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    <title>Phorum 5</title>
    <link>http://lookstein.org/lookjed/index.php</link>
    <description><![CDATA[]]></description>
    <language>EN</language>
    <pubDate>Tue, 18 Nov 2008 15:53:40 -0600</pubDate>
    <lastBuildDate>Tue, 18 Nov 2008 15:53:40 -0600</lastBuildDate>
    <category>Phorum 5</category>
    <generator>Phorum 5.1.24b</generator>
    <ttl>600</ttl>
    <item>
      <title>[Lookjed List Archive] Re: Jewish sources on teaching &quot;special needs&quot; children</title>
      <link>http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17348,17402#msg-17402</link>
      <author>Elisha Paul</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Regarding Rav Preida it is interesting to note how the Alter of Novardok, Rabbi Yosef Horowitz, inspired hundreds of students to found dozens of yeshivot with practically no financial backing, with his teachings found in the last section of his book called Madreigot haAdam. This section called Mezacheh Harabim has been translated and published by Feldheim Publishers but has been out of print for a while.The focal point of the ninth chapter is this Gemara about Rav Preida. 

Please see the original text to get the full impact of the author's words. There are some good points to learn from the story about Rav Preida about principles of special needs as well as general education (everyone knows that good special education techniques are also good general education techniques) that are not just 'nice drashot&quot;. For the sake of establishing credibility I am speaking as an experienced credentialed Rabbi, Principal, and K-12 educator, and as a parent of a child with special learning needs.

The perennial teaching guidelines of Rav Preida:

1-a teacher must believe that a student can achieve even when the student may have self doubt

2-a teacher must be fully dedicated to the success of his or her student even if it means giving up some personal growth

3-one on one paired learning is the most effective way to teach a distracted child

4-patience is a key component of teaching

5-review that seems purposeless actually may help aid understanding 

6-a personal caring relationship is a key to reaching students 

7- teaching difficult students forces you to refine your character

8-teaching must take priority even if it causes unexpected delays in your schedule

9-spend as much time as it takes to help a student learn

10-each student's needs are individual and unique

I am sure there are many other positive things to learn from all of the Sages of the Talmud if we look for them instead of looking for ways to criticize them. Obviously there are many different methods to teach students. The litmus test is to see whether any of the approaches stand the test of time (I believe the Talmudic method has). In the end the &quot;what&quot; may be less important than the &quot;who.&quot; As Heschel used to say, &quot;more than we need text books we need text people&quot;. There is abundant research on Social Learning theory by Albert Bandura which shows we learn more from the behavior of a role model than we do from the content of their teaching. Students really don't care how much we know unless they know how much we care.

I will end with a quote from my teacher Dr. Arthur Ellis in his work &quot;Research on Educational Innovations&quot;. In his epilogue (p. 246) he concludes an exhaustive study of current educational innovations as  follows:&quot; Maybe there is something more to teaching and learning than the quest for the latest program. Maybe it has more to do with a caring teacher and a group of kids who want to learn something than we are willing to admit in this age of innovation. Maybe the real answers were there all along, and they had more to do with decency, perseverance, character, and plain old high standards than we realized in our quest for the new.&quot;

If Rav Preida ever wants a job on our faculty teaching general or special ed., please have him forward his resume and tell him he has a standing offer for a job waiting for him in our school. He already has some pretty good recommendations and references. I assume he would be wise enough to use teaching methods that fit current classroom situations and attention spans just as any good teacher would. As far as hiring God goes, he already teaches in and runs all our schools for free as we say in Birchat haTorah, haMelamed Torah leAmo Yisrael- God is The teacher of Torah to his nation Israel, so there is no need to hire a search firm.

For a humorous comparison of schools that utilize perennial vs. progressive approaches to education see the posthumous book left by the great educational theorist and philosopher Dr. Seuss called &quot;Hooray for Diffendoofer Day&quot;.

Shalom,
Elisha Paul
Atlanta]]></description>
      <category>Lookjed List Archive</category>
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      <pubDate>Tue, 18 Nov 2008 15:53:40 -0600</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>[Lookjed List Archive] Re: Suggestion for a &quot;read aloud&quot; book</title>
      <link>http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17374,17401#msg-17401</link>
      <author>Yitzchak Jacobs</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I don't know if you are interested in touching on the Holocaust with
5th and 6th graders, but if you want to go that route I would
recommend Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli
http://www.amazon.com/Milkweed-Golden-Kite-Awards/dp/0375813748

It is award winning historical fiction (something that has been
discussed on Lookjed fairly recently) written for elementary school
age children, and is a powerful story that has had prepared
educational materials developed for it - see, for example
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/holocaust/world-war-2/26421.html

