From Scaffolding to Independence
Amanda Pogany is in her fourteenth year as the Head of School at Luria Academy of Brooklyn. Amanda is a graduate of the Pardes Educators Program, has a Masters in Jewish Education from Hebrew University, a BA from Barnard College and is a candidate for Rabbinic Ordination through the Shalom Hartman Institute. She is an alumna of the Wexner Field Fellowship and is a recipient of the 2020 Covenant Award. She co-founded Altshul, an independent egalitarian minyan in Brooklyn, in 2005, and is on the advisory board of Jewish Educational Leadership.
I run a progressive N-8 Jewish day school (Luria Academy of Brooklyn) committed to inclusion of children with a broad range of abilities and needs and backgrounds. One of the questions I get asked frequently by parents is when we are going to build a high school. Truthfully, it’s not currently part of our plan and we are blessed to be in New York City where Jewish high school options abound. What prompts the parental requests for a high school is their very reasonable concern for how their child will transition from our student-centered, individualized, supportive classroom to a more traditional, less flexible environment. I’d like to briefly outline how our student-centered philosophy finds expression throughout the student’s learning experience, and how that same philosophy drives how we prepare the students to develop a strong sense of who they are as learners and equips them with a toolkit of strategies to succeed so that they can thrive in environments which are different from ours.
At the core of our educational philosophy is that learning must be tailored to the individual needs of each student, based on how they learn and what they need to be successful. Lessons are given in small groups and materials are differentiated based on learning style, pace, and readiness. In this model, teachers center students rather than curriculum asking themselves first, “Who am I teaching?” rather than “What am I teaching?” For younger students, teachers prepare a Work Chart which guides their independent study during what we call Work Time; for older students, teachers prepare them with their students. During that Work Time, students consult their Work Charts and choose how they allocate their learning time and focus their efforts, so that a classroom visitor might see one student working on math, another practicing his Hebrew reading, and another trying to improve her work in science.
Beyond the academic, we invest serious time and energy in teaching the whole child, supporting students’ social emotional development alongside their academic development. From the moment a student enters our school, we begin thinking about how we can help them become their best selves and how we can ensure they are ready to thrive beyond our walls. Our work is grounded in Zimmerman’s theory of Self-Regulated Learning. We help our students understand who they are as learners, what they need to succeed, and how to advocate for themselves. We incorporate the three components of Zimmerman’s theory: Metacognitive, so that learners know their own strengths and areas for growth and have a toolkit of effective learning strategies, Motivational, to help learners believe in themselves and want to succeed, and Behavioral, so that students learn to manage themselves and their time. All these not only help students to succeed while they are in our school, but they teach dispositions and skills which students can use at every phase of their lives.
Let’s take, for example, the area of testing. Some progressives eschew testing altogether, but—whether we like it or not—it is part of our lives in high schools and universities and employment. When students in our school take a test, an essential part of the testing process is reflecting on the work afterward. They review the test and reflect on what they got wrong, why they got it wrong, and what they might need to do differently next time. Was it a careless mistake which could be fixed by making sure that they review their work? Did they need to study more or in a different way? Is it possible they should have asked for an additional lesson on something they didn’t quite understand? This work helps our students approach high-stakes testing in more traditional classrooms with confidence.
The scaffolding we provide is customized for each student to support their unique academic needs, their social emotional growth, and their executive functioning. In each of these areas, we provide layers of support to help students learn new skills. As the student progresses, we gradually pull away the scaffolding as students move towards increasing independence. Each student moves through these layers of support at a different pace. For example, some students who struggle with executive functioning may initially require a teacher-created graphic organizer, but as we slowly remove the layers of support perhaps trying it on their own while consulting with the teacher and building their self-confidence, they eventually design their own graphic organizers. The process of gradually reducing the scaffolding adds essential skills to their metacognitive toolkit and helps them learn to navigate sophisticated academic environments, regardless of how traditional the methodology of the teachers may be.
As students enter middle school, the emphasis on equipping them to function in the world beyond Luria intensifies. Students receive direct instruction in executive functioning and are provided opportunities to practice new skills, and the advisory program focuses on it as well. Over the years, and especially in the middle school years, we gradually increase classroom expectations so students have the opportunity to experience that and hone their skills while still in an environment where they feel safe to fail. This level of practice prepares them well for juggling multiple teachers with a variety of expectations.
