Schools do this all year round—each grade reenacts the milestones and ceremonies that took place in previous years, but with inevitable new spins. Teachers may cover the same material, and the dynamic relationship among teacher, content, and student means that this process is never the same. The same creative force that enables us to imagine ourselves as slaves heading towards freedom empowers educators every day. As Prizmah Conference keynote speaker George Couros said, “when we think differently about the things we are used to seeing daily, we can create innovative opportunities.”

Innovation is not tied to any one program or idea. Members of the Prizmah team have visited schools all over the country who face each day with the same question: what will we do differently today to better meet the needs of our students today. This summer, in partnership with Prizmah, a number of diverse schools across North America are embracing a commitment to innovation and will be hosting Summer Learning Labs for cohorts of educators on topics such as project-based learning, social and emotional learning, and design thinking. Watch for a list of these opportunities and take advantage of the chance to participate in these adventures in innovation. As we enter the month of Nisan in the coming days, I wish you a similarly innovative spirit with which to infuse your Pesach preparations and traditions.

Prizmah is investing in accelerating educational innovation for the Jewish day school field. See how one school uses design thinking to solve real world challenges!

How can second graders attempt to solve 21st century transportation obstacles by reading about camels and chariots in the Bible? Adat Ari El is the first Jewish day school in Los Angeles to adopt design thinking as its guiding methodology for elementary school education. Their mission is driven by a desire to provide a values-oriented curriculum based on Jewish tradition, nurture a deep connection to Israel and the Jewish people, and foster intellectual curiosity and a life-long love of learning. Shara Peters, Head of School, says, “If everyone approached societal problems from a stance of empathetic inquiry, like they are taught to do in design thinking, this world would be a different--and better--place. I want our graduates to be those people who do. To be able to do this in a manner that's rooted in our Jewish tradition is even more impactful.” 

Even before design thinking became a hot trend in education, Adat Ari El was on board. For the past five years, they have adopted this approach with support from the K12 Lab Network from Stanford d.school. Design thinking at Adat Ari El enables faculty to meet the individual needs of each child by utilizing a specially developed, integrated curriculum. Teachers receive extensive professional development and talk through ideas for design thinking projects in a highly collaborative, integrated learning environment, and students engage in creative and relevant learning experiences. Shara proudly says, “Our students love it because they get to be active participants in their learning. For our teachers and administration, it's an exciting way to approach education that feels much more in-line with serving the needs of society right now and tomorrow than the type of education system in which we grew up. When we check in on our graduates, our students are often the ones who aren't afraid to generate a lot of ideas when presented with problems, and I love that.”  

Learn more on Design Thinking and Adat Ari El’s implementation with resources on Prizmah's Knowledge Center:

• Read “Implementing Design Thinking in Partnership with a University”, Shara’s article in Prizmah’s Fall 2018 issue of HaYidion.

• Browse the great resources about design thinking, including the Stanford d.school website and the work Adat Ari El in the K12 Lab Network.
• Understand how design thinking works at Adat Ari El, including examples of how student engagement and problem solving.
• Resources from the Teacher's Guild for Prizmah's Knowledge Center on design thinking.

Is there something innovative or exciting happening at your school that Prizmah can spotlight in a future issue? Email Senior Director of Marketing and Communications Cheryl Weiner Rosenberg to let us know!

Ready to spend your summer in Israel...for free!?

Are you a teacher between the ages of 21-39? If so, you may be eligible to join The TALMA Fellowship and our network of superstar educators from around the world for an all-expense-paid summer of adventure, service, and growth!

To learn more, we encourage you to explore our website, watch some videos to get a sense of our program, read testimonials of past participants, or listen to our podcast!

Marrow Registry, a national public bone marrow registry, supplies everything you need from training on how to run a drive to swab kits and support materials. Give your students hands-on experience in pikuach nefesh! Contact Rachel Alexander, [email protected] or 561-982-2954 to get started today.

• 2forseder.org, a new initiative founded by the daughter-in-law of a victim of the Pittsburgh shooting, is encouraging and enabling people to invite two guests to their seder who have never previously attended one. (Here’s the story behind it.)

• Ayeka offers a study guide to five aspects of the Haggadah, combining passages from the Haggadah with commentators, containing discussion questions, writing exercises, and prompts for reflection.

• Jgateways has published a Haggadah, along with a placement and other resources, for learners with a range of needs.

• The Pesach Seder Companion from Yeshiva University’s Torah MiTzion includes a piece by Ariela Snowbell discussing the similarity between the “wise” and “wicked” children.

• American Jewish World Service has updated its Haggadah with passages that enable people to learn about slavery and freedom throughout the world and reflect upon ways that we can take action.

• Rabbi Ethan Tucker of Hadar explores rabbinic sources to challenge our understanding of the Haggadah’s narrative as describing the passage from slavery to freedom.

• On Aish.com, Rabbi Efrem Goldberg considers why speech is so important to the holiday’s notion of freedom.

• HIAS prints an annual Pesach supplement—here’s the one from last year.

• From the articles on JOFA’s website, Karen Miller Jackson describes intriguing connections between Pesach and the Song of Songs, which is read on the holiday.

• The Global Day of Jewish Learning has compiled a Passover study resource with sources and commentary drawn from Steinsaltz's Humash, Haggadah and Talmud.

Prizmah is pleased to share the information below, but we do not endorse any specific resource listed. Each month we feature a selection of wonderful events, opportunities, and resources happening in the Jewish education world and beyond.  A full list of resources can be found here.

Jewish educators from communities across the United States are invited to attend the 4th Annual National Educators Institute: The Art and Science of Teaching American Jewish History at the National museum of American Jewish History from July 7th-10th, 2019! This seminar is an innovative professional development program specifically designed to empower teachers to re-envision Jewish history education in America by promoting historical thinking, empathy, and self-identification.

The program is a unique opportunity to engage with the museum’s collections, learn from the experts in the fields of American Jewish history and education, and collaborate with Museum staff and fellow teachers sharing knowledge and best practices.

For more information, please visit https://www.nmajh.org/nei/.