Hope this helps,

Rabbi Yitzchak Jacobs]]></description>
      <category>Lookjed List Archive</category>
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      <pubDate>Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:04:08 -0600</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>[Lookjed List Archive] Re: Looking for Yom Haatzmaot logo with Survivor's arm and baby's hand</title>
      <link>http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17377,17400#msg-17400</link>
      <author>Abie Zayit</author>
      <description><![CDATA[The picture that includes the arms of a survivor and a baby with the
Israeli flag in the background can be found at
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i99/plwise/israelzionist1.png]]></description>
      <category>Lookjed List Archive</category>
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      <pubDate>Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:03:36 -0600</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>[Lookjed List Archive] Re: Suggestion for a &quot;read aloud&quot; book</title>
      <link>http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17374,17399#msg-17399</link>
      <author>Yocheved Lindenbaum</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I have always had success with Puah Shteiner's &quot;Forever My Jerusalem&quot; (an English translation of the book &quot;Mitoch HaHafecha&quot;). It is an account of her life in the Old city before the 1948 war and her family's evacuation to Katamon and her father's imprisonment. It resonates with children and gives them perspective on how far Israel has come in 60 years. It can simply be read daily, or used as part of a Zionism course. 

Kol tuv
Yocheved Lindenbaum]]></description>
      <category>Lookjed List Archive</category>
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      <pubDate>Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:02:17 -0600</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>[Lookjed List Archive] Re: List of most frequent words</title>
      <link>http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17393,17398#msg-17398</link>
      <author>Ronnie Gotkin</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Hebrew Word Frequency lists

With regard to Layah Berman's request for Hebrew word frequency lists, many
of Professor Shlomo Haramati's books include lists compiled by him as well
as by others. There is also a book by Prof Haramati specifically on Havanat
Hanikra basidur oo mikra. A google search on &quot;Haramati Hebrew&quot; will guide
you towards finding these books.

Ronnie Gotkin
Herzlia Highlands Primary]]></description>
      <category>Lookjed List Archive</category>
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      <pubDate>Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:56:30 -0600</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>[Lookjed List Archive] Re: List of most frequent words</title>
      <link>http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17393,17397#msg-17397</link>
      <author>Eliana Finerman</author>
      <description><![CDATA[500 most common words - http://www.kreuzer-siegfried.de/hilfsmittel/hebr-500-engl.pdf

This list is taken from Haramati's Havanat Hanikra Basidur Uvamikra  http://www.hebrew-with-halabe.com/FWL%20Comparative.htm

Eliana]]></description>
      <category>Lookjed List Archive</category>
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      <pubDate>Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:55:55 -0600</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>[Lookjed List Archive] Re: List of most frequent words</title>
      <link>http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17393,17396#msg-17396</link>
      <author>Tzvi Daum</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Professor Harmati has a book in Hebrew entitled &quot;Havanat Hanikra Bsiddur U'vmikra&quot; which lists the most frequent words in the Book of Beraishit, Tanach, Siddur and in educational Hebrew books that are read primarily in the Diaspora.

Tzvi Daum
www.torahskills.org]]></description>
      <category>Lookjed List Archive</category>
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      <pubDate>Sun, 16 Nov 2008 18:00:50 -0600</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>[Lookjed List Archive] Programming for high school seniors</title>
      <link>http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17395,17395#msg-17395</link>
      <author>Bracha Rutner</author>
      <description><![CDATA[As we know senior year can be a very exciting but difficult year for both students and faculty. I wanted to know if any schools have unique programming for seniors to make the year an exciting and positive one. What has worked? What hasn’t worked? Thank you,
 
Bracha Rutner
Yoetzet Halacha, Riverdale Jewish Center
Bronx NY 10463
bracharutner@peoplepc.com]]></description>
      <category>Lookjed List Archive</category>
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      <pubDate>Sun, 16 Nov 2008 14:42:49 -0600</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>[Lookjed List Archive] Re: Jewish sources on teaching &quot;special needs&quot; children</title>
      <link>http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17348,17394#msg-17394</link>
      <author>Avraham Norin</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Rav Reuven Margaliot- in his usual clarifying manner- sheds light on Rav Preidahs repetitions/lifespan.  

 &quot;It makes sense that originally it was written&quot; Rav Preida repeated his teachings &quot;TAV&quot; times&quot;...which was an abbreviation for TISHIM-90- times.  We know that this is the number of times it takes to repeat something to be familiar with it, as we learn from the Shulchan Aruch (Siman 114 sief 9) with regards to one who is not sure if he said &quot;Morid HaGeshem&quot;

(Mechkerim B'Darkeih HaTalmud VChidotav, chapter 10 (&quot;numbers in the Talmud&quot;), pg 60, Mosad HaRav Kook press)]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Sun, 16 Nov 2008 14:40:42 -0600</pubDate>
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      <title>[Lookjed List Archive] List of most frequent words</title>
      <link>http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17393,17393#msg-17393</link>
      <author>Layah Bergman</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Does  anyone have or know of lists of the most frequently used words in Hebrew, both in Tanach and modern Hebrew, ordered by frequency - something similar to the Dolch or Frye lists in English. 

