Halacha and Technology: An Interdisciplinary, Hands-on Approach

Categories:
Interdisciplinary Integration, Real-World Learning

Subject(s) of entry:
Computer Science, Gemara, Halacha, Science

Pedagogy:
Constructivist, IBL - inquiry based learning, PBL - project based learning, 21st Century Skills

Grade(s) to which this was taught:
12, High school

Grade(s) for which this will be useful:
12, High school

Our senior elective, Merging Halachic Judaism with Modern Life, combines the study of and appreciation of Jewish law with the study of engineering and its principles. In the first half of the year, students learn Hilchot Shabbat and how these laws manifest in modern life. In the second half the year, students work in groups to identify and create a working prototype that merges both Halachic implications and modern technology to enhance the Shabbat experience. Students, thereby, learn to view the latest technological innovations through the prism of a religious perspective.