Worth Knowing: Talmud Study and the Intellectual Values of High School Students at Liberal Jewish Day Schools

ABSTRACT

What do Jewish day school students believe constitutes good understanding and worthwhile learning in the context of their encounter with rabbinic texts in the classroom? This article shares findings from an interview study of Jewish day school students in grades 9 through 12 regarding their attitudes toward the study of Talmud. I argue that high school students’ estimations of the value of Talmud study are shaped, not only by individually held tastes, talents, and commitments, but also by a set of shared intellectual values. These values, related to their beliefs about the purposes of learning and what good learning should accomplish for the learner, develop in the context of their schools and communities and frame how students set goals for and assess their own understanding of Talmud.     

Promoting Social,Emotional, and Spiritual Learning in Congregational,and Day Schools

Outcomes in the inter- and intra-personal realms are central to the goals of Jewish education, yet educators often struggle to address them in a meaningful way. In this article, we describe what we learned from facilitating an online community of practice for congregational school leaders and day school educators seeking to enhance their work in promoting social, emotional, and spiritual growth. First, we provide a rationale for the importance of outcomes in these arenas. Then, we describe the intervention, which included webinars, mentoring, and an action-research component for participants. Finally, we share what we learned about (a) participants’ conceptualizations of socio-affective elements in the Jewish educational context and (b) the supports and challenges encountered by participants in enhancing the socio-affective dimension of their work.     

Learning From a Mussar-Based Initiative in a Community Day School

Mussar, an approach to character growth emerging as a movement in the 18th century, has increasingly been incorporated into contemporary Jewish education. The purpose of mussar—the cultivation of character—is consistent with the goals of Jewish day schools and other settings. This article examines the implementation of a mussar-based program in a Jewish community high school. Particular attention is given to questions raised by the introduction of this program into a pluralistic school setting. Implications are discussed in terms of the broader goals of Jewish education.     

Community,Self and the Other: Learning Processes in Norwegian Folk High Schools

The Norwegian folk high schools have a legally defined role in the national educational system as a value-based pedagogical alternative without grades, exams or pre-defined curriculums. The roots of the schools can be traced to the theologian N.F.S. Grundtvig and his ideals of a learning that develops not just the mind but the whole student. The empirical study of this article seeks to explore the learning processes of contemporary Norwegian folk high schools. A theoretical development of Etienne Wenger’s social learning theory is applied to analyze 60 student texts. The article describes 3 overarching themes of learning: community as a context where self is developed through identity work and the other is the focus.     

Identity and inter religious understanding in Jewish schools in England

This article sets up a dialogue between auto-referential (looking to self) and allo-referential (looking to the other) approaches to religious difference and applies these to education for inter religious understanding in Jewish schools. It begins by arguing that the multiculturalism of the 1980s and 1990s set up a duality of self and other, with the responsibility for looking to ‘the other’ (allo-reference) resting largely on the majority community and the licence to look to self (auto-reference) being given to minority communities. Within the Jewish community, multiculturalism supported and legitimated the development of an inward-looking Jewish identity-based education. This was challenged in the 2000s however by the new outward-looking emphases of the community cohesion agenda, and so Jewish schools have had to negotiate a place for themselves between auto- and allo-reference. Brief case studies illustrate contrasting ways in which two schools have positioned themselves in relation to these two poles. In School A, the imperative towards ‘the other’ attempts an openness to ‘the other’ in ‘the other’s’ own terms, whereas in School B the same imperative towards ‘the other’ is framed within the auto-referential framework of being and doing Jewish.     

Jewish Education,Past and Present: Israel Friedlaender Re-Visited

A century ago, Israel Friedlaender—scholar, communal activist, and educator—played a key role in such educational institutions as the Teachers Institute of JTS, the Bureau of Jewish Education, the Menorah Society, Young Israel, and Young Judea. A JTS professor and prolific writer, Friedlaender has been described as “the teacher of the Jewish youth of that generation.” Yet, scant attention has been devoted to exploring his educational thought and action agenda. This retrospective focuses on Friedlaender’s activities and impact in advancing Jewish education and considers the relationship of his legacy to current directions in the field.     