Thank you,
Layah Bergman
Hillel Torah
Skokie, Illinois]]></description>
      <category>Lookjed List Archive</category>
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      <pubDate>Sun, 16 Nov 2008 13:19:54 -0600</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>[Lookjed List Archive] Success with Neta</title>
      <link>http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17392,17392#msg-17392</link>
      <author>Sara Breiner</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Would educators using the Neta language program please share and describe their success rate teaching hebrew language at the grade 7 through 9 level?

Thank you
Sara Breiner
Hillel Academy
Ottawa, Ontario]]></description>
      <category>Lookjed List Archive</category>
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      <pubDate>Sun, 16 Nov 2008 13:18:25 -0600</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>[Lookjed List Archive] Re: Jewish sources on teaching &quot;special needs&quot; children</title>
      <link>http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17348,17391#msg-17391</link>
      <author>Jeffrey Spitzer</author>
      <description><![CDATA[The comments of the apologists for R. Pereida are &quot;nice drashot.&quot; There is no indication that there is anything other than mere repetition; the story is clearly told on a single day when it was possible to go through the 400X cycle TWICE! The specific use of 400 is to indicate that his dedication was far, far greater than merely teaching 100 (or 101!) times. And as I said before, there is no indication that the student had a learning disability. All we know is that he couldn't learn orally.

But the passage at hand clearly indicates that the rabbis had only one model of pedagogy that they thought of. But my critique is no different than my presumption that I assume that eating sprouts is actually healthy (contra &quot;kol katan maktin, Berakhot 44b). The Rambam knows that Rabbinic medicine is not binding (Moreh Nevukhim 3:14); why should we feel it necessary to accept pedagogical models from the Talmudic period? I venture to argue that NO ONE on LookJED, not even Wally Greene, has ever repeated any statement to a single student 400 times. 

Our goals are not theirs--we are not after mere memorization; our goal is not merely to transmit a tradition accurately. We have a lot of tools at our hands and much more complex goals than just passing on a mesorah. Trying to explain that R. Pereida is more effective (or more similar to us than is apparent) is not really helpful. The Talmud can be enlightening even if we present it as strange and different.

I wrote in a provocative way not to engage in zilzul morim but to make a point. Our students can read this text and realize that R. Pereida was dedicated, but they would have been bored silly learning from him, and some students would never successfully learn what he had to teach. I share the text's ideal of dedication (as I indicated in my first posting). Nevertheless, there are plenty of dedicated and knowledgeable but nevertheless ineffective teachers. Teachers who know only one way to teach are not teaching. 

God was (and is) a far greater educator than R. Pereida because the Holy Blessed One differentiated the instruction by providing both a written and an oral text. Furthermore, God encouraged kinetic learning by having Moshe write out his own copy (Psol l'khah) when other modes of education failed to have the appropriate behavioral result; God had Yeshayahu, Yirmiyahu, and Yechezkel write as well.  God used a wide array of visual representations. Let's not forget Mishnah Sanhedrin 4--God knows that we are not all alike, and it is only in our collective dissimilarity that we really reflect God's image. For God to use only one pedagogy would be mi'ut had'mut, a diminishing of God's own image in the world.

Wally Green wrote, &quot;I would be happy to have God ... on my rabbinics faculty.&quot;
I agree with Wally--I would be glad to have the Holy Blessed One as part of my faculty. Of course, God would have to agree to stick to our curriculum... 

Rabbotai ugvirotai, our job is important--we will bring ge'ulah to the world. But we shouldn't let the significance of our work blind us to humor. The R. Pereida story, read from the vantage point of teachers who know something about differentiated learning, deserves a good natured chuckle. 

Interesting how no one disagreed with my comment about the need for divine intervention in order to get adequate recompense for our work. ;-)

Biv'rakhah,
Jeffrey Spitzer
Chair, Dept. of Talmud and Rabbinics                                               
Gann Academy, The New Jewish High School                                   
jspitzer@gannacademy.org
www.gannacademy.org]]></description>
      <category>Lookjed List Archive</category>
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      <pubDate>Sun, 16 Nov 2008 13:16:58 -0600</pubDate>
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      <title>[Lookjed List Archive] Types of Lesson Teaching</title>
      <link>http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17390,17390#msg-17390</link>
      <author>Shlomo Berman</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Hi. I am in a Fourth Grade Judaics teacher in a Talmud Torah on Sunday and Tuesday mornings. I have been taught that it is better to have student-centered learning than teacher-centered learning. I am looking for different activites which are used by teachers to teach information about the Holidays or the Prophets using Student-Based learning. I have been using Questions based on reading and List the Mitzvot and Minhagim for the Holidays and sequencing the events of the story for the Prophets. I am looking for other suggestions of how I could teach this information using Student-Based Learning. 

Thank you so much.

