The Chevruta Project

Over orientation, we began our work with Dr Orit Kent of the Mandel Center for Jewish Education at Brandeis, and long term Kesher Maven Allison Cooke on a new strand of our teacher development program. Orit has  recently completed some fascinating and highly original research into the pedagogy of chevruta learning (chevruta being a traditional Jewish mode of dialogical text study). Following an encounter with Orit at a conference on teaching Rabbinic literature at Brandeis, I became convinced that this research, with it’s emphasis on collaborative learning and the interpersonal dimension of text study, has important lessons for Kesher.  Orit, keen to find the right venue to put her research to practical use, together with Allison, teacher-trainer extraordinaire and a long-time part of the Kesher family, is working with us on a project to develop collaborative learning informed by the chevruta model in Kesher classrooms. This is really innovative work, and follows Kesher’s commitment to progressive education anchored deeply in the Jewish tradition

Our first session with Orit and Allison was incredibly rewarding and teachers are extremely excited about this work going forward. The tzevet (staff) will continue to work together with Orit and Allison to develop our understanding of this unique mode of learning, and to find ways to incorporate our new understandings into our teaching practice.