Perfect follow up to last week's post about Jewish literacy... check out Thomas Friedman's article about higher education. The key point for me as a Jewish educator is his spot-on comment that " increasingly the world does not care what you know. Everything is on
Google. The world only cares...what you can do
with what you know." I'd emend his statement for Jewish education to say "Increasingly it doesn't matter what you know about Judaism. Everything (you're wondering about can be found) on Google. It only matters what you can do with what you know." In other words, what kind of Jewish life do you live? How do you find Jewish knowledge and apply that knowledge to living a meaningful Jewish life? It's not about what you know anymore - in the secular world or in the Jewish world. It's about what you do.
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ReplyDeleteI find Friedman's article fascinating. He addresses the first really bold change to our traditional university education model.
ReplyDeleteAt a time when you and the URJ have also made bold and exciting changes to our Jewish education model. Interesting that the fully "online" model leaves students and teachers wanting more in the way of the teacher-student and student-student relationships. This suggests to me that the curriculum meets only part of the students academic needs but that in isolation doesn't make for a complete education. The part that is missing is what you mention in your earlier blog--what can people do with what they learn? Part of the answer is what we create when students and teachers learn together and spend time in the same space together. By building relationships and community students and teachers become invested in learning AND each other in a meaningful way. This gives the academic learning context.
Studies show that believing their teachers care about them improves student performance and learning outcomes. For U.S. students believing that their teachers like them also improves these outcomes. Learning experientially, through mitzvah projects, and informal education provide opportunities for students, teachers and families to learn and build community side by side. Modeling, "this is what we do with what we learn." Teaching and learning are active verbs and are reflected by our actions.
I wonder what your thoughts are about the Jewish tradition of studying Torah with a partner as it relates to learning and building community?
Yes, I agree that studying Torah with a partner (in chevruta) is a perfect example of how to learn and build community at the same time. I also agree with you that one of the main goals of Jewish education is building community, and building relationships. Thank you for pointing that out!
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