Shlomo Berman]]></description>
      <category>Lookjed List Archive</category>
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      <pubDate>Sun, 16 Nov 2008 02:57:41 -0600</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>[Lookjed List Archive] Re: Jewish sources on teaching &quot;special needs&quot; children</title>
      <link>http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17348,17389#msg-17389</link>
      <author>Wally Greene</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I must take exception to Jeff Spitzer’s denigration of R. Preida’s style of pedagogy. One may not view Talmudic sources with a 21st century lens. Smart boards, or any boards for that matter, were not generally utilized within an oral teaching framework. To be sure, not every student was an oral learner which is why repetition (as in v’shinantom) is so crucial. Experiential learning (such as living the type of Jewish life we assume R. Preidah’s students lived) reinforces a value system. Repetition is necessary to master texts. Repeating something 400 times simply means many, many times. Our Rabbis have emphasized in numerous places the importance of constant review in the study of Torah. The Talmud states (Chagigah 9b) that one who has reviewed his studies one hundred times cannot be compared to one who has done so one hundred-one times.[1]
 
The statement that “anything would have been more effective than repeating something orally 400 times” is inaccurate based on the text itself which stipulates that such repetition was in fact effective for this particular student. Apparently R. Pereidah was teaching this child according to his unique learning style, a very modern approach.  The statement  “we have no reason to assume that R. Pereida's student was a child with special needs” reflects a lack of understanding of special needs. Every child has a unique style of learning which may differ from others in the class and it is the teacher’s obligation to instruct that child in the way that he/she learns best. (See Proverns 22:6) The Talmud (Sanhedrin 91b) exhorts teachers to make sure that their students understand their lessons. R. Shmuel Edlels (the MaHaRShA) comments that if a teacher doesn’t teach like R. Preidah by reviewing as often as necessary that teacher is guilty of robbing the student of his ancestral heritage since the Torah is the heritage of all Jews (Deut. 33:4).
 
We understand the practical difficulties of implementing inclusion in every classroom. However what this story does teach us is that R. Preidah, a great scholar, did not feel that teaching such a student was beneath him, he took the time to work with this student until he mastered his lesson, and did not give up on him even though it required much effort.  The definitive text for me is a passage at the very end of the Jerusalem Talmud of Horayot: ”R. Yohanan said that each of the 40 days that Moses was on Mt. Sinai, God taught him the entire Torah, but each day he forgot it and it had to be repeated. Finally, God gave it to him as a gift. Why did this [process] take [until] forty days ? In order to encourage slow learners.”  God didn’t give up on Moses. Teachers need to find ways to make their instruction a ”gift” to their students. Moses had the best teacher and He had to modify the way He taught. Moses in turn became the teacher of the Jewish people.
 
I would be happy to have God and R. Preidah on my rabbinics faculty.

[1] There is also a specific significance to the number 101. The number 101 has special significance because the angel given dominion over the Torah and over memory is Micha'el, and the numerical value of his name equals the number 101. If one reviews his study of the Torah 101 times, Micha'el endows him with the ability to retain all that he has learned. A similar use of numerology [gematria] again reveals the significance of the number 101. In the verse &quot;When Moses charged us with the Teaching as the heritage of the congregation of Jacob&quot; (Deut. 33:4) the word &quot;charged&quot; (tzivah) has a numerical value of 101. The lesson implied here is that if B'nei Yisrael (the &quot;congregation of Jacob&quot;) study and review the Torah 101 times, it will remain a permanent legacy for them. Another verse, found in Divrei HaYamim (I Chronicles 16:15), contains the same allusion to the number 101. The passage refers to the Torah as having been &quot;commanded for a thousand generations.&quot; Again, the word tzivah (commanded) signifies that if one reviews one's study of Torah 101 times, the reward will include retaining it for a thousand generations. The numerical value of the Hebrew word zakhor (remember) — is 227, while the value of the word shakhoach (forget) — equals 328. The difference between these sums is 101. Again, the number 101 suggests that reviewing the Torah 101 times makes the difference between remembering and forgetting it. 5

Dr. Wallace Greene, Director
Jewish Educational Services
UJA Federation of Northern New Jersey]]></description>
      <category>Lookjed List Archive</category>
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      <pubDate>Sat, 15 Nov 2008 12:41:19 -0600</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>[Lookjed List Archive] Entrance exams</title>
      <link>http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17388,17388#msg-17388</link>
      <author>Pesach Sommer</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I am curious to know what high schools are using as an entrance exam other than the BJE exam in New York. I would like to see copies of actual exams, as well as hearing your thoughts about to compose a fair, accurate and meaningful exam.]]></description>
      <category>Lookjed List Archive</category>
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      <pubDate>Thu, 13 Nov 2008 02:46:36 -0600</pubDate>
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      <title>[Lookjed List Archive] Re: Assessing chevruta time</title>
      <link>http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17367,17387#msg-17387</link>
      <author>Tzvika Kanarek</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Regarding      Assessing Hevrutah time and the story of R. Pereida.
 
