The Kohelet Prize Database

Database Entries Tagged with: Talmud

Renewal of Rabbinic Ordination Project

Students, draw from talmudic, rabbinic literature and historical sources, to create a dialogue between two 16th century rabbinic figures. Their debate touches on the centrality of rabbinic ordination to the Jewish legal system. Is there a possibility of its restoration and what meaningful ramifications can its return have in the modern day world.

By: David Goldfischer from The Frisch School

Grade(s): 11, 12, High school

Subject(s) of entry: Gemara, Halacha, History, Mishnah, Philosophy/ Values/ Ethics/ Hashkafa

Pedagogy: Design-Thinking Model, Flipped Learning, Hevruta Learning, PBL - project based learning, 21st Century Skills

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Keva Vs Kavanah: The Trial of the Millennium

Middle school students learn Rabbinic texts about prayer’s structure, purpose, and origins, while simultaneously evaluating their own relationship with Tefillah in a reflection journal. The entire unit builds to a trial created by the students and presided over by a panel of local community rabbis, pitting Keva Tefillah against Kavanah Tefillah.

By: Sarah Zollman from Carmel Academy

Grade(s): 6, 7, 8, Middle school

Subject(s) of entry: Gemara, Mishnah, Social and Emotional Learning, Tanach, Tefila

Pedagogy: Hevruta Learning, PBL - project based learning, Social and Emotional Learning, 21st Century Skills

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Prison Reform and Arei Miklat: A PBL Approach to High School Talmud Study

A PBL approach to Talmud study can help students connect values from the text to their own lives in an authentic way, irrespective of how practical (or impractical) the cases in the Gemara. In this unit, students used their knowledge of Masekhet Makkot and Arei Miklat to research solutions for problems with the American prison system.

By: Sarah Gordon from Ma'ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls

Grade(s): 10, 12, High school

Subject(s) of entry: Gemara, Philosophy/ Values/ Ethics/ Hashkafa

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

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Making a Talmudic Sugya Occupy Space

Students composed their own talmudic sugyas using argument forms mastered during their year of study, based on key themes in biblical and talmudic texts they had learned. They then transferred the concepts of their sugyas into three-dimensional sculptures that reflect the thesis and arguments of the sugyas they had written.

By: Rabbi Daniel Rosenberg from Jack Barrack Hebrew Academy

Grade(s): 9, 10, 11, 12, High school

Subject(s) of entry: Art, Gemara, Philosophy/ Values/ Ethics/ Hashkafa, Social and Emotional Learning, Tanach

Pedagogy: Design-Thinking Model, Experiential Education, Hevruta Learning, PBL - project based learning, 21st Century Skills

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Interdisciplinary​ ​Integration Through​ ​Service​ ​Learning for​ ​Middle​ ​School​ ​Students

Classroom instruction focuses on the sources and then the development of Jewish law. It is then taken out of the classroom weekly so that students have the opportunity to put the lessons into practice. Lessons and projects incorporate language arts and math skills, torah, art, technology, science, and health.

By: Edith Horovitz from Martin J. Gottlieb Day School

Grade(s): K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, Elementary school, Middle school, High school

Subject(s) of entry: Art, Halacha, Mishnah, Philosophy/ Values/ Ethics/ Hashkafa, Science, Social and Emotional Learning, Tanach, literature

Pedagogy: Experiential Education, PBL - project based learning, Social and Emotional Learning, 21st Century Skills

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The Modern Jewish Woman

Students study texts as they learn about the shifts in the cultural and religious roles of women. This is taught concurrently in both Judaic studies (Rabbinic Literature) and Modern Jewish History classes. Course culminates with students choosing elderly women of the community to interview and then represent in a community-wide celebratory exhibit.

By: Elie Ganz, Yehudis Benhamou from Scheck Hillel Community School, YULA Girls

Grade(s): 10, 11, 12, High school

Subject(s) of entry: Art, Gemara, Halacha, History, Philosophy/ Values/ Ethics/ Hashkafa, Social and Emotional Learning, Social Studies

Pedagogy: Blended Learning, Experiential Education, PBL - project based learning, Social and Emotional Learning

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Three Models of the Integrated Online Classroom

Three different models of the integrated online classroom are examined and evaluated in this study. All three models utilize the PowerSchool Learning platform (formerly Haiku Learning). The study compares and contrasts the models, highlighting the benefits and drawbacks of each.

By: Daniel Freund from Yeshivat Kadimah High School

Grade(s): 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, Middle school, High school

Subject(s) of entry: Gemara, Halacha, Tanach

Pedagogy: Blended Learning, Flipped Learning, 21st Century Skills

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The Integrated Online Judaics Classroom

The Integrated Online Judaics classroom is built on the PowerSchool Learning platform. It is an online experience that compliments classroom learning, and provides students the tools they need to improve reading, vocabulary, and conceptual skills. It utilizes a variety of learning modalities and also provides built-in tools for review and practice.

By: Daniel Freund from Yeshivat Kadimah High School

Grade(s): 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, Middle school, High school

Subject(s) of entry: Gemara, Halacha, Mishnah, Tanach

Pedagogy: Blended Learning, Flipped Learning

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Personalized Talmud Learning

The model of Talmud instruction in Jewish Day schools has remained mostly intact for decades. The trends suggest that a higher percentage of middle school students are graduating with weak Talmud skills, and a lack of understanding of the purpose of Talmud and appreciation for its role in Jewish life. This has led many schools to even consider abandoning Talmud in middle school curriculum. Our innovative approach to Talmud uses a data-driven model to create personalized learning pathways that students progress through based on proficiency and mastery in eight specific domains that provide a comprehensive understanding of Talmud - including content, vocabulary, functional structures, and real-life application.

By: Rabbi Yoni Fein from The Moriah School

Grade(s): 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, Middle school, High school

Subject(s) of entry: Gemara, Halacha, Ivrit, Mishnah, Tanach

Pedagogy: Blended Learning, UBD - understanding by design, 21st Century Skills, Personalized Learning

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Talmud La-Talmid

The "Talmud La-Talmid" initiative attempts to create educational resources that are far more organized, visually appealing, independently accessible and user-friendly to students, than the traditional Talmud-book. Utilizing multiple forms of media, students are presented with a Talmud textbook to accompany their traditional Talmud in their studies and are offered resources that include a custom-made dictionary, instructional videos and note-taking guides that are all clearly organized.

In these ways, the learning environment is structured from the perspective of the student and leads him/her to a clear approach to the Talmud.

By: Rabbi Kenny Schiowitz from Ramaz Upper School

Grade(s): 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, Middle school, High school

Subject(s) of entry: Gemara

Pedagogy: Blended Learning, UBD - understanding by design

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LaHaV

We're changing how our students relate to their heritage. The LaHaV curriculum has pioneered a text-based approach to Talmud and Tanakh education that communicates the richness and relevance of Jewish tradition by exploring the principles of halakhic legal theory and asking our students to apply their learning to contemporary, real-world issues.

We’re also transforming the Judaic studies experience for teachers around the world - we’ve created a groundbreaking digital curriculum app that serves as the basis of a fully connected network of Jewish educators who share training, resources and methodologies across schools in the US, Israel, and Australia.

By: Rabbi David Stein and Rabbi Noam Weissman from Shalhevet High School

Grade(s): 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, Middle school, High school

Subject(s) of entry: Gemara, Halacha, Mishnah, Tanach

Pedagogy: IBL - inquiry based learning, UBD - understanding by design

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