Jewish+Day+School+Conference+Proposal

Proposal for North American Day School Leadership Conference

Title: Integration in the Jewish Day School of the 21st Century

Abstract: Over the past thirty years, Jewish day schools have sought to answer for themselves the questions of why, how and to what degree integration enriches their educational goals and program. While much literature has been written about integration, and many schools strive to implement it in various forms, a weak relationship between the theory and practice of integration remains. This workshop introduces participants to the work of the DeLeT Alumni Leadership Group's innovative approach to teacher led research on the role of integration in Jewish day schools. This workshop will address methods for investigating and evaluating integration in Jewish day schools, mapping its success across the various understandings of integration, and offer a research-based model for integrating Jewish day schools holistically and structurally with a sound philosophy of integration. Participants will leave this workshop with ways to study their own schools, map their usage of integration and engage in the work and conversation that will innovate integration practices for the future.

Essential Questions: What do educators mean when they say they teach an 'integrated curriculum?' What are different models for integrating curriculum? What does a school look like when it is successfully integrating? How can we assess the impact of curricular integration? Why is integration important for the future of the Jewish people and for day school education?

Agenda: (90 Minutes) 1. Integration: Theory vs. Practice (10 Minutes) 2. What are different models/spectrum for understanding and implementing integration? (10 Minutes) 3. What is Your Experience with integration? (15 Minutes) 4. Sharing integration from our practice (20 Minutes) 5. Structural vs. Curricular Integration (15 Minutes) 6. What can you do to support these efforts? (Presenting the "Integration Data Collection Kit") (10 Minutes) 7. What does the future hold? (10 Minutes)

Background The DeLeT Alumni Leadership Group is a professional learning community made up of teacher-leaders from Jewish day schools across the country. A DeLeT teacher leader takes an inquiry stance to raise significant questions about the core issues in teaching within Jewish day schools. This stance serves to support and lead initiatives to strengthen Jewish day school education and improve Jewish life. These teachers-leaders are both versed in the academic literature and practiced in classroom implementation of integration. This background and experience motivates their interest in addressing the role of integration in Jewish day school education. As teachers in the field, crossing all grade levels, regions, religious spectrum and academic disciplines, they will administer the research while collaborating through on-line tools to analyze and draw conclusions. The goal of this on-going, multi-faceted investigation is to provide a thorough understanding of the current usage, impact and possible frameworks for curricular and structural integration in Jewish education.

Using an 'Integration Data Collection Kit', actual classroom examples of curricular integration are being recorded by members of the Delet alumni network, which consists of teachers in day schools in over 14 states. This process aims to provide a deeper understanding of the relationship between the theoretical understanding of integration, the practical implementation in classrooms and the potential areas for improvement and growth in schools as a whole. As DeLeT alumni, we are well versed in the academic literature on integration from "A Critical Review of the Term 'Integration'" (Solomon, 1979), to "Interaction" (Zeldin, 1998) and "The Pedagogy of Integrity" (Levisohn, 2008). The long term vision of this community of practice is to create a model for a fully integrated Jewish day school, built on a solid intellectual foundation and supported by experiences in real classrooms, that could inform and inspire the conversation about the role of integration in the future of Jewish day school education. Participants in this workshop will be invited to participate in on-going research and analysis, and contribute to this area of advancement of Jewish education in the 21st century.

Leading this workshop will be three educators with collective experience in early elementary, middle school and high school education in community day schools in Boston, Providence and Los Angeles. As DeLeT alumni, they are charged with serving as leaders within their school communities, leading efforts for ongoing change and a renewing commitment to Torah learning. Through this workshop, they seek to further their leadership efforts by expanding their impact on the larger Jewish education community.

Jared has been teaching at JCDS, Boston's Jewish Community Day School since 2003, when he was a DeLeT teaching fellow. This is his fifth year teaching kindergarten. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto and completed his Masters of Arts in Teaching at Brandeis University in 2005. As part of his graduate studies, Jared conducted teacher-research, producing a thesis entitled “The Times They Are A-Changin’, Multiple Meanings of Time in Teaching.” Previously, Jared was the national director of Habonim Dror North America, based in New York, and lived in Jerusalem where he directed Year-Long Programs in Israel for the Jewish Agency.
 * Jared Matas, Kindergarten Teacher**

A Jewish day school graduate herself, Jamie attended a Solomon Schechter Day school in Poughkeepsie, NY. In 2002 Jamie became a DeLeT fellow, working in first grade general studies and fifth grade humash at JCDSRI. She completed her Masters of Arts in Teaching at Brandeis in 2005. This is Jamie's fourth year teaching fifth grade general studies at JCDSRI. Last year she began and led a professional learning community at JCDSRI, focussed on examining their own problems of practice, using set protocols to guide their meetings. Last spring she presented on this topic at the DeLeT alumni conference in California. Jamie firmly agrees with Heschel that we need more "textpeople," and she consciously and continually strives to be one.
 * Jamie Faith Woods, 5th Grade General Studies Teacher**

Yechiel Hoffman earned a certificate in Jewish Day School Teaching from Hebrew Union College’s Rhea Hirsch School of Education and Rabbinic Ordination from Rav Dan Channan of Yeshivat Pirchei Shoshanim. Yechiel transitioned into teaching as a DeLeT fellow, placed at Rabbi Jacob Pressman Academy, before coming to Milken Community High School (MCHS), where he has taught for the last four years.
 * Yechiel Hoffman, High School Jewish Studies Teacher**

When not teaching 10th and 12 Grade Jewish Studies courses, Yechiel has developed curriculum for Chumash and Jewish Thought courses, as well as an integrated elective, "Film and Bible Studies". Yechiel has served for three years as an adviser to the school's Gay Straight Alliance, a spiritual adviser students, and serves his colleagues as a Tech Mentor. Currently, Yechiel serves as the Co-Leader for the innovative "Tiyulim Week" program that furthers Milken's mission through experiential and non-formal learning, and runs the Shabbaton and Retreat programs for the Student Life office, in addition to a variety of other non-formal education programs at MCHS.