I accept the profound insight of Jeffrey Spitzer on R. Pereida (even though the question was: where is there a source in the Talmud about students with special learning needs). 
 
Regarding Assessing Hevrutah time. I believe that the most efficient aid to students in learning how to use chevrutah time to learn independently, guidance as to how to use chevrutah time more effectively, and aiding the teacher in assessing chevrutah skills, is with Cognitive Maps. Diagrams and “Cognitive Maps” are beneficial for the student studying Gemara, enabling him to follow the author’s logic, and are conducive to the student’s in-depth understanding and self-learning during chevrutah time. 
 
The Advantages of Cognitive Maps
 
       1. The cognitive map is an advanced organizer. Having a sketch and outline of the logical process, the student is prepared to absorb new information even though there is only a vague coherence among its component parts of the sugya.
       2. The cognitive map enables self – criticism and efficient reflective activity.
       3. The cognitive map gives the teacher more control and the ability to examine student assignments easily during the seder, since they contain only a small number of words.
       4.  People are experts in Talmud because their knowledge is organized in terms of formal principles of Talmud. Developing a minimal number of cognitive maps provides the student with the rules and methods of proof characteristic of the discipline of Talmud.
       5. The fact that the child is working on a creative assignment and thinking tasks has an intrinsic motivational effect. “The point about cognitive reprogramming is that it may unleash natural competence and achievement drives, far more powerful than the promise of an extrinsic reward.
       6. The cognitive map highlights the key words of a passage. It enables the student to focus on the key words that are most meaningful and transmit the essence of the sugya. The diagrams encode the key words and the key words symbolize the logic of the passage. These graphic signs help the student pinpoint the core idea of the sugya.
       7. Cognitive maps function as scaffolds that build interaction between the teacher and the student. An efficient map is conducive to self-learning. The cognitive map supplies hints to the student which enable him to resolve and unravel the disorderly steps of the sugya. These graphic signs provide the student with the right directions to the “routes” that will assist him to unfold the logical steps of the passages.
       8.  These scaffolds assist the teachers in mobilizing motivation and developing independence – self learning, steady observation (of the student by the teacher) on the orientation of the task, and controlling frustration.
       9. Transferring and encoding information to long term memory occurs best when information is personalized, organized and developed around prior knowledge. Fixed cognitive maps supply that prior knowledge.
     10.       Organizing subject matter is an important factor in remembering what has been learned in the classroom. The mere fact that the student sees the entire format in front of him, including the main idea and principle and the specific details that provided the necessary steps to reach the main idea, aids him to retain the learned information.
     11.       For most students, visual memory is most effective. The cognitive map assists in filtering out unnecessary information, thus lightening the cognitive load and assisting recall of the core message of the sugya.
 
See cognitive maps of the popular &quot;mesechtot&quot; at www.lifshiz.macam.ac.il\talmud1\index.html  
 
 
Dr. Tzvika Kanarek]]></description>
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      <pubDate>Thu, 13 Nov 2008 02:15:53 -0600</pubDate>
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      <title>[Lookjed List Archive] PaRDeS Paradigms</title>
      <link>http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17386,17386#msg-17386</link>
      <author>Devorah Preiss-Bloom</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I am currently analyzing data for my dissertation that requires me to analyze both the meaning component of visual images that the students associated with words and also their dialogue.

The classic Jewish PaRDeS model of, Pshat,-literal, Remez- hint, Drash- homiletic, Sod- mystical interpretations model is useful.  However, I have noticed in the literature of this model, and in the similar Medievel Christian model, that often times the categories are reduced to two, literal vs. symbolic. The argument being that it is difficult to ascertain precisely the specific nuance of each of the categories.  

I am wondering if anyone is aware of a classification system borne out of other traditions or rooted in other disciplines that might provide useful categories.

Thank you for your help.

Devorah Preiss-Bloom]]></description>
      <category>Lookjed List Archive</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17386,17386#msg-17386</guid>
      <pubDate>Thu, 13 Nov 2008 01:59:18 -0600</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>[Lookjed List Archive] Re: Jewish sources on teaching &quot;special needs&quot; children</title>
      <link>http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17348,17385#msg-17385</link>
      <author>Golda Gross</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Taken out of context, the negative insinuation of R’ Preida’s teaching did not sit well with me.  Though I am not a talmud of the Talmud, I felt that the context might shed some light.  With the help of an Artscroll Gemara, I looked up the original source in Eruvin.  

To my understanding, before mentioning the R’ Preida example, there is a discussion in the Gemara as to the merit, importance, and reasoning of repeating lessons.  When the Torah was given to Moshe Rabbeinu, the master of all teachers, he taught it to Aaron once.  Then Aaron’s sons joined, and Moshe taught it once more.  Then the elders came, and Moshe taught it yet again.  Finally, the people entered, and Moshe taught the Torah for a fourth time.  Then Moshe left, and Aaron taught it to everyone present.  Then Aaron left, and the elders taught it to everyone.  In this manner, the Torah was taught to Aaron, his sons, the elders, and the people four times.  