Classroom Learning Environments in Urban Elementary,Middle, and High Schools

The purpose of the present study was to investigate student gender, subject area, and grade level differences in students' perceptions of their classroom learning environment. Over 13,000 students from 96 urban elementary, middle, and high schools that served predominantly minority students completed a modified version of the Classroom Environment Scale (CES) and the Instructional Learning Environment Questionnaire (ILEQ). Female students generally reported higher scores for their perceptions of the learning environment than did male students. There were very few differences by subject area, but there were many statistically and educationally significant differences by grade level. In general, middle school classes had less favorable perceptions of their learning environment than did either elementary or high school classes.     

新论学校与社区的良性互动

伴随《国家中长期教育改革和发展规划纲要（2010-2020年）》的颁布,推进学校与社区的良性互动再度成为关注的焦点。学校与社区的关系常被概括为抵消型、补偿型、沟通型,二者密切的联系不可忽视,构建良性互动的学校和社区关系成为必要。教育为生活、开放、完整和发展的教育等理念是其构建的原动力,只有形成合力才能促进教育的发展。已...     

价值多元时代的价值观教育——大学价值观教育的问题反思与理论建构

价值多元时代在丰富人们生活选择的同时,使大学教育尤其是大学价值观教育陷入了某种危机。在多元甚至相对的价值评判标准下,大学生的道德价值观、政治价值观、生活价值观等方面均暴露出许多不容忽视的问题。价值观教育是大学教育的灵魂与核心,面对上述问题与危机,大学教育必须坚守价值引导,培养学生的价值理性,以价值体验的方式形成学生的价值认同感。     

价值多元化背景下中小学校德育环境调查报告

调查显示,当前中小学校德育环境建设总体上还是在价值一元化的思维方式下运作,与价值多元的时代背景和价值商谈等德育新理念不相适应。为此,我国中小学校德育应基于时代发展和学生主体的特点,由注重传承德育知识转向培养学生的道德认知力、判断力、感受力和行为力,努力创建一种对话共享、活动参与、丰富开放、动态生成的育人环境。     

生物多样性、文化多元性与世界史学科体系

人类赖以生存的客观世界是由多姿多彩的自然环境和社会环境所构成的。生物多样性决定了民族差异性和文化多元性，而文化多元性或多元文化不仅对古往今来的人类社会，而且对包括世界史学科体系在内的一切知识领域的发展产生了广泛而深刻的影响。     

普通高中特色、多样、优质发展问析

特色、多样和优质发展是当前普通高中的办学热点和主要趋势。优质指的是办学水平和最终结果;特色指的是发展方式,反映一所学校在发展途径及由之而形成的结果的独特性。多样主要是对区域内高中办学总体格局的描述,它源于每一所学校的特色发展,可以通过细分一所学校的特色教育领域满足学生在该领域内的多样化需求,也可以通过区域内共享制度和平台的创设,帮助学生享受多样化的高中教育。学生参与面、课程化、制度化、师资队伍、认可度等是特色判定的关键指标。     

从教育多元化的角度看教育公平问题

改革开放以来,我国的教育事业蓬勃发展。教育公平问题也日益突出。与此同时,教育向着多元化的方向不断扩展,更多的人获得了教育机会。因此,一些观点认为,教育多元化是解决教育公平的唯一途径。但教育多元化只能对教育不公起到协调和缓解的作用,并无法彻底解决。教育的绝对公平不易实现,对教育公平要正确理解,但我们仍可以通过继续加强"普九"成果、取消重点非重点之分、对贫困地区的学校加大政府财政投入、改善户籍制度、改革就业政策等措施达到教育的相对公平。     

Secondary School Choice as a Window on Jewish Faith Schools in Contemporary British Society

ABSTRACT

Research into school choice has generally explored both the processes by which choices are made and the considerations that parents explore when making this important decision on behalf of their children. This article examines the secondary school choices of Jewish parents in the United Kingdom. It explores parents’ reasons for choosing to select Jewish faith secondary schools. We frame our arguments against the backdrop of the wider faith-school phenomenon in the UK, and as with the Christian communities, we find a disconnect between the small number of Jewish adults attending places of worship regularly and the growing number of Jewish children attending Jewish faith schools. We show that for many parents, schooling is synonymous with Jewish socialization, or enculturation; developing networks of Jewish friends, providing sufficient cultural resources to enable participation in Jewish life, and nurturing distinctive values. We show how Jewish schools have become more than places for academic advancement for these families; they have become the primary locus of Jewish community.     

