News from Kol Ami

on Wednesday, 23 November 2016.

Experiential Learning at Kol Ami

“Give the pupils something to do, not something to learn; and the doing is of such a nature as to demand thinking; learning naturally results.”
― John Dewey

Along my journey these past two years towards earning a Master’s Degree in Jewish Education, I’ve been introduced to the educational philosophy of John Dewey. He believed that students thrive in an environment where they are allowed to experience and interact with the curriculum, and all students should have the opportunity to take part in their own learning.

Simply put, instead of learning about something, students are learning by doing.

Last year, UJA’s Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Education partnered with the Jewish Theological Seminary to offer Toronto’s Supplementary Educators the opportunity to learn more about “Jewish Experiential Education” and how we can bring it to our supplemental schools. They have provided our school with a generous grant so that we may introduce Experiential Learning to Kol Ami. I attend the seminars and Kol Ami’s teachers, in turn, are learning from me.

What is unique about Experiential Learning? We start by altering the space, even leaving the classroom completely. We provide opportunities for the students to dynamically interact with the subject material, using multiple senses and methods, such as researching, playing and building. And why do we do this? We do this to create a greater sense of community. We want to give the students time to reflect on their learning. Just as we sometimes remove the classroom from the learning, we want to take the learning out of the classroom, into the world.

You may have noticed some Experiential Learning going on already:

•  Lights turned low in a classroom, a Shabbat table set with candles, kiddush cups, challah, flowers, and kippot for a weekly welcome to Shabbat.
• Students experiencing the Jewish Life Cycle by “raising” dolls and modelling the rituals as they grow up.
• Students shopping for art materials using play Shekels in an Israeli Shuk to complete a High Holiday project.
•  Students creating their own Sukkot and demonstrating their understanding of the rules that guide Sukkot building.
•  Moving and responding to Hebrew commands during “Hebrew Through Movement.”
•  Playing games that require co-operation, active learning, and community building through Jewnior Games.

We are currently planning an all-school Chanukah program that will feature Experiential Learning at its core. Our students will be able to explore Chanukah through the lenses of History, Tradition and Freedom.

As we introduce Experiential Learning to our students, you can join in the learning. When your students hop into the car at the end of the school day, try asking,  “What did you do today?” rather than, “What did you learn about today?” I hope these questions and conversations will bring their learning out of the classroom and into your homes

Judy Silver