We're all trying to inspire our talmidim, teach skills and a working knowledge of Torah concepts. This nationally well-received conference is a groundbreaking forum for teachers to learn from each other's pedagogic, curricular and assessment ideas.  Middle and high school limudei kodesh teachers from yeshivot throughout North America participate in and present creative, cutting edge lessons and discussions.  

You can sign up to participate in one or both days of the conference online, and can reserve hotel rooms at the Fairfield Inn at the special TEN rate for Tuesday, Wednesday and/or Thursday nights. 

PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE (the updated schedule is available through the Guidebook App) 

Tanach & Hashkafa    Wednesday, June 12;  ט' סיון  at Ben Porat Yosef

9:00am           

Light Breakfast and Opening Session    Library                 

9:15am           

A Panel on Dilemmas in Teaching Tanach: Ethical, Gender, Historical, Human Flaws, Limits to Personal Interpretation

Rabbi Yaakov Blau, Frisch

Dr. Tammy Jacobowitz, SAR

Rabbi Natan Kapustin, Heschel   

Moderator: Ms. Miriam Krupka, Dean of Faculty, Ramaz

10:45 - 12:15pm     

How Rav Kook Transformed My Approach to Education    Room 202     

The emphasis on finding Hashem within ourselves offers a religious language that is deeply meaningful to many students in our generation. 

Rabbi Tzvi Sinensky, Kushner; Editor, Lehrhaus

Tech Tools for the Judaic Studies Classroom    Room 203

There are many tech tools beyond Sefaria and Mercava that can be repurposed to support & benefit the Judaic Studies classroom. Come learn how Anchor, Padlet, Trello and so many other sites & apps can serve as "the handmaidens to the Torah."                                              

Ms. Olivia Friedman,  Educational Technology Coordinator, Ida Crown                                 

Using Artistic Representations to Enrich our Study of Tanach    Room 204      

Participants will explore ways that artwork and artistic expression can enrich and deepen our learning of Tanach. 

Rabbi Tavi Koslowe, Judaic Studies Principal, Idea School

12:15 pm                   

Lunch  Small Gym   

1:00-2:15                   

Resolving Seeming Contradictions between Torah & Science   Room 202

Sharing a plethora of smart field tested strategies on how to present resolutions to conflicts between Torah and Science.  

Rabbi Chaim Jachter, Author, Reason to Believe;  Chair, Tanach Department, TABC 

Is Ivrit b’Ivrit Really Possible Anymore?    Room 203       

A panel discussion about navigating the desire to develop strong Hebrew language skills in our students while still addressing the challenges; namely ensuring high levels of Judaic learning and spiritual engagement for all students, and ensuring that no students fall between the cracks. The panel will examine and evaluate various ways in which Ivrit has been adapted to the content, structure and academic levels of different grades and yeshivot. We will examine the benefits and challenges to various disciplines (Philosophy, Talmud, Tanakh) of Hebrew language focus in the classroom and evaluate options for incorporating Hebrew familiarity into the daily classroom.          

Rabbi Daniel Alter, Head of School, Moriah

Rabbi Bini Krauss, Principal, SAR Academy 

Ms. Miriam Krupka, Dean of Faculty, Ramaz

Portfolios in Tanach    Room 204

Increasing textual skills through systemizing the students' preparatory learning. How students complete the same assignment for each new perek they learn, creating a portfolio of work that reflects their developing skills and increases their investment in classroom learning. 

Ms. Shoshana Chanales, Frisch

2:30-3:30                   

Avot HaChinuch: A Proposed Framework for Chumash Studies    Room 202

Over the past few decades, research in Positive Psychology has yielded profound findings in how to foster core character traits amongst our students including grit, resilience, gratitude, and overall happiness. Although there is universal consensus about the value of helping students thrive by fostering these traits amongst them, these traits are seldom taught systematically, and even if they are, they are seldom integrated into Judaic Studies classrooms. We will introduce a framework of teaching Chumash integrating Parshanut with some of the latest theories in Positive Psychology. 

Rabbi Avi Bossewitch, Dean of Academics and Innovation, Hebrew Academy (RASG)

A Groundbreaking Curriculum for Teaching Emunah     Room 204

Torah Live has created a groundbreaking video based curriculum that aims to translate the complex concepts and questions of Emunah in a form that is both relevant and speaks in the language of your students. In this session, we will show how to teach this powerful curriculum in the classroom 

Rabbi David Pietruszka,  JEC Lower and Middle Schools; Ambassador, Torah Live     

Innovative Assessment: Rethinking How We Test in Tanach    Room 203

We learn best from the best practices of our colleagues. If you have any examples of innovative assessments that you are willing to share with the session attendees, please email them to rpt@toraheducators.net 

Mrs. Hadassah Frankel, Yeshiva University High School for Girls

3:45-4:45                   

Personalized Chumash Learning   Room 202

Allowing Students to Choose what they Learn can be a powerful way to have them take ownership over their learning. Using Chumash as an example (but it can be applied to any subject area), we'll explore how to allow students to choose the content and create a unit and classroom culture of multiple students learning different things, but achieving the same skills.  