This is brought as a lesson to tell us that if Aaron, who learned Torah from Moshe Rabbeinu, who learned it from Hashem Himself, needed to hear it four times, how much more so do ordinary students need to hear lessons repeated.  

As an example, R’ Preida is mentioned as a pedagogical paradigm because he teaches his student Torah by repeating the lessons 400 times.  In fact, he is granted a reward of longevity and eternal life for himself and his generation in the world to come because of his teaching.  The repetition referred to here is specifically geared to teaching Torah and satisfying the requirement of “Sima B’Phihem” – put it in their mouths.  The same may not be necessary for a lesson in Chemistry or Math. Furthermore, the number 400, as are other dramatic numbers in Agada or in Talmudic stories, is usually not to be taken literally. Additionally, it would seem that R’ Preida was the perfect teacher for that student.  Clearly he did something right, and we should not denigrate his pedagogical skills if the Talmud chooses to praise him.  

Golda Gross]]></description>
      <category>Lookjed List Archive</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17348,17385#msg-17385</guid>
      <pubDate>Wed, 12 Nov 2008 21:20:18 -0600</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>[Lookjed List Archive] Re: Jewish sources on teaching &quot;special needs&quot; children</title>
      <link>http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17348,17383#msg-17383</link>
      <author>Rivka Gross</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Regarding the reply to teaching children with Special Needs, note that the
language of the text does  not explain HOW Rav Preida taught the lesson.
Perhaps (and probably) Rav Preida used hundreds of diferent pedagogical
approaches to teach this severely LD child. The point: Don't give up, every
child is teachable. I have taught Judaics in both high school and elementary,
and my methodology is the same: equal visual and auditory, color codes, hands
on projects, student-designing, songs and even dance. I have had some very
slow learners, but all have learned (obviously to varying degrees) and more
importantly, all have come to associate positive feelings with Lashon
HaKodesh.

Rivka Gross
Denver Academy of Torah]]></description>
      <category>Lookjed List Archive</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17348,17383#msg-17383</guid>
      <pubDate>Wed, 12 Nov 2008 07:14:18 -0600</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>[Lookjed List Archive] Re: textbook/reader on Jewish communities</title>
      <link>http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17368,17381#msg-17381</link>
      <author>Larry E Laufman</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Jonathan Fass inquired about an appropriate high school level textbook/reader on Jewish communities around the world.  I have no textbook suggestions, but below is a list of Websites that touch on his interest.  Given the age group, downloads from such Websites or a Webquest exercise may be more engaging than a straightforward textbook in any case.  Included are a number of sources, such as Chabad-Lubavitch Centers and Israel Embassies, that students might contact via e-mail to seek further information about or contacts in their respective local communities.  In addition, doing a Web search on &quot;Jews + Location&quot;, e.g., &quot;Jews Africa&quot;, &quot;Jews Asia&quot;, &quot;Jews Latin America,&quot; etc., pulls up innumerable hits that are likely even more engaging.  

A personal note:  As I've gotten older, I've become very much aware of how limited is my own &quot;Euro-North American&quot; sense of Jewish history and identity.  That is not attempting to be politically correct - just acknowledging that the Jewish world is much larger and more complex than I ever learned about in my own Jewish education while growing up.  Yashar koach for such efforts to enlarge students' sense of Klal Yisrael. 

- Larry Laufman, EdD

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Beit Hatefutsot - Museum of the Jewish People
http://www.bh.org.il/index.html

Bnei Moshe - Jews of India
http://www.bneimenashe.com/

Chabad-Lubavitch Centers
http://www.chabad.org/centers/default_cdo/jewish/Centers.htm

European Council of Jewish Communities
http://www.ecjc.org/

Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS
http://www.fjc.ru/default.asp

Go Daven - Find A Minyan
http://www.godaven.com/searchcity.asp

Great Synagogue of Kiev (Russian [ Ukrainian?] and Hebrew)
http://www.greatsynagogue.kiev.ua/

Israel Embassies and Consulates Around the World (with and without Websites)
http://www.embassyworld.com/embassy/Israel/Israel.html

Israel Missions Abroad by Continent
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Sherut/IsraeliAbroad/Continents

Jewish Agency - Contemporary Jewish Demography Online References
http://www.jafi.org.il/education/100/concepts/demolinks.html

Jewish World Center
http://www.jewishworldcenter.com/

Jews of India
http://www.jewsofindia.org/

Jews of Spain
http://www.haruth.com/JewsSpain.html

Lemba - The Black Jews of Southern Africa
http://www.freemaninstitute.com/Gallery/lemba.htm

