What Hebrew teachers need to know in order to improve Hebrew
Education?
Smith and Lytle are two researchers (Smith is affiliated with Boston College
and Lytle with Penn University) who study the area of Teachers’ education;
what teachers need to know and how they learn it. They suggest a new
conceptual framework to think about the relationships of knowledge and
practice which I find very helpful when I think about what Hebrew teachers
need to know. They say that there are three types of relationships of
knowledge and practice
Knowledge for practice
It is assumed that university based researchers generate what is commonly
referred to as “formal knowledge” for teachers to use in order to improve
their practice. Knowing more about the subject matter, more educational
theory, more pedagogy, more instructional strategies leads to more effective
practice, classroom organization and assessment. Teachers can learn
through various pre-service and professional development opportunities that
provide access to the knowledge base. Shulman stresses that what teachers
need to know is not only the content knowledge (subject matter: Hebrew,
math….) but also the pedagogical content knowledge which is how teachers
understand the subject matter and transform it to classroom instructions.
According to this first model, teachers are knowledge users, not knowledge
generators. In this model learning from best practice is common, because it
assumes that there are empirically verified strategies for classroom
management, instructions, curriculum and assessment.
Application to Hebrew Instruction:
Various disciplines are involved in this profession: education, linguistic,
psychology and more. In order to teach Hebrew as a second/foreign
language teachers need to have some knowledge in the following areas:
 Hebrew,
 Second language acquisition theories and concepts,
 Pedagogy and methodology of teaching a second language,
 Existing Hebrew curriculum for different age groups and settings (day
school/supplementary schools),
 Jewish education in the United States etc….
Teachers need to be sent to classes and workshops or read articles to acquire
the above knowledge in order to improve their practice. The more you know
the better practitioner you are. Teachers should also read about best practices
in the field or visits schools who have experts to hear from them and observe
them in action.
Knowledge in practice
The assumption here is on knowledge in action or artistry of practice.
Teachers learn from experience and reflection on practice. This model is
based on the assumption that teaching is, to a great extent, an uncertain and
spontaneous craft. Teachers need constantly to assess situations and make
decisions based on what they see. You acquire your knowledge both from
experience and reflection. Teachers learn when they have opportunities to
examine and when they become problems solvers. Teaches invent
knowledge for themselves in the midst of actions and making choices. Good
teachers are teachers that are coached (not taught) through reflective
supervision. Working with a mentor and videotaping your teaching is a great
tool for this model.
Application to Hebrew Instructions:
Hebrew teachers, as long as they have some comfort level with Hebrew,
jump into the field and learn through experience and reflection. They need to
have a mentor/supervisor to work closely with them in order to achieve the
best results. In reality many Hebrew teachers begin their career through
experience but unfortunately they don’t receive enough, or on-going
supervision to get the most out of the experience. This practice is more
typical in Jewish day schools and in settings where they use the NETA
curriculum, but not enough in supplementary schools for various reasons.
Knowledge of practice
Teachers generate knowledge of practice by making their classrooms sites of
inquiry. Teachers are active creators of theory and research. In this model
both novice and experienced teachers are capable. A teacher is an agent in
the classroom and in the larger educational contexts. Local knowledge
emerges from conjoined understandings. Teachers need to get together to
investigate their own assumptions, teaching experiences and develop new
assumptions and conclusions. Here the knowledge is not separated from the
knower. The teachers have a primary role in the classroom and they are
active in the process of developing new knowledge. The practical knowledge
adds to the existing knowledge.
Application to Hebrew Instructions:
Hebrew teachers who teach the same curriculum get together to share and
discuss their teaching experience and come to new insights. For example; a
group of teachers who teach Tefillah in a supplementary school may decide
to take a new approach after observing that their students don’t learn
Hebrew effectively. They decide to focus on Modern Hebrew as an entry
way to learn Hebrew for Tefillah (see below an article from The URJ dafkesher)
A Case for Modern Hebrew in a Supplementary
Setting
By Ellen Lefkowitz, Educator, Congregation Beth Am of Los Altos Hills, Calif.
Up until the last couple of years, our Hebrew program looked liked those of the majority of
supplementary Hebrew schools across the country. Our challenges, I’m guessing, are like that of
other schools. How do we engage students in prayer book Hebrew? How can Israeli Hebrew
teachers teach a prayer book curriculum? How can we ensure active participation among our
students at such a difficult time of day? How can we better integrate Hebrew and Judaica
learning? These questions are just a few of the challenges we wanted to tackle when we were
presented with the opportunity to re-imagine our Hebrew program.
Over the course of four months, a group of congregants and I gathered to reevaluate our vision,
to study best practices in other synagogue schools and to review curricular materials for Hebrew
programs. As we reached the end of this process, we developed a set of goals for our program:
• To build a connection with the Land of Israel and its people
• To plant seeds of excitement and a love for the Hebrew language
• To develop a Hebrew literacy connected with Jewish values, traditions, rituals and life-cycle
events shared by Jews around the world
• To introduce Hebrew as a living language through basic vocabulary and grammar
• To motivate students to continue learning Hebrew in high school and college
• To enable students to achieve prayer book literacy
When it came time to make a decision as to how to achieve these goals, we realized that a
Modern Hebrew program would not only help us achieve these goals, but students and teachers
alike would become more engaged with the
material. After piloting a Modern Hebrew curriculum in a couple of our classes, we noticed a
dramatic increase in students’ participation with the materials. They loved learning basic
vocabulary, they expressed pride and excitement after reading through an entire story in Hebrew,
and they saw tangible progress in their own Hebrew skills. In addition, all of the skills they learned
through the Modern Hebrew curriculum were transferable easily to prayer book Hebrew.
At each grade level, students were asked to learn specific t’filot, and through prayer booklets, CDROMs and teacher support, they could do so at their own pace.
We certainly are realistic about how much Modern Hebrew our students can learn in a
supplementary program, but we believe that we are planting the seeds for a love of the modern,
living language spoken by Jews not only in Israel but around the world.
Implications:
Regardless of your entry point to your profession as a Hebrew teacher, it is
important to remember that knowledge for/in/ and of practice complement
and don’t replace each other. You need to stay open and move from one to
another in order to become an excellent Hebrew teacher. Teaching Hebrew
is not just a “job” but a “profession.” I strongly believe that working
closely with Hebrew teachers is the key to improving Hebrew education.
Even an excellent curriculum can’t work effectively if the teacher who is
delivering it is not coached and supported throughout the process.