The fifth professional development seminar for teachers in European Jewish schools February, Berlin

Transcription

1 The fifth professional development seminar for teachers in European Jewish schools February, Berlin Final report Underwritten by:

2 Table of contents Executive summary...1 Seven take-away quotes...2 Participants...3 Group work...5 Teacher presentations...7 Guest lectures...8 Working with Centropa materials...9 Ideas for the future Appendix Seminar program Budget i

3 Executive summary There are now twenty-six Jewish schools in Central and Eastern Europe that didn t exist before the fall of Communism in 1989 and 1991 (a new one in Munich just opened), and while these institutions have done a commendable job of building themselves literally from the ground up in many cases there has long been a lack of cross-border, pan- European professional development programs for teachers working in them. In fact, the only exception is Arachim, a network for school directors initiated by JDC and ECJC. CJN the Centropa Jewish Network of European Schools was formed in 2011 to address this deficit by creating a program specifically for classroom teachers, and from the beginning our goals have been to: develop meaningful content that speaks to today s European Jewish students; create a platform and forum so their teachers can meet at least once each year to share the programs that work best with their students. And we have come along at the right time. With an increase in antisemitism in many countries, parents have been taking their children out of public schools and placing them in Jewish schools, where they feel safe and protected. That means several of these schools are growing and taking on new teachers. That is where we come in. By creating, developing, and expanding a network for educators in Jewish schools, we are accomplishing three objectives: we empower teachers to develop lessons they know will work for them and the students they face every day in Jewish schools from Istanbul to Tallinn, from Manchester to Kiev; through our online database, students get to know Jewish stories from other European Jewish communities, and use social media to jump into contact with each other; by creating a forum that nurtures a peer-to-peer network, teachers draw on each others strengths and experiences, forming a more cohesive bond. The Centropa Jewish Network (CJN) is now entering its fifth year, and we are proud to say that our network has expanded from three partner schools in one city (Budapest) to thirty schools in twenty-one European countries. This report describes our latest seminar we held in Berlin Rebuilding Jewish life in Europe through education is very important, and we are especially honored to play a role in this journey. Thank you for reading this through and do not hesitate to contact us shold you have any questions! Sincerely, Marcell Kenesei Director Centropa Jewish Network 1

4 Seven take-away quotes I gained a positive push and an inspiration to teach not only well but creatively. For me it's important to be a part of the European teachers' community. (Svetlana Kutuzova, Russia) It is always useful to hear how the other teachers work, prepare lesson plans, find motivation, throw a trigger etc. For me it s the best and "sure" way to learn something new. (Silvija Heim, Croatia) It is always interesting and enlightening for me to meet teachers from different countries, different cultural backgrounds, and from such a wide range of schools and levels. Actually, I had really never before met a group of people who taught exclusively in Jewish schools (I don t count Israel), so this was an eye-opener for me. It was very edifying for me to see the issues, concerns, and subject material taught in these schools. At the same time, I met a number of people with whom I would like to work on projects. (Lowell Blackman, Israel) I like all events held by Centropa, but this CJN seminar is my favourite Centropa event. I appreciate the work that Centropa team has done. It was professional, thought provoking, creative and caring. This seminar was a natural flow of creative and reasonable decisions. (Svetlana Sakivska, Ukraine) Your seminars are absolutely fabulous. Every time coming to them I gain new knowledge and experience. (Sofija Pavinskaite, Lithuania) The Centropa seminar was a huge reminder of what it is I am doing, why I love teaching. I'll go home and be able to think about how to create a more vibrant school. (Ivalio Ivanov, Bulgaria) It was very special to meet colleagues from such a wide variety of geographical backgrounds and get into touch with them. I felt the importance of Jewish communities to have living and meaningful relationships. The projects and topics are answering a very need we face in the classrooms on a daily basis. It is a support group that is very important. (Andrea Simonyi, Hungary) 2