Robert W. Case Discovers Jewish Sites Around the World
http://jewishsitesvisited.com/

Romanian Jewish Community
http://www.romanianjewish.org/

Union of Councils for Jews in the Former Soviet Union
http://www.ucsj.org/index.html

World Jewish Congress - World Jewish Communities
http://www.worldjewishcongress.org/communities.html]]></description>
      <category>Lookjed List Archive</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17368,17381#msg-17381</guid>
      <pubDate>Wed, 12 Nov 2008 04:04:37 -0600</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>[Lookjed List Archive] Re: Suggestion for a &quot;read aloud&quot; book</title>
      <link>http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17374,17380#msg-17380</link>
      <author>Shalom Z. Berger</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Sheindal G. Muller asks for a &quot;read aloud&quot; book appropriate for fifth and sixth graders.

If you are willing to move into non-fiction, I would recommend Natan Sharansky's Fear No Evil. It would be a good introduction to the story of Russian refusniks under Soviet rule, something that was part-and-parcel of the experience of world Jewry in the 1970s, but that today's students know nothing about.


Shalom

Rabbi Shalom Z. Berger, Ed.D.
The Lookstein Center for Jewish Education
Bar-Ilan University]]></description>
      <category>Lookjed List Archive</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17374,17380#msg-17380</guid>
      <pubDate>Wed, 12 Nov 2008 01:53:39 -0600</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>[Lookjed List Archive] Re: Jewish sources on teaching &quot;special needs&quot; children</title>
      <link>http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17348,17379#msg-17379</link>
      <author>Michal Cahlon</author>
      <description><![CDATA[In response to Jeff Spitzer’s e-mail, here’s what I learn from and how I use the R’ Pereida story: 
 
I choose to ignore the possibility that RP simply repeated the lesson the exact same way each time. Then I ask a different question: what motivated the student to stick around for 399 attempts at the material? What was RP providing that inspired the student to not give up and keep trying?
 
I find the RP story helpful when I am talking to a student who is demoralized and frustrated with himself/herself: Here’s how the conversation might go: 
 
Student: “I didn’t understand this. This is too hard. I’m just stupid.”
Me: “You are NOT stupid. Everyone learns differently. Tell me where things got fuzzy and we’ll try a different way of explaining it.” Student: “It won’t help. What if I still don’t get it after that?”
Me: “Not to worry, you get 400 shots at it.”
Student: “What!?!?!?”
Me: *tells condensed version of RP story*. “So you see, I’m obligated to try 400 times. So if you’re willing to try it with me, I think we’ll be ok with even fewer shots than that.”
 
Kol tuv, 
 
Michal Cahlon 
Overland Park, KS
mcahlon@hbha.edu]]></description>
      <category>Lookjed List Archive</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17348,17379#msg-17379</guid>
      <pubDate>Wed, 12 Nov 2008 01:44:31 -0600</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>[Lookjed List Archive] Impact of Scholar in Residence programming in synagogues</title>
      <link>http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17378,17378#msg-17378</link>
      <author>Rebecca Gafvert</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Does anyone know where to find some research regarding the impact or efficacy of Scholar in Residence programming in synagogues or in the Jewish community?  Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Rebecca Gafvert
Online Resource Specialist
JESNA
New York, NY  10011
rgafvert@jesna.org]]></description>
      <category>Lookjed List Archive</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17378,17378#msg-17378</guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 11 Nov 2008 08:16:17 -0600</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>[Lookjed List Archive] Looking for Yom Haatzmaot logo with Survivor's arm and baby's hand</title>
      <link>http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17377,17377#msg-17377</link>
      <author>Steve Fox</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I am working with the Teaneck Holocaust Commision and we are trying to find the logo that won a contest in Israel featuring a tatooed holocaust survivor's arm and a child's hand interlocked. If anyone has an idea where to find this, please let me know.

Thanks
Steve Fox
Fox Video Productions]]></description>
      <category>Lookjed List Archive</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17377,17377#msg-17377</guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 11 Nov 2008 07:42:03 -0600</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>[Lookjed List Archive] Re: Jewish sources on teaching &quot;special needs&quot; children</title>
      <link>http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17348,17376#msg-17376</link>
      <author>Yael Seliger</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Jeffrey Spitzer is right on!  Clearly R. Pereida was not aware of issues such as multiple intelligences and successful practices of differentiated teaching.  The R. Pereida can be used as a story about a caring teacher but not as a model for effective teaching.

Yael Seliger
Vice President, Jewish Education and Identity
UJA Federation of Greater Toronto]]></description>
      <category>Lookjed List Archive</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17348,17376#msg-17376</guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 11 Nov 2008 07:41:09 -0600</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>[Lookjed List Archive] Re: Assessing chevruta time</title>
      <link>http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17367,17375#msg-17375</link>
      <author>Aliza Libman Baronofsky</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Tova -

Create a check-list with look fors. (Obviously, first you have to decide what you are looking for.)
My examples are all for middle school:
___ Both people are looking in the sefer.
___ We have a division of labor that works for us (reader/translator, alternate reading, etc.)
___ We previewed the questions we have to answer.
___ We &quot;check-in&quot; with each other to make sure both people understand.
___ We're not talking about other topics.
___ We're not talking to other duos.
etc. etc.

