The following PD sessions are being offered for classroom teachers in Jewish schools at a subsidized rate.
Other organizations, please email us at pd_inquiries@lookstein.org.
Professional Development
Virtual Bootcamp: Facilitating Student-Centered Text Study
June 24 2021 – July 11 2021
Jewish text educators are tasked with the ongoing challenge of balancing skill development and content mastery on the one hand and creating meaningful Jewish learning experiences on the other. This delicate balance of seemingly opposing goals requires skill, proper planning, and support. In this series, we will explore a student-centered approach to Tanakh and Talmud/Rabbinics study where the skills and content learned will aid students in their personal construction of meaning. The bootcamp will explore various strategies for achieving our meaning making goals including historical, literary, analytical, and inquiry-based approaches.
Participants will have opportunities to network and collaborate with peers in the field, and will also have individual workshop time with the series presenters.
- Small group sessions
- Workshop/Hevruta
- Reflection and application
- Coaching
For more information and to register: www.lookstein.org/professional-development/text-bootcamp
Teaching Humash with the Koren Lev Ladaat Humash, Presented by Zvi Grumet
September Date TBA
Free of Charge
In partnership with Koren Publishers, this session for middle and high school teachers will explore the value of teaching Humash driven by questions and exploration. It will focus on two features of the Koren Lev Ladaat Humash, the Classical Commentaries and the Textual Tools, as vehicles to help students become more careful, analytical, and thoughtful learners of Humash and commentaries. Using concrete examples from the text, the workshop will guide teachers through processes that they can replicate and adapt to their own teaching, whether for in-classroom work with the teacher or independent student work. The examples provided will be from the Lev Ladaat humash but the principles learned are applicable to all teachers of humash, regardless of which text they use.
Membership Discount: Teachers from Lookstein Center member schools are entitled to a 10% discount. Write to us at info@lookstein.org to check your school’s membership status or to receive your coupon code if you have not received it.
Learn more about membership here: www.lookstein.org/become-a-member
Session Presenters:
PD Sessions are presented by members of the Lookstein Center staff.
Hyim Brandes
Director of Technology
Hyim Brandes works at the intersection of Jewish education and technology. He was the Founder and Executive Director of the Online Jewish Academy and was on the founding faculty of deToledo High School. Hyim studied History at U.C. Berkeley, spent three years studying at Pardes, and was a Joshua Venture Group Fellow. At The Lookstein Center, Hyim ensures a user-friendly experience for our 10,000+ users across various platforms and across the globe and imagines and implements our EdTech vision.
Zvi Grumet
Director of Education
Rabbi Dr. Grumet is a master Bible teacher and educator. His books include Genesis: From Creation to Covenant (Maggid Press) and Moses and the Path to Leadership (Urim Publishing), and he is Senior Editor of the Koren Lev Ladaat Humash (Koren). He is recognized internationally for expertise in teacher training and professional development, has 25+ years’ experience leading and coaching teachers in Jewish studies classrooms, and oversees the professional development programs of The Lookstein Center.
Shani Sicherman
Digital Content Manager
For more than a decade, Shani Sicherman has been teaching in a range of settings, creating engaging content, and training educators. She holds a BA in Special Education and Jewish History as well as a Teaching Certificate from Bar-Ilan University. Shani creates, curates, and manages the educational content on The Lookstein Center's website and social media channels, designs digital curricular materials for the Center's online school, Lookstein Virtual Jewish Academy, and runs PD trainings that focus on the use of technology in education.