5 Participants This year, we hosted 28 teachers from 22 schools, 16 countries in our CJN seminar. The majority of the participants teach in middle or high school, but we also had 7 elementary school teachers. 15 participants were new, while 13 already participated in Centropa events earlier, such as seminars or Summer Academies. Participant teachers also teach various subjects. Teacher School City/Country Subject Márton Jeszenszky Lauder Javne School Budapest, Hungary Spanish Svitlana Sakivska EC 141 "ORT" Kiev, Ukraine English Sofija Pavinskaite Stella Kalle Alegra Franse Sholom Aleichem ORT Gimnasium Vilnius, Lithuania Art, history Jewish Primary School of Thessaloniki Thessaloniki, Greece History, social studies Jewish Primary School of Thessaloniki Thessaloniki, Greece Jewish studies Laura Stefania Vlaicu C.E.Lauder-Reut Bucharest, Romania Literature Aura Andreea Petre C.E Lauder-Reut Bucharest, Romania Literature Zali Maya Ulus Jewish Schools Istanbul, Turkey Hebrew Yosef Haleva Ulus Jewish schools Istanbul, Turkey Jewish studies, Hebrew Sarina Salom Lauder Athens Jewish School Athens, Greece Jewish studies, Hebrew Lívia Dütsch Scheiber Sándor School Budapest, Hungary physical education Andrea Simonyi Scheiber Sándor School Budapest, Hungary English 3

6 Elisabeth Szilágyi Scheiber Sándor School Budapest, Hungary Jewish studies, Hebrew Milan Ducháček Lauderovy školy při Židovské obci v Praze Prague, Checz Republic history, literature, social studies, media and humanities Rina Lund Ivalio Ivanov Renzo Levi JEWISH school Rome, Italy Hebrew Lauder-Ort School N:134 Sofia, Bulgaria IT Svetlana Kutuzova ORT-St Petersburg 550 St. Petersburg, Russia History, English Silvija Heim Matea Gospodinovic Dorothea Fecske Elementary school Lauder-Hugo Kon Zagreb, Croatia Jewish studies Elementary School Lauder-Hugo Kon Zagreb, Croatia Jewish studies I. E. Lichtigfeld-Schule im Philanthropin Frankfurt, Germany Frankfurt, Germany Art, IT, film Sara Katz Ginton Kiriat Hinuch Amirim Tel Aviv, Israel educational radio station manager / communication Lowell Blackman Atid Lod High School of Sciences Lod, Israel Literature, English Sharon Ryba JNF-KKL e.v. Berlin, Germany History, Jewish studies, art Peppe Freud Vasa Real Stockholm, Sweden Jewish studies, Hebrew, Yiddish Viktor Gurevich Yoanna Jabotinsky Beer Yaakov, Israel History, civics Lee Cass Moriah Jewish Day School Pinner, UK Primary school teacher Asjer de Bruijn Maimonides School Amsterdam, The Netherlands Jewish studies Sara Levan JCoSS London, UK Jewish studies 4

7 Group work One of the main aims of our CJN seminar is to bring teachers together so that they can share ideas and experiences, and form projects together. Therefore, during the seminar we provide several opportunities for them to work in small group settings, where each participant can contribute to the discussion. One the first day, teachers watched a selection of Centropa films, and worked in small groups on lesson plans for the films they liked the most. The lesson plans where later shared with the other groups, and feedback was given. The final lesson plans will be uploaded to the Centropa webpage. We would like to encourage our teachers to form partnerships and share project ideas with each other. In small groups, seminar participants had the opportunity to brainstorm together about cross-border project ideas between their schools. 5

8 For the first time, we introduced the Café Dilemma discussions on this CJN seminar. During this session, teachers read about short dilemma situations connected to Jewish education and school life, and in small groups they had to discuss how they would solve the situation. The Café Dilemma is a special opportunity for teachers from all around the globe to discover that they share similar challenges, and they can try to find the solutions together. Lowell Blackman, one of the facilitators of the Café Dilemma said: I also liked the basic idea behind the Café Dilemma because it showed me that certain problems and issues are shared and it made me feel a connectedness to colleagues who teach in other environments. Being the facilitator and the note-taker put me in a special place as I could listen and learn from others but also help move the conversation in certain directions, encourage everyone to share stories, approaches, and possible solutions to the main issue presented. I m glad to have had this role and opportunity. 6