Being in an inclusion model gives all of our students, neurotypical and neurodivergent, the opportunity to learn with and from people who learn, think, and experience differently than they do. The social emotional curriculum helps students learn to manage difficult moments with friends, to communicate their needs and feelings, and to regulate their emotions. Challenging moments with friends are transformed into learning moments as students are coached by teachers in real time, and put theory into practice. As they move to significantly larger institutions or schools without the supportive environment, the work they have done to develop these social skills serves them well.
Proper preparation weans students from the support systems which helped them to forge themselves. When planned and executed thoughtfully, individualized learning helps every child succeed academically and grow into a confident, self-aware, and successful emerging young adult.
Amanda Pogany is in her fourteenth year as the Head of School at Luria Academy of Brooklyn. Amanda is a graduate of the Pardes Educators Program, has a master’s in Jewish education from Hebrew University, a BA from Barnard College and is a candidate for Rabbinic Ordination through the Shalom Hartman Institute. She is an alumna of the Wexner Field Fellowship and is a recipient of the 2020 Covenant Award. She co-founded Altshul, an independent egalitarian minyan in Brooklyn, in 2005, and is on the advisory board of Jewish Educational Leadership.
From The Editor: Winter 2026
For many years I believed that I was a good educator. Students, alumni, and parents told me so. I was mostly effective at exciting my students to learn, drawing them in, and teaching them content and skills they remembered for a long time. Students thought that I was fair and sensitive and really committed to their success. Hey, I even learned how to admit my mistakes and learn from them.
And then I got married and started raising children.
What Mainstream Schools Can Learn From a School Like Mine
I recently had a conversation with a faculty member at a school of education which is part of a local university. He teaches a course titled “Learning and Cognition” and finds himself under pressure from students every year not to teach it. The students, as they enter the classroom, understandably want practical tools, and do not see the connection between how people learn and what they do in a classroom.
Choice in the Middle School Beit Midrash
In a small Jewish day school, differentiation is a fact of life. Some of our students have diagnoses which explain why they have challenges in learning and some do not; some need lots of repetition of material in order to synthesize ideas and others seem to understand and be prepared to explain the content the first time they read or hear an idea. In our small community, some are able to thrive in a Hebrew immersion class while others begin to shut down in this environment. A typical curricular model in middle schools at small Jewish day schools is to offer grade-specific Jewish studies courses; this has the advantage of all students being exposed to the same content, and building upon past learning is an easier task. At Oakland Hebrew Day School (Oakland, CA), a K-8 school, we, too, had this model until ten years ago, when we found ourselves grappling with the following issues:
Traditional Text Study for neurodivergent Students
During our time in school together, Jewish studies classes were streamed based purely on Hebrew language skills. This approach, with its exclusive focus on Hebrew facility, prevented us—and we suspect many other neurodivergent students—from accessing and engaging in the depth and richness of Jewish texts and traditions. Furthermore, by focusing solely on translation and basic comprehension, it denied us the opportunity to apply our own strengths of analytical and creative thinking, which are often reserved for advanced streams.
Trauma Awareness In Jewish Day Schools
A painful reality for Jewish educators is that, despite our most valiant efforts, a significant population of young people who go through the Jewish day school system feels distanced and removed from their education, as if they are perpetually outsiders to their community. Who are these young people? What causes this sense of distance? What can we do to help them? While every case is different, often these children are dealing with some sort of trauma that educators are not always equipped to support, and sometimes can inadvertently inflict. However, proper awareness and appropriate responses can go a long way in helping these young people feel welcome and understood.
The Unique Opportunities for Personalization in Jewish Studies
My experience at Jewish summer camp played an important role in forging my identity, first as a Jew, and then as a Jewish educator. When I made the jump from Director of Education at the camp I grew up at to the Jewish day school classroom, I would often reflect on what made camp so impactful and how I could bring aspects of experiential education into the formal classroom. I soon realized that it is not just about what camp has that the classroom does not, it’s just as much about the aspects of formal education that camps are unburdened by.