Rabbi Natan Brownstein, Brauser Maimonides   

The Age of Empires    Room 203

Presenting maps, artifacts and history, the session will bring to life stories from the Torah, Navi, and Jewish History.   This session deals with the Assyrian and Babylonian Empires, and the destruction of the First Temple.   Session will include examining of key pesukim and seeing how they come alive with the provided resources. 

Mr. Nachliel Selavan, Director, Torah InterMedia 

Yosef and the Pit: How Can We Use Biblical Stories to Talk about Mental Health in our Classrooms?    Room 204

How do we support our students they struggle with mental health? Learn what your role is, signs to notice, and language for having these critical conversations.              

Mr. Marc Fein, Director, TJJ Ambassadors Poland; Jewish Educator and Mental Health Advocate 

4:45pm                           

Mincha                                                               

Torah SheB'alPeh      Thursday June 13  י' סיון  at Yeshivat Frisch, 120 W Century Rd, Paramus, NJ 

9:00am          

Light Breakfast & Opening Session         

9:15-10:45    Room 2 

Bringing Kolb to Bavel: Tips and Tricks for Creative and Experiential Learning in Talmud Class 

We will explore different ways of making our lessons and projects more interactive, creative and experiential, from PBL to game-based learning.  We will discuss ways to overcome fears and concerns of using these methods in our classes, share best practices and brainstorm together ways to increase the experiential nature of our assignments and projects.                           

Ms. Sarah Gordon, Director of Student Activities & Experiential Education, Ma'ayanot 

Developing a Schoolwide Standards-Aligned Approach to Teaching Gemara    Room 3

That fact that current approaches to Gemara teaching only serve only the elite few challenges us to examine why this is, what needs to be done in order to remedy this in order to serve all our students, and how this can be achieved. The session will present the Misrad Hachinuch Core Standards for Teaching Torah She B'al Peh, and tried and tested ways your school can develop its own school-wide curricular scope-and-sequence; including case studies The newly-designed Gemara Berura online toolkit will be used to showcase some aspects of this approach as an example of how online tools can assist in achieving these goals. 

Rabbi Meir Fachler, Managing Director, Gemara Berura 

What Happened to Halacha? Five Steps to Reclaim Halacha as Their Favorite

Class of the Day   Room 4

Halacha class is often misunderstood as relating only to the particularities of Halacha. Learn how to harness your students' natural curiosity to facilitate a process-oriented, student-driven Halacha learning experience.                             

Rabbi Leib Zalesch, Judaics Curriculum Coordinator, Denver Academy of Torah

11:00-12:00    

Gemara Swiss Army Knife: Ten Quick and Easy Tips for Teaching Talmud    Room 2

Throughout my years teaching Gemara, I have picked up various strategies, some low tech and some involving tech, which have helped me in the classroom in a number of ways including creative assessments, ideas for classroom management, lesson design, and student participation. 

Rabbi Natan Farber, Director of Student Life, DRS

Teaching Halakhah for Empowerment and Curiosity    Room 3

Sets out and illustrates a curricular and pedagogic model that facilitates accountable year-to-year skill development, fosters broad bekiut in the context of beiyyun skill development, and standardizes skill content across classrooms to avoid the radical educational inefficiencies caused by e.g. changing definitions of key terms from year to year. 

Rabbi Aryeh Klapper, Dean, Center for Modern Torah Leadership

Promoting Self-Esteem in the Classroom    Room 4

A student who respects himself will enjoy more success academically, socially, and middot-wise. Educators seek every opportunity to build their students' self-respect. This session will explore oft-overlooked opportunities for building students' self-esteem through curriculum, lesson-planning, assessment, and classroom management. 

Rabbi Ephraim Meth, Rambam Mesivta, Professor of Jewish Studies, Lander College for Women  

12:00-12:45    

Lunch    Cafeteria                                                                   

12:45-2:00  Cafeteria   

Affinity Groups: Choose Your Discussion: 

Making Gemara Learning Meaningful

Oral and Written Assessment in Gemara

Providing Feedback to Promote Progress

Teaching Halacha in JH / HS

Leading Gemara Departments 

Alternative Grading Systems

2:15-3:15      

Mastery-Based Learning through Torah Sheb'al Peh    Room 2

We'd like students to master the skills and knowledge we're teaching, and yet it's easy to run a classroom in a way counter to that goal. Using Mishna as an example (but can be applied to any subject area), we'll explore how to create a mastery-based unit; including goals and materials.  We'll address elements of classroom norms, culture, and management essential to a mastery-based unit, or a mastery-based class.   
Rabbi Natan Brownstein, Brauser Maimonides

Gemara for Beginners   Room 3

In this session, teachers will gain a clear set of practical ideas and tips to engage more of their students in Gemara learning. This session will also benefit teachers of 2nd and 3rd year Gemara teachers looking to engage those students who have not yet mastered the basic foundations of learning Gemara. 

Rabbi Levi Eisenberg, Shreiber Online Tutoring 

3:30-4:45        

Choose a Discussion Group:

Setting Reasonable Expectations for Tefillah    Room 2

Facilitator: Rabbi Nati Helfgot, Chair, Department of Talmud & Rabbinics, SAR 

What is the Future of Gemara Education in High Schools?    Room 3

Facilitator: Rabbi Yehuda Chanales, Director of Educational Advancement, Fuchs Mizrachi 

4:45-5:00       Mincha