9 Teacher presentations We at Centropa believe that teachers are the best to teach other teachers; by sharing their own experiences, they can inspire and help their colleagues work. During the CJN seminar, we asked three veteran teachers, Rina Lund, Lowell Blackman and Victor Gurevich to present how they used Centropa films in class; two teachers, Dorothea Fecske and Stella Kalle to present about the video projects of their students; and Sara Katz Ginton to introduce a unique radio project from her school. After each presentation, teachers had the opportunity to ask questions. According to our feedback survey, participants found these presentations of their colleagues extremely useful. Silvija Heim, Jewish studies teacher from Croatia told us: To hear how someone is using specific material (especially when it is used for different classes and topics) is priceless... This is education - sharing specific experiences, tools, methods, feedback. Great! 7

10 Guest lectures For this CJN seminar we invited three guest lecturers to talk about further sources for Jewish education in the 21 st century. Sammy Morhaim from the Jewish Interactive introduced interactive online games which can be created by teachers and students themselves for various subjects. Karen Ettinger from the National Library of Israel showed the wide variety of sources of the NLI to support both Jewish and non-jewish education today. Finally, Mariano Schlimovitch from the European Council of Jewish Communities introduced the Arachim Conference, a unique international platform for teachers in Jewish education. 8

11 Working with Centropa materials During the seminar, participants had the opportunity to get an in-depth knowledge about the wide variety of materials Centropa has to offer. First, the Centropa database of interviews and photos was showed, along with useful tips of how to search and save the materials. Second, teacher watched several different Centropa films, and discussed in small groups how they could use them in their class. What teachers said about their favorite films: El otro camino is my favorite film because of the powerful history of the Sephardic community. It is very important for the Ashkenazi community to be more connected and for the youth to have a deeper understanding of Jewish history and identity. (Andrea Simonyi) The film that meant most to me is Survival in Sarajevo. First of all because it is a movie about a neighbourhood country and I am familiar with situation shown in the movie. Also I like this idea that La Benevolencia was helping everyone who needed help. Excellent movie! (Matea Gospodinovic) The Luster film is my favorite. It can be used in so many ways and especially to inspire my students to do their own project based on Centropa's database. (Victor Gurevich) Never miss a good vacation is a vivid example of a person who always looks on the bright side and demonstrates invincibility of human spirit and enthusiasm for life. Nowadays it is very important to show it to young people who easily fall into despair for a variety of reasons. Besides it is also a good way to show personal story as a part of history. From these perspectives I can show it on the topics "Relating to People", "Taking a Stand", "Behaviour" with senior grades (Upper- Intermediate level) and "Real Relationships", "Looking Back" with middle school students. (Setlana Sakivska) 9

12 Ideas for the future At the end of the seminar, participants departed with several project ideas for their students. After last year s success, Centropa introduced the CJN video competition for students for the school year; and several seminar participants expressed great interest in applying with their students. Besides the Centropa video competition, several other project ideas were presented to teachers. The Scheiber Sándor School of Budapest organizes a cross-border song project, and invites students from all over the world to sing Od yavo shalom aleinu together. Sara Katz Ginton from Israel introduced a unique school radio project, and several teachers expressed a desire to join. Besides, several smaller partnerships were formed with ideas, which Centropa aims to support in the future. 10