Forty Ways to Learn Navi
One of the most powerful sources of professional reflection for me has always been hevruta—the back-and-forth of honest, challenging dialogue. Several years ago, a teacher with whom I shared a classroom told me that my teaching was “too frontal” and that I needed to give students more “voice and choice.”
Being naturally competitive and reflective, I took the critique to heart. During winter break, I spent two solid days redesigning my Navi curriculum for my sixth graders. My goal was simple: to create a system where students could take genuine ownership of their learning while still meeting our academic expectations.
Differentiated Instruction in the Judaic Studies Classroom
Judaic studies is a high-stakes undertaking for teachers who aspire to cultivate in their students not only deep knowledge of texts and traditions that shape Jewish identity, but also a personal relationship with the Torah and with God. Either of those objectives without the other misses an opportunity to foster in children a love of their heritage and the desire to keep it vital in their lives.
Making Tefilah More Student-Centered
Every student enters tefilah with a different story. Some find comfort in familiar words and melodies; others feel unsure, disconnected, or skeptical. Yet tefilah in schools often assumes uniformity—everyone doing the same thing, in the same way, at the same pace. When we shift our focus to the people in the room, new possibilities for meaning can open up.
Differentiation, Relationships, and Planning with an AI Partner
Jewish Studies teachers have long known the importance of meeting students’ individual needs, yet differentiation in practice has remained elusive. Judaic Studies teachers often lack ready-made resources or formal training in differentiation models. In this article, we share our experience using AI to help Jewish studies teachers overcome those challenges.
Unlocking Every Learner: An Instructional Reflection For 1-5 Grade Judaic Educators
Educate the child according to their path (Proverbs 22:6).
This well-known verse beautifully captures the essence of differentiated and personalized learning: each child enters the classroom with a unique constellation of strengths, challenges, interests, and ways of understanding the world.
Blended and Personalized Learning in Jewish Studies
Blended and Personalized Learning (BPL) has become a valuable approach for Jewish studies classrooms seeking to meet wide-ranging student needs without overwhelming teachers. BPL provides structures that allow educators to teach more precisely, differentiate more naturally, and build student independence and choice. When implemented with clear routines, consistent expectations, and thoughtful planning, BPL transforms classrooms into dynamic spaces where learners move at an appropriate pace, engage more deeply, and take increasing ownership of their learning. Educators also benefit from having a mentor/coach guide them through the different steps. The following overview outlines the core principles of effective BPL and illustrates how these principles come to life in real 1st–8th grade classrooms.
Hevruta as a Tool for Differentiation and Personalization
Meeting the needs of every learner in the room is one of the most complex tasks a teacher faces. No two students process text in the same way. Some absorb information quickly, while others need more time. Some think visually, others verbally. Some feel confident sharing ideas in front of the class, while others shut down the moment they feel unsure. Even highly motivated learners approach Torah with very different strengths and needs. Teachers want to support every student, yet it is difficult to personalize instruction when the class is moving through the same pasuk or section of Gemara at the same pace.
From Teaching the Class to Teaching Each Student
Walk down the hallways of many schools today or step into a teacher’s lounge, and the shift in conversation is unmistakable. Instead of talking about plans for a trip, Shabbat, or the newest and most exciting curriculum, the conversation frequently has shifted towards struggling students, classroom behaviors, and the plight of supporting an ever-growing diverse Jewish student population. These discussions reflect a new reality: Teaching at a Jewish day school now requires an expanding skill set to meet the evolving needs of students and the growing challenges teachers face.
Differentiating Jewish Education – Not If But How
In the early 1970s, my mother sat in her 9th grade halakha class cowering in fear. Her teacher loudly berated the class as not one student volunteered to translate the words of the Rosh Hashana prayers. Her pulse racing, my mother suddenly realized she had an advantage. As the daughter of Holocaust survivors who came from two different countries, my mother’s first language was Yiddish and the mahzor she had pulled from her parents’ bookshelf the night before was a Hebrew-Yiddish one. She timidly raised her hand, provided the translation, thus saving her class from incurring further wrath from the teacher. Jewish education is unique in that each student brings their own personalized version of Judaism with them into the classroom. For my mother that day, it looked like a mahzor with a Yiddish translation.
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