Dr. Jon Mitzmacher is the Head of Galinsky Academy [which includes the DuBow Preschool, the Martin J. Gottlieb Day School (a K-8 Schechter), the Bernard and Alice Selevan Religious School, and Makom Hebrew High] Jacksonville, FL, and part of the Jacksonville Jewish Center. He is the Executive Director Designate of the Schechter Day School Network. Jon has worked in all aspects of Jewish Education, from camping to congregations and everything in between.
It may seem odd that 21st century learning” is a hot topic in 2014…we are well into the 21st Century! And yet, “21st Century Learning,” “Educational Technology,”,“Blended Learning,” “Distance Learning,” and the “Flipped Classroom” are omnipresent. They are the subjects of articles, blog posts, twitter chats, and professional conferences. In fact it is hard to find a discussion about Jewish education that does not spill over into a conversation about 21st century learning and educational technology.
Twenty-first century learning prepares children for living and working by educating them with the most appropriate and relevant tools, media, and processes. In addition, learning focuses on ensuring that children build complex skills and the ability to think critically, analyze, be creative, communicate effectively and work independently. A core tenet is learning from interaction and collaboration; relationships and meaningful connections are essential components to support this.
Twenty-first Century Learning is a vision of teaching and learning that transcends physical boundaries and connects people across geographic borders and time zones. What are 21s Century Learning ideas that ought to be applied to Jewish education? Transparency, collaboration, technology, reflection, global connectedness, authenticity and prosumerism, information filtering, and game-ification, to name just a few.
Why should Jewish education lead the way?
Jewish education is uniquely positioned to implement this vision, as many elements are currently reflected in our schools’ and programs’ pedagogy, philosophy and approach to learning. For thousands of years, we have been interested in global connectedness. In addition, our focus on Hebrew, probing questions, curriculum integration, hevrutah learning and other aspects of its pedagogy qualifies Jewish education to grow and lead this work.
In many schools, of course, a second language is being taught and for a Jewish day school that language is Hebrew. Here it is not just metaphor – Hebrew is being taught as an actual second language. But the larger goal is not for them to be merely fluent Hebrew speakers. In the same way we might describe the ability to read music as a prerequisite to musical literacy, the ability to read (and write and speak) Hebrew is for the Jewish day school a prerequisite to speak Jewish. It is not “Hebrew as a second language,” but “Judaism as a second language”. Viewing our Jewish Studies in the same lens we view General Studies, with equal rigor of both academic expectations and teacher preparations, is part of what it means to be an integrated Jewish day school.
Transparency
Transparency is no longer an expression of customer service or an opportunity for savvy public relations. Transparency is now pedagogy – and that is where the paradigm shift occurs. When you tear down the walls you encourage interactivity, not just because it is fun to know that other people may see or read or hear or watch what you are doing, but also because their feedback to your work becomes part of the process of doing your work. Transparency becomes pedagogy.
Changing the Culture
Professional development in the 21st century is rooted in the belief that educators need to experience the same skills, tools and teaching strategies that they are expected to develop and implement in their own classroom practice. New literacies of the 21st century, such as information, network, media, and global literacies, demand that educators be fluent in communicating, collaborating and connecting through face-to-face, virtual and blended communities of global educators.
Affordability
There is additional focus on 21st Century learning because the field has been keenly interested in seeing how educational technology might positively impact the budgets of Jewish schools, and not just the quality of instruction. If online, virtual, or blended learning can reduce the cost while increasing (or at least maintaining) the quality of Jewish education, we might find a magic bullet for Jewish schooling.
From my perspective, it is never about the “stuff” – iPads, laptops and Smart Boards. It is always about “teaching and learning.” Technology requires stuff; learning requires people. It isn’t that the technology is unimportant, but most schools and educational programs with creative budgeting and fundraising can acquire “stuff.” It is much easier to buy technology than to change an educational paradigm. It doesn’t take an endowment to revolutionize educational philosophy – it takes teachers, administrators, parents and students. And every school has those.