13 Appendix Seminar program Day 1 12 th February, Sunday (Location: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Tiergartenstraße 35.) 12:00 - Arrivals + Registration lunch available 13:30 Introduction Ice breakers for: o Getting to know each other personally o Getting to know each other s schools Centropa welcome by Marcell Kenesei and Bori Pál o Introducing Centropa and the Centropa Jewish Network o Showing centropa.org our interactive website of Jewish family stories and related educational materials and projects o Introducing our international and professional network of classroom teachers in Europe, in the US and in Israel 15:00 - Using Centropa stories in classroom Showing Centropa educational films on 20 th century Jewish family stories we collected Veteran teachers present how they use our films in class 16:00 - Coffee break 16:30 - Working on lesson plans in small groups based on our films 17:30 Presenting lesson plans groups give feedback 18:30 Leaving for joint dinner at Café Orange (Oranienburger Straße 32.) in the Jewish district (we will take the metro together). Day 2 13 th February, Monday (Location: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Tiergartenstraße 35.) 9:00 - About CJN competition - student competition based on projects that were developed in the framework of the CJN Coordinators present CJN competition projects Stella Kalle from Thessaloniki and Dorothea Imre-Fecske from Frankfurt Breaking into smaller groups to brainstorm about cross-border projects 11

14 11:00 - Coffee break 11:30 - Transforming Jewish education with Jewish Interactive. In this session you will be introduced to Jewish Interactive, an established global EdTech charity that develops digital resources for Jewish and Hebrew learning. The session will be held by Sammi Morhaim 13:00 - Lunch 14:00 Café Dilemma a session in smaller groups where teachers discuss relevant dilemmas concerning Jewish education and education in general 15:00 Presentation of Karen Ettinger from the National Library Israel (NLI) who will speak about using primary sources in education the topic of this particular lecture will be about Jewish Struggles The story of the Dreyfus-trial from a unique perspective, the struggle for the Aliya from the USSR, the illegal immigration to Israel before :00 - Coffee break 16:30 - Centropa films on Jews who fought back changing the narrative from being victims followed by discussion 17:30 day ends free evening dinner on your own Day 3 14 th February, Tuesday (Location: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Tiergartenstraße 35.) 9:00 Introducing Centropa projects: traveling exhibitions, Café Centropa, Centropa Summer Academy 9:30 Presentation of Sara Katz Ginton from Israel how can we maintain contact with our students through technology? 10:00 Short roundtable discussion in smaller groups. What challenges we face, what solutions we have in our schools? 10:30 Coffee break 11:00 - Workshop on Arachim, conference for Jewish educators, by Mariano Schlimovich, director of programmes at the European Council of Jewish Communities 12:00 Feedback session (discussion + filling out surveymonkey) 13:00 - Lunch Departure 12

15 Budget Costs EUR Acommodation KAS Hotel Golden Tulip Meals KAS KAS 2 855,40 KAS Kosher meals 725,46 KAS Café Orange 623,50 Printing Everengine 195,00 Photographer Robi 500 Travel Reimbursement KAS Sofija Pavinskaite 50 Laura Vlaciu 47 KAS Andreea Petre 47 Svetlana Kutuzova 173 Silvija Heim 295 KAS Sara Katz Ginton 205,50 KAS Peppe Freud 141 KAS Victor Gurevich 214 KAS Lee Cass 114,50 KAS Asjer de Bruijn 206,88 KAS Sara Levan 132 KAS Sammy Morhaim 42 Staff ground costs Robi meals 21,15 Bori meals 10,4 Marcell meals 7,6 Cafe Orange wine 29,7 Robi & Bori taxi 42,70 Robi és Bori fligh ticket 82,93 Marcell flight ticket 53,01 Public transport in Berlin Tageskarte, 1 x 7,70 7,7 Einzelfahrausweis, 2 x 3,40 6,8 Kurzstecke, 1 x 1,70 1,7 Kleingruppen, 2 x 19,90 39,8 4-Fahrarten, 2 x 9 18 Einzelfahrausweis, 23 x 2,80 64,40 transport in Budapest to the airport 22,95 transport in Budapest from the airport 26,23 Staff time CJN coordinator Borbala Pal: 30 hours per week, 3 months CJN Director Marcell Kenesei: 20 hours per week, 2 months Centropa bookkeeper Doppelreiter: 40 hours 800 Centropa EU education Director in Germany: 20 hours 560 Centropa Tech director: Bence Lukacs: 20 hours x 2 months 700 Centropa designer: Design of handouts : 30 hours % administration, overhead, other TOTAL