Turn it and Turn it Again
Studies in the Teaching and Learning of Classical Jewish Texts
Published on 25. March 2013
Book
Hardback
435 pages
978-1-936235-63-6 (ISBN)
Description
The study of classical Jewish texts is flourishing in day schools and adult education, synagogues and summer camps, universities and yeshivot. But serious inquiry into the practices and purposes of such study is far rarer. In this book, a diverse collection of empirical and conceptual studies illuminates particular aspects of the teaching of Bible and rabbinic literature to, and the learning of, children and adults. In addition to providing specific insights into the pedagogy of Jewish texts, these studies serve as models of what the disciplined study of pedagogy can look like. The book will be of interest to teachers of Jewish texts in all contexts, and will be particularly valuable for the professional development of Jewish educators.
Reviews / Votes
With the rise of interest in classical Jewish texts across the spectrum of the Jewish community, this book is a welcome and important addition to the Jewish library. The separate contributions by pedagogues and scholars of various ilks and backgrounds create a diverse and stimulating conversation about the teaching of Jewish texts, its challenges, and promises. The result is an almost Talmudic diversity of visions and statements that scholars, educators, and interested lay persons will all find valuable. -David M. Stern, Moritz and Josephine Berg Professor of Classical Hebrew Literature, University of Pennsylvania|Turn it and Turn it Again is, in the words of one of the editors, 'a plea for purpose,' a call to make our subconscious and instinctive modes of teaching a conscious craft. Each offering in this wonderful book is valuable on its own, though it is the combined picture that creates a true kaleidoscope of orientations for teaching classical Jewish texts. Both the substantive studies here and the frame that stands behind them will help sharpen our focus, whether about the inner workings of learning minds or about the electricity and passion of a successful beit midrash. This volume is a must-read for all teachers, since the success of our teaching is unavoidably bound up with how well we teach. -Rabbi Ethan Tucker, Rosh Yeshiva, Mechon Hadar|This book inspires me to turn its pages and return to them again. Levisohn and Fendrick have written, collected and organized significant contributions to the pedagogies of sacred texts. They are coherent, illuminating and a joy to read. These essays connect modern analytic scholarship on classical texts with the most current bodies of theory and practice in the study of teaching and learning. The book deserves a place on the desk of every serious Jewish educator. -Lee S. Shulman, President Emeritus, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education Emeritus, Stanford UniversityMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Brighton
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
801 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-936235-63-6 (9781936235636)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Jon A. Levisohn is Associate Professor of Jewish Education in the Department of Near Eastern & Judaic Studies at Brandeis University, as well as the Assistant Academic Director of the Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education. He holds a doctorate from Stanford University and is an alumnus of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship program. He is the author of The Interpretive Virtues: A Philosophical Enquiry into the Teaching and Learning of Historical Narratives (Wiley-Blackwell, 2013). Susan P. Fendrick received rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and is an alumna of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship program. Her writing has appeared in The Women's Torah Commentary and The Women's Haftarah Commentary, The Women's Seder Sourcebook, the haggadah A Night of Questions, the journals Sh'ma and Living Text, as well as numerous online publications. She previously served as Senior Research Associate at the Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education at Brandeis University.