Have the students use the checklist the first 2 times or so, so they are keeping track of their &quot;success&quot; at being chavrutot. 

Then when they are &quot;experienced&quot; at being Chavrutot, you evaluate them on the same chavruta checklist. If you have 7-8 pairs, like I do, you cannot evaluate everyone the same day. This is good, because I think it is better if they don't know when they are being evaluated. 

In general, it's always preferable for the teacher to be circulating during chavruta, unless you have one of those rare classes that runs itself.

But the key is in the checklist - that way they know what they need to do in order to have successful chavruta sessions.

Aliza Libman Baronofsky
Maimonides School
Brookline, MA]]></description>
      <category>Lookjed List Archive</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17367,17375#msg-17375</guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 11 Nov 2008 07:39:11 -0600</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>[Lookjed List Archive] Suggestion for a &quot;read aloud&quot; book</title>
      <link>http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17374,17374#msg-17374</link>
      <author>Meir Muller</author>
      <description><![CDATA[I have ten-fifteen minutes of a read aloud every day with a class of very bright fifth and sixth graders (mostly boys). We just finished The Chosen by Chaim Potok A&quot;H, which they loved. They were able to grasp the complexity as well as allegorical ideas and metaphors within the context of the story of the Jewish People. I am looking for suggestions for the next read aloud. I looked at Dara Horn's The World to Come but they are not old enough yet for this book. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thank you. 

Sheindal G. Muller
Columbia Jewish Day School.]]></description>
      <category>Lookjed List Archive</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17374,17374#msg-17374</guid>
      <pubDate>Sun, 09 Nov 2008 06:13:26 -0600</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>[Lookjed List Archive] hashkafa curriculum</title>
      <link>http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17373,17373#msg-17373</link>
      <author>Nechama Sheinkopf</author>
      <description><![CDATA[We are looking for a “Hashkafa” program for our Middle School students that will give them a better understanding of Judaism and why they do Mitzvot, as well as an increased pride in being Jewish.  We are hoping that this will provide additional fortitude to withstand peer pressure to join activities or embrace values that are counter to a wholesome Jewish lifestyle, as they graduate and leave our safe environment and are exposed to more of the world around them.  
 
If you have any programs that you could recommend or other ideas to share, feel free to contact me directly as well.  Thank you for your help.
 
Thank you,
 
Nechama Sheinkopf
Director of Judaic Studies
Brauser Maimonides Academy
5300 SW 40th Avenue
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 33314
(954) 989 - 6886]]></description>
      <category>Lookjed List Archive</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17373,17373#msg-17373</guid>
      <pubDate>Sat, 08 Nov 2008 14:22:29 -0600</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>[Lookjed List Archive] Re: Bible commentaries</title>
      <link>http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17345,17371#msg-17371</link>
      <author>Hillel Lichtman</author>
      <description><![CDATA[Dear Shalom,
                           
In regard to Rachel Kosowsky's request for info on parshanut: the Daat website (www.daat.ac.il ) has in it's Tanach section, several articles on parshanut which lay out the 'derech' of the parshan and provide examples as well.. (Click on Tanach, then click on 'Parshanut HaMikra')  Ibn Ezra, Rashi, Seforno and Rashbam are all there, in addition to many others.  I found these articles helpful a few years ago when I gave a series of shiurim on this exact topic. Also, for the Ramban, Rabbi Chavel has a short book on the Ramban's approach to certain themes such as Eretz Yisrael, the Avot, Miracles etc. The name of the book is Ramban:His Life and Teachings. 
                                                                                          Hillel Lichtman
                                                                                           HAFTR HS,]]></description>
      <category>Lookjed List Archive</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17345,17371#msg-17371</guid>
      <pubDate>Wed, 05 Nov 2008 13:08:51 -0600</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>[Lookjed List Archive] Lists of key Humash commentaries</title>
      <link>http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17370,17370#msg-17370</link>
      <author>Pesach Sommer</author>
      <description><![CDATA[As mechanchim, we all struggle to make sure that we are teaching the essential Rambans, Sefornos etc. on chumash. I have heard of lists that have been composed with this info, although I recognize that this is somewhat subjective. Anybody have any idea where I can find such a list?

In not, would anyone be interested in collaborating on the development of such lists?]]></description>
      <category>Lookjed List Archive</category>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">http://lookstein.org/lookjed/read.php?1,17370,17370#msg-17370</guid>
      <pubDate>Wed, 05 Nov 2008 01:36:27 -0600</pubDate>
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