More than 500 Judaic and general studies educators from seven different schools in Manhattan, Queens and Long Island, N.Y., gathered together at the Hebrew Academy of Long Beach for the annual “Day of Learning” on Nov. 11. Spearheaded, managed and funded by The Jewish Education Project, in collaboration this year with the Jewish Education Innovation Challenge (JEIC), the event provides academic institutions with high-quality professional development opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach.
This year’s “Day of Learning,” led by Gary Pretsfelder, senior manager for professional learning and growth in New York day schools at The Jewish Education Project, brought a fresh infusion of innovation to the program with its theme of meeting the needs of diverse learners in the classroom through student-centered, active strategies.
The full-day program offered Limudei Kodesh general-studies teachers and administrators some effective, practical strategies to counter the “one size fits all” model of teaching so that educators can better support the wide range of students in their classrooms.
The event featured a keynote address by Catlin Tucker, an expert in innovative classroom practices, who shared insights on how best to design strategies for engaging students with diverse learning styles and for shifting the classroom to more student-oriented, differentiated tasks. Following her address, participants engaged in one of 30 specialized workshops, each tailored to specific grade levels and subjects, in which they had the opportunity to experience Tucker’s approach in practice.
To support the ongoing implementation of these techniques, The Jewish Education Project also launched two cohorts of professionals who will continue their learning together in this area via Zoom over the coming months. The first group, designed for day-school leaders and led by Tucker, will guide principals and curriculum leaders in how to integrate this methodology into their schools. The second group, to be led by Rabbi Shmuel Feld of JEIC and Chani Richmond of Lomdei, will engage teachers of limudei kodesh on how to introduce these strategies in their teaching of chumash, gemara, tefillah, etc.
Participants of the “Day of Learning” left inspired and equipped with new tools to enhance student engagement in their schools.