日本综合学科高中改革现状与发展困境研究

日本综合学科高中是20世纪90年代诞生的新型高中,主要以普职课程融通和科目选修制为特点,将升学为主的普通教育和就业为主的职业教育融合在一所学校体系内。综合学科高中发展至今已形成了较为完备的制度体系,主要体现在三级教育管理体制、办学规模、课程设置、学分制课程管理方式、校外学分认定及毕业生双向出路等方面。但综合学科高中也面临发展中的深层困境,如政府后期财政投入不足、高中序列化问题加剧、课程优势削弱、教师队伍建设不充分以及"重升学、轻就业"倾向凸显等。日本综合学科高中在多样化、个性化教育改革中独有的优势逐渐消失,重新构建综合学科作为第三学科的主体性和独特性是其进一步发展的关键。     

陕西中小学心理健康教育现状、问题及对策

我院心理健康教育专业2004级学生教育实习时，对陕西省44所中小学心理健康教育状况进行了实地考察与调研分析，结果发现在思想认识、机构建设、师资力量、硬件设施等方面不到位，是目前中小学心理健康教育存在的突出问题。要解决这些问题，就必须进一步采取加强宣传、提高认识、加强领导、健全机构、积极开展师资培训、大力增加经费投入等根本对策。只有这样，才能从整体上推进中小学心理健康教育向纵深发展。     

Extending the Possibilities of Multicultural Community Partnerships in Urban Public Schools

To combat the sociocultural tensions that the city of Changeton is facing, an effort is being made by the school district to create a systemwide multicultural education program. A volunteer group has been established to shape what it hopes will provide a foundation for working toward mitigating the cultural strife that plagues the schools and community. Through a 3-year qualitative study, this research has documented the developments in the committee's work. The specific area addressed here is the group's efforts to create a partnership between the school and the community. This article provides practical ideas to urban educators interested in such an endeavor and shows that the critical problem is that parental involvement is often not recognized as being determined within specific and unequal relations of power—that attempts at school/community partnerships are often based on white, middle-class assumptions about parents' outlooks, language, resources, and time available for schoolwork. The focus and intent here are to acknowledge that it is crucial to recognize the multiplicity of groups and issues that are present in every town and city. Without being open to all differences of opinion andperspective, the idea of community involvement and public deliberation is fruitless.     

澳大利亚中学职业教育研究

澳大利亚拥有较为完善的职业教育体系,中学是这一体系的重要组成部分。其服务于终身化学习的指导原则和注重合作与开放的办学传统为我国基础教育和职业教育的发展提供了宝贵经验。     

论中小学校融资的原则与方式

中小学校要想做好融资工作，把握好融资原则和找到合适的融资方式是关键。本论述了中小学校融资的原则，探讨了中小学校可以使用的融资方式。     

The case of the Jewish High School in Berlin: a denominational school dealing with diversity

The following contribution deals with the conception of Jewish schools in Germany. With regard to the British debate about state funding for religious schools, current developments in the Jewish educational system in Germany will be presented. After this, the constitutional framework for the establishment of denominational schools in Germany will be analysed. The second and major part of the article deals, as a case study, with the Jewish High School in Berlin, which is the only Jewish secondary school in contemporary Germany. In an empirical qualitative approach, the desires and expectations of the pupils in their religious education take centre stage. Before moving to the empirical study, an overview of the history of the Jewish High School, its re‐establishment in 1993 and a profile of the pupils and the school will be provided, in order to understand the special character of this school. The conclusion in the last part raises the question of new directions emerging from a Jewish school which has pupils who are heterogeneous culturally, religiously and socially and which does not react with a strategy of cultural preservation, but with a policy of inter‐religious dialogue.