Shaindy Zudick has taught Tanach and Jewish History for over twenty years, and served as Associate Principal of Limudei Kodesh in the Frisch School. She currently lives in Modiin, where she teaches Tanach to adults and at Machon Maayan, as well as online classes in Jewish History for The Lookstein Center.

Shaindy Zudick describes her own transformation as a teacher as a result of teaching an online Jewish History course.

When I was first approached by the Lookstein Center to teach a Jewish History class online for JOLTT (Jewish Online Learning, Teaching, and Training), I was eager – but terrified – to get involved with this innovative program. Being a Luddite in a continuously changing technological world, I had no idea what online teaching meant and I could not fathom the gestalt of synchronous classrooms and distance learning. But I was eager to get back into the high school classroom and I was passionate about teaching history. I knew that I had to change my mindset or get left behind, so I took the plunge into the unknown and have not looked back since.

Although I was not excited to become a student again, with my mentor’s encouragement I registered in an online course. The course was invaluable as it introduced me to the technological terms and components used in the virtual classroom, goals, classroom management techniques, communication and netiquette. I lived the class through the eyes of the students, experiencing their frustrations and excitement, as I coursed through the material and responded to discussion boards and completed assignments. I felt very connected to my online teachers as they responded and critiqued my work. I also understood what it meant to be part of a virtual classroom community, checking in each day to read what my classmates in different countries had to say concerning the material and my posts. I became familiar with their personalities and could identify their strengths and weaknesses.

Teaching my first synchronous class was daunting. Learning how to deal with all the tools in the virtual room and how to manage the chat room and class at the same time were skills which required practice. Dealing with the inevitable technological snafus was very frustrating. I thought that my first class was dismal – it did not feel natural for me as a teacher to communicate with my students in this setting – but my students were enthusiastic and excited, and my mentors, who were “present” in the classroom, were very supportive.

My second face-to-face class was wonderful. I was becoming more adept at using the chat room and white board. Using powerpoints was particularly helpful when I was teaching new concepts or reviewing old material. Through the constant online communications that passed between my students and me, I felt that I was forging powerful relationships. The feedback on both sides was immediate and more personal than expected. Through the course of our correspondences, through email and sometimes when necessary phone calls, I felt that I really got to know each of my students, their strengths and challenges. My students also felt very comfortable contacting me for help, complaints, and issues that arose.

Most gratifying of all was that my students were learning. The presentation of the materials in the course was sophisticated, creative, visually attractive, and diverse. The students were exposed to all types of literature, primary and secondary sources, prose and poetry. There were short films and musical pieces embedded into their reading. Discussions, primary source analyses, and other writing assignments aided in assessing their comprehension. Each student had to participate in the course so that no student would be passively or timidly “sitting in class.”

Students also learned how to be independent and responsible for their work, keeping up the pace and being part of a classroom community with students from other schools. And while making the virtual classroom a community continues to be my greatest challenge, I see how the students have learned to respect each other’s opinion when they disagree and respond intelligently and articulately when they respond to each other. Most of all they have been forced to write in an organized and coherent manner, abiding by grammatical rules and constructs.

So much of what I learned from my experience as an online teacher can be applied in a “brick and mortar” or traditional classroom. Finding a way to connect with each and every student so that each student finds his/ her voice was such a significant aspect of my online teaching experience that when I went back to my traditional class, I was particularly sensitive to those students who tended to be quieter and more passive. Emailing those students just to let them know that I am available for help really went a long way. While I often provided a general rubric with my assignments and projects when I taught in traditional schools, my online training helped me construct an improved, well defined detailed rubric which I have employed in all my teaching and will continue to do so. Lastly, getting ongoing feedback was invaluable. I’ll admit that I was always uncomfortable with allowing high school students to evaluate a course because I felt that they lacked the maturity or objectivity to provide constructive criticism. I also felt that this criticism may affect the student teacher relationship on both sides; however, I found that in the online classroom the students were able to voice their praise, frustrations and suggestions, and this only enhanced my relationship with my students. When I did not agree with their criticism I did not ignore it but always wrote them a well articulated response and thanked them for their feedback. When they saw that I listened to their insightful suggestions that would, in fact, improve the course, they felt not only empowered but invested in the course.

This experience has been transformative for me and my teaching, and I strongly recommend that all teachers should have exposure to this new medium of learning for their own professional growth and schools explore implementing distance learning as a complementary component to either enrich or support the school curriculum. That being said, I do not believe that distance learning should replace the “brick and mortar” classroom, especially where limudei kodesh are concerned, because students need role models physically present in their daily classes and lives.