)
- Articles
- Research Reports and Studies - Publications and Dissemination Project
Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The Rothberg International School in Conjunction with the Melton Centre for Jewish Education – MA program in Jewish Education
A two-year program taught in English, designed for students interested in entering the world of Jewish education, experienced teachers, principals, informal educators, and communal leaders. The program deals with the theory and practice of Jewish education in both the Diaspora and Israel. Courses are offered in the philosophy of Jewish education, psychology, sociology, the teaching of Israel, contemporary Jewry, curriculum development and teaching, Jewish leadership education, gender studies, and informal education. In addition, the possibility is offered for one individual tutorial each year. The program offers a choice of concentrations in fields of study that are significant for Jewish education: 1) Jewish studies – for educators engaged in the transmission of Jewish content. 2) Jewish leadership education for principals, educators and community workers. 3) Israel studies for specialization in the teaching of Israeli culture and the contemporary Israeli experience. The MA program consists of 42 credits. Students are expected to be ready to begin at least Hebrew level Bet on commencing the program and to complete level Heh by the end of their studies. Courses in the MA program are also open on a one year or semester basis to non-degree students.
- Organizations - Academic Institutions
JESNA's Annual Report 2009: Think Locally, Act Globally
JESNA's 2009 Annual Report. Download the full report here. JESNA's Annual Report 2009: Think Globally, Act Locally
- Annual Reports
Jewish Women's Archive
Offers a rich online collection of materials on Jewish women's history. Searchable by type, time period, or topic. The mission of the Jewish Women's Archive (JWA) is to uncover, chronicle, and transmit to a broad public the rich history of American Jewish women. A national non-profit organization founded in 1995 and based in Brookline, MA, the Jewish Women's Archive presents the stories, struggles, and achievements of Jewish women in North America. We create and disseminate educational materials, develop partnerships, sponsor programs, conduct and support original research, and maintain an innovative website all designed to help us understand our past and shape our future. The website offers a Virtual Archive, curricula and other educational materials, a variety of online exhibits, oral history guides, a blog, a growing collection of reminiscences of recently deceased Jewish women, and a myriad of other resources for anyone interested in the experiences of American Jewish women, both celebrated and unheralded.
- Databases and Resource Centers - Curriculum Banks
- Databases and Resource Centers - Resource Centers
- Interactive Resources - Blogs
Jewish Women's Archive: 2010 Institute for Educators Featured
Jewish Women's ArchiveInstitute for EducatorsJuly 25-29, 2010Newton, MAJoin the Jewish Women's Archive for four days of intensive professional development designed to enrich your teaching with the compelling stories of American Jewish lives, past and present. The 2010 Institute will focus on the role of Jews in the Civil Rights Movement in America. The Institute is open to educators who work with students in grades 8–12 in formal and/or informal settings. Participants' expenses, including travel and hotel accommodations, will be covered by a generous grant from the Dorot Foundation. All food will be kosher. Progam Includes: seminars experiential education workshops hands on computer sessions time for developing individualized curriculum materials Presenters Include: Dr. Joyce Antler, Professor of American Jewish History and Culture, Brandeis University, author of The Journey Home: How Jewish Women Shaped Modern America, and JWA Board member; Rabbi Jill Jacobs, Rabbi-in-Residence, Jewish Funds for Justice and author of There Shall Be No Needy: Pursuing Social Justice Through Jewish Law and Tradition; Barbara Rosenblit, Humanities and Judaics teacher at the Weber Jewish High School in Atlanta, 2004 recipient of the Covenant Award for Exceptional Jewish Educators, and JWA Board member; Dr. Debra Schultz, author of Going South: Jewish Women in the Civil Rights Movement. Online Application Deadline: March 1, 2010
- Organizations - National and International Organizations
- Events - Conference Websites
ADCA Webinar: A Discussion with Jack Wertheimer
A webinar for the members of ADCA (Association of Directors of Central Agencies for Jewish Education), presented as a discussion with Jack Wertheimer on the topic of his publication Schools That Work: What We Can Learn From Good Jewish Supplementary Schools. Watch the full webinar here. Discussion with Jack Wertheimer (PowerPoint presentation) (643.5 kB)
- Presentations
- Interactive Resources - Webinars
Hidden Sparks
Hidden Sparks is a non-profit fund whose purpose is to help children with learning differences reach their full potential in school and life. Hidden Sparks develops and supports professional development programs for Jewish day schools to help increase understanding and support for teaching to diverse learners.Of special note is Hidden Sparks Without Walls (WOW), an online offering of short-term courses on differentiated learning to teachers in Jewish day schools and yeshivas, combining audio and online content-- all free of charge.Hidden Sparks was named as one of the 50 Most Innovative Jewish Nonprofits in America by Slingshot 2010.
- Organizations - National and International Organizations
- Programs and Initiatives
Innovation in Jewish Education Blog Featured
Innovation in Jewish Education (IJE) is the blog of the Office of High School Programs at Brandeis University. The IJE draws upon BIMA and Genesis, Brandeis University’s two summer programs for high school students, that service as living laboratories. Experiential Jewish education is at the heart of IJE's work; blog posts from a plethora of Jewish Educational leaders cover topics relating to all aspects of informal/experiential education and Jewish youth.
- Interactive Resources - Blogs
Making Jewish Education Work: Community Hebrew High Schools
First in a series "Making Jewish Education Work" focusing on research and evaluation in the field of community Hebrew high schools. Making Jewish Education Work: Community Hebrew High Schools (1.79 MB)
- Research Reports and Studies - Publications and Dissemination Project
Making Jewish Education Work: Complementary School Change Initiatives
The third publication in the "Making Jewish Education Work" series of JESNA's Publications and Dissemination Project. This report explores lessons learned from the Berman Center's evaluations of community/congregational school change efforts. Making Jewish Education Work: Complementary School Change Initiatives (4.87 MB) Download the Discussion Guide: PDP3 Discussion Guide (320.5 kB) Download the Informational Trifold: PDP3 Trifold (659.68 kB) Download the PowerPoint Presentation: PDP3 Presentation (2.63 MB)
- Research Reports and Studies - Publications and Dissemination Project
Educators in Jewish Schools Study (EJSS)
EJSS is a large-scale study commissioned by JESNA and conducted by Michael Ben-Avie & Jeffrey Kress that collected descriptive information about Jewish educators in Jewish day and complementary schools. EJSS is an important first step toward creating a research-based portrait of educators in Jewish schools in North America. EJSS Report (851.37 kB) EJSS Discussion Guide (137.42 kB)
- Research Reports and Studies
JESNA Annual Report 2008: Jewish Education Moves the World
JESNA's Annual Report for 2008. Highlights include Berman Center evaluations, the Sosland Resource Center Upgrade, the Educators in Jewish Schools Study, the Lippman Kanfer Institute Working Paper "Redesigning Jewish Education for the 21st Century," the PD Notes professional development newsletter, and new Lippman Kanfer Institute initiatives. JESNA Annual Report 2008: Jewish Education Moves the World (1.14 MB)
- Annual Reports