April 2021: Project-Based Learning

by Rabbi Aharon Lopiansky Rabbi Aharon Lopiansky addressed the CoJDS Summer Think Tank this past July. This essay is based on that speech. אַשְׁרֵ֚י הַגֶּ֣בֶר אֲשֶׁר־תְּיַסְּרֶ֣נּוּ יָּ֑הּ וּמִתּוֹרָֽתְךָ֥ תְלַמְּדֶֽנּוּ (תהילים צד’, יב’) This pasuk from Tehillim […]

by Rabbi Yehoshua Dovid Schwartz As a middle school Gemara teacher, Project-Based Learning was always a paper-theory for me, something that sounded great, but in practice was nearly impossible to apply with authenticity to Gemara. Tanach, […]

by Sharon Schwartz Teaching our youngest students is both an art and a labor of love. Early childhood educators set the foundation for a child’s future success in school and in life. Things have changed radically […]

Training Teachers for Project-Based Learning by Rabbi Yoni Gold Every so often we come across an idea that, after learning about it, seems so obvious that we’re driven to bring it to the attention of others. […]

by Mrs. Etti Siegel Project-based learning. It is a topic on education websites, featured in educator’s magazines, and seems all the rage! So, what is it really? Why don’t more schools have more project-based learning happening? […]

by Daniella Botnick I am a seasoned educator -- having taught for more than 20 years, yet I still consider myself a student. Over the years I have continuously sought to learn innovative ways to educate and reach students. Based on my own experience in the classroom and influenced by the research on utilizing creativity and different modalities in 21st-century learning,

by Rabbi Yerachmiel Kalter When thinking of Project Based Learning (PBL), a few images come to my mind. One of them is of grape juice. In 6th grade, I did a science fair project about the […]

by Rabbi Dr. Uriel Lubetski Rationale and Goals: “Rabbi, this is boring” complained a ninth grader after a Tanach class (Saks, 2012, p. 42). As a teacher and principal for over 20 years, I have heard […]

by Mrs. Huvie Schabes Middle school boys: Suave; Savvy; Sanguine; Scholarly; Skilled; Superior. Just ask them. They’ll tell you! School? It’s a place to socialize and play sports. Teachers? Are there for their sport. Learning? No […]

by Dr. Sarah Levy and Mark Parmet Project based learning (PBL) is a form of student-centered, progressive education which allows students to take an active role, empowering them to construct meaning out of what they study. […]

by Mrs. Candace Manor With its dual curriculum, Jewish elementary schools like my own often find themselves in a quandary. How can we possibly cover all of our general and Judaic studies standards, while also instilling […]

by Rabbi Mordechai Weissmann We all know the unfortunate situation that plagues many of our mosdos.  By the time a significant percentage of yeshiva bochurim are matriculated into high school, they either dismiss the value of […]

by Rabbi David Mahler Presently, we live in a nation with a deep divide over a litany of issues. The gaping hole between those on both sides often precludes them from speaking, debating, or arguing with […]

by Mrs. Miriam Gettinger Having skipped both kindergarten and tenth grade in my school career, I am scarred much more from the former than the latter, to this day resistant to ‘coloring in the lines’ and […]