Program aims to improve Hebrew education by focusing on teachers

For years, many graduates of Jewish day schools around the world — and their parents — have expressed disappointment in their level of Hebrew proficiency despite years of Jewish education. 

To help solve that problem — and in the process afford Hebrew educators the same respect and status that tends to be given to other educators — Builders of Jewish Education (BJE) in Los Angeles has partnered with Hebrew at the Center (HATC), a Massachusetts-based nonprofit of which I am the founding president. Dedicated to professionalizing Hebrew language instruction, we launched a multi-year program for L.A. day schools known as the Hebrew Language Proficiency Project, which, since 2011, has had an impact on 2,000 students, 65 teachers, and 27 Hebrew coordinators and lead teachers.

“BJE was committed to changing that paradigm and ensuring that Hebrew education in L.A. provided our students with the necessary, measurable skills. HATC was the perfect partner to accomplish this goal,” said Miriam Prum Hess, BJE director of donor and community relations. 

The problem, in many cases, is few Hebrew teachers receive degrees or training in how to actually teach a second language. Most schools employ Israelis or near-fluent Hebrew speakers who, having different careers in the past, found positions teaching Hebrew upon moving to the United States or a new community. 

The goal of this project has been to develop leadership in the day schools, maximize the students’ acquisition of Hebrew and their passion for it, and elevate the status of the language and the teachers in the community. 

Imagine how it feels to be a teacher responsible for teaching Hebrew, not knowing whether what you are doing is in fact succeeding, not knowing how to assess your students or whether the book you are using is right for the class, nor how to help a student who is struggling. Would we want our children’s math teachers to know how to add, subtract and multiply, but not to have studied to become teachers who can help our students?

HATC’s approach is based on years of research and the experience of Vardit Ringvald, director of the School of Hebrew at Middlebury College and co-founder of HATC, who has worked in many different settings where Hebrew was being taught. Through in-service work with educators on assessment-based, second-language teaching and learning strategies, HATC has been partnering with schools, camps, educational networks and agencies to provide systematic, professional development programs throughout North America and in Israel since 2007.

By developing school-based leaders among those already working in the field, there is the potential to create a ripple effect within a school among existing and future staff. The goal is to position schools to maintain a level of excellence even after HATC is no longer working with them. 

Another key aspect of the approach is to understand that language is not taught in a vacuum; language exists within a culture. So helping teachers identify the appropriate authentic materials that are used by native speakers — stories, books and songs, for example — and that will maximize the opportunities for students to use Hebrew in natural ways is all part of the approach. We see learning Hebrew as an opportunity to create a stronger connection to Israel and Jews worldwide and for developing the literacy that makes texts and prayer more accessible.  

One local participant reported in a feedback form that the program helped her better engage students: “I used to be happy when students could repeat the words or sentences they learned in class. Through the skills I’ve learned, I realize the importance of not just repeating, but helping students use the language creatively and apply the words they learned in real-life situations.”

Funding has come from multiple sources, including the Covenant Foundation and the Ben and Esther Rosenbloom Foundation. Local supporters are the Los Angeles Unified School District (recognizing the importance of having well-prepared language teachers), The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and the Israeli-American Council, as well as each of the participating schools (see sidebar below).

These Los Angeles day schools have served as the pilot sites for what is called a “flip-learning” model that incorporates new technology to combine online and in-person workshops and mentoring. The first year introduces a new framework for thinking about Hebrew learning, best practices in language assessment and goal setting, and initiating community conversations about the potential impact of successful Hebrew language acquisition. Building on this theoretical and practical framework, “… the project continues to tailor to the specific needs of our diverse Los Angeles community, adapting to the needs of each cohort school, and developing Hebrew language educators skilled in providing continued expertise for many years to come,” said Janice Tytell, BJE’s director of continuing professional development.

It turns out that schools and teachers are willing to invest a lot of time and resources to ensure that their students maximize their Hebrew proficiency. In fact, as a result of the program, four of the L.A.-based participants decided to take their learning to the next level and enrolled in the Middlebury College master’s program for teaching Hebrew as a second language, which was developed by Ringvald. These educational leaders will provide Los Angeles with local expertise that can benefit all of Jewish education in the region.

Moving into year two of a second cohort of schools, participants say that the partnership already has changed the way they teach Hebrew, particularly by individualizing lessons. A participant reported, “Now I’m constantly thinking about … the child, and how I move this child forward.”

Using research conducted for the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), schools can set expectations as to what level of fluency students can achieve in the four language skills: speaking, listening, writing and reading. ACTFL also has provided well-articulated levels of proficiency that help guide teachers in setting student learning goals and can be assessed using tools that are available in the field for evaluating student progress, confidence and accomplishment among students and teachers.

The results are exciting. In the words of Tamar Raff, director of Jewish studies at Valley Beth Shalom’s day school, a Cohort One participant: “We are moving the emphasis from Hebrew knowledge to Hebrew proficiency, from what students know to what students can do.”

Nine local schools are part of the Hebrew Language Proficiency Project:

Abraham Joshua Heschel Day School

Adat Ari El Day School

Kadima Day School

Pressman Academy of Temple Beth Am

Shalhevet High School

Sinai Akiba Academy

Temple Israel of Hollywood Day School

Valley Beth Shalom Harold M. Schulweis Day School

YULA Girls High School 

For more information about the L.A. project, contact Janice Tytell at jtytell@bjela.org. 

Arnee Winshall is president, CEO and co-founder of Hebrew at the Center, Inc. (hebrewatthecenter.org), a Massachusetts-based nonprofit whose goal is to improve the teaching and learning of Hebrew.