Powerful Learning dramatically increases engagement, learning outcomes, and joy.
Bring Project-Based Learning to Your School
Project-Based Learning (PBL) is an educational methodology for exploring questions that are authentic and relevant to the student. The design of the curriculum encourages learners to find their own voices and provides opportunities for them to make choices during their exploration. Jewish Learning Central’s PBLs weave inquiry into Jewish texts, stories, and teachings with a contemporary view of how this is meaningful to Jewish life today. All courses culminate, if the school chooses, in a museum, Torah Festival or other display of learning that is a chance for students to share what they think and educate others. Parents and community members have a chance to see the creative, important learning and teaching that is occurring in the school and delight in what their children are doing.
Purchase ours or we can help you create your own.
Three PBL Courses successfully implemented across the country — My Shabbat in a Box (designed for grades K-2), Making Choices through a Jewish Lens: Our Genesis Family (Grades 3-4), and L’Dor VaDor: My Family History (Grades 5-7) — are currently available and ready to go. They include a PBL Course Guide with lots of options, implementation guidance, and scripted lesson plans that are relevant, meaningful, engaging, and fun. Training for teachers is available, too.
Build a culture of PBL in your school with faculty training, educator coaching, and tools to support your teachers and they become creators and facilitators of their own PBLs.
“You are a big part of an amazing family research program. More schools should adopt this tremendous experience. I owe you much gratitude for bringing this wonderful project and experience into our community.”
“You organized our thoughts, put it together in a way that we can easily teach it, and tied it in a neat bow. Thank you! ”
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Includes Project-Based Learning Course Guide
12 Scripted lesson plans
Optional Family Engagement session on The Gift of Shabbat
Students create authentic ritual objects
Incorporates Reflective student journal
Pairs Jewish children’s books with every lesson
Class collaborates on a Creation Torah Scroll and their own class book
Culminates in a Shabbat Museum
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Includes Project-Based Learning Course Guide
Offers scripted lesson plans and optional Exploration Sessions
Extends learning with optional Family Engagement session
Provides Student Journal to nurture curiosity, creativity and connection
Explores biblical ancestors, their stories, and the lessons they teach
Explores Jewish values relevant for today’s choices
Nurtures peer collaboration with small group activities
Culminates in Torah Festival
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Includes Project-Based Learning Course Guide
Incorporates scripted lesson plans
Engages parents with Family Engagement sessions
Explore students’ place as part of the Jewish people and part of their individual family’s history
Nurtures curiosity and personal connections
Teaches interview skills and story crafting
Provides support for students to connect in a meaningful way to relatives
Includes Student Journal
Incorporates Parent Packet to assist in exhibit prep
Culminates in L’Dor VaDor Living History Museum
Put the student at the center.
Let’s flip the model! Instead of the traditional triangular learning model that puts students, teachers, and content on a par, it is time to prioritize the learners by moving them to the center and putting their needs first. Intentionally design the learning for the students using the principles of Understanding by Design and create the learning with student input! Arrange (or rearrange) the learning environment to support collaboration, group learning, and individual expression. Find a place for the parents and the community to be full participants in the process. Transference from synagogue to home depends on it!
Plan learning with intentionality.
Planning the Scope & Sequence of learning throughout the years children spend in your orbit reflects the values and priorities of the community.
As recommended by the Jewish Education Project in the Lomed Handbook, building learning that impacts on the whole person — mind, hearts, souls and actions of our students — leads to powerful learning experiences that inspire, make an impact, and accomplish knowledge transference.
By designing the learning built on best practices in secular and Jewish education we can touch the hearts, minds, souls and choices of our children.
Put the Student at the Center, an underlying philosophy of Jewish Learning Central that prioritizes our children. Let’s raise our children to be happy Jewish children, engage them in important, relevant Jewish learning and celebration, connect them to friends and instill in them the beauty and joy that living a Jewish life can bring.
Principles of Understanding and Backwards by Design so that we are driving the learning with intention
Responsive Classroom to tend to the social/emotional needs of our students and build sacred community
4 C’s of 21st Century Learning + 2 essential for Jewish learning — Collaboration, Critical Thinking/Questioning, Creativity, Communication, Core Content & Connections — skills essential for our learners to fully participate in the global community and Jewish practice
Implement Experiential Learning
Lesson planning matters. Expanding the options for experiential learning engages all types of learners and nurtures student voice and choice. And there are so many options! Our scripted lesson plans provide these options. And our Faculty Professional Development workshops can train your teachers to plan lessons with all sorts of choices as they think outside the box - and inside the Experiential ToolKit!
Teach Kindness Through a Jewish Lens
Jewish stories, new and old, have so much to teach us about how to be kind to others - to those we know and those we don’t. Using stories and experiential learning to help our children think through their choices leads to powerful learning and a kinder, gentler community. What are some things a community can do? Create a Kids Kindness Club, add lessons on Jewish learning through a kindness lens, recognize acts of kindness, and provide lots of opportunities for kids and families to do kindnesses for people and they know and for those they do not.
Let us customize a curriculum for you
Is there a curriculum you have been wanting to create, a Jewish teaching you want your children or adults to explore, but do not have the time or expertise to do it on your own? We are here to help. We write curriculum for all ages and stages so let us know your dream and we can make it a reality.
