Framing Learner-Centered Jewish Education

Autor/in	Solmsen, Bradley
Titel	Framing Learner-Centered Jewish Education
Quelle	In: Journal of Jewish Education, 78 (2012) 4, S.323-325 (3 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1524-4113
DOI	10.1080/15244113.2012.732776
Schlagwörter	Stellungnahme; Jews; Educational Change; Educational Experience; Judaism; Goal Orientation; Educational Objectives; Relevance (Education); Student Centered Curriculum + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Jew; Jude; Jüdin; Juden; Bildungsreform; Bildungserfahrung; Judaismus; Zielorientierung; Zielvorstellung; Educational objective; Bildungsziel; Erziehungsziel; Relevance; Relevanz
Abstract	Woocher's vision for Reinventing Jewish Education for the 21st Century is clear, compelling, and convincing. The author agrees with Woocher's overarching analysis and deeply believes that profound change is necessary. At the same time, he wants to call for a note of caution related to Woocher's emphasis on the learner at the center. Within the article, Woocher points to two different ways in which the learner needs to be at the center of new models for Jewish education. First, Woocher argues that people need to take the learners' needs into account in ways they have not previously. Jewish education needs to be relevant to the lives of the learners and Jewish educational experiences need to be real, authentic, and lived as opposed to theoretical and more distant. Based on the author's experience and understanding, these elements of learner-centered education are indeed essential. His hesitation comes with the second element of learner-centered education in which Woocher articulates a need to view the learner as prosumer and a call to provide the learner with significantly more choice. Here the author believes people need to proceed with a good deal of caution. He fully agrees that learners today may want to be viewed as prosumers, and may be used to operating as prosumers; but he fears within Jewish contexts, they might not be prepared to function as such. Choice and the opportunity to co-create learning environments are extremely powerful levers that must be implemented with a great deal of forethought. The author's sense is that a majority of learners simply do not understand how to serve in the role of prosumer in a Jewish context and are not able to make appropriate decisions when and if they were given choices or asked to co-generate learning experiences. He suggests that in some instances what learners might need is actually less choice and control and more framing and structure. Once learners gain enough experience and familiarity, they will become able to take on the role of prosumer with more efficacy. However, the author believes that most learners do not enter into the systems ready to take on this potentially powerful role. Woocher's vision for change is complex. The learners are equally complex. One of the most significant challenges as people implement this exciting vision is not to lose sight of the complexity in an effort to create environments with the learners appropriately at the center. (ERIC).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10