The Educational Twinning

Project:

Classroom Interaction
between Israeli and
American Jewish
Communities and its
Influence on the
Participants’ Awareness of
Jewish Identity, Tolerance
and Cultural Diversity
Yehuda Peled

Western Galilee Ohalo Teacher Training

college college
 The purpose of this presentation
is to examine a unique large-
scale educational joint learning
activity
The Central Area Consortium
Western Galilee
Educational Twinning Program
The Western Galilee
• Akko is a mixed Arab
and Jewish city of
50,000 residents
• The Matteh Asher Regional
Council includes 30
individual kibbutzim,
moshavim and Arab and
Bedouin villages comprising
20,000 inhabitants
• Population is ethnically,
socially and
economically diverse
and multicultural
 Partners
Ohio Indiana Texas
• Akron • Indianapolis • Austin
• Canton • N.W. Indiana • Dallas
• Dayton • South-Bend • Ft.-Worth
• Toledo • San Antonio
• Youngstown

• Louisville –
Kentucky
• Des Moines – Iowa
• Omaha -
Nebraska
Partnership’s Objectives

To facilitate
connections
between
communities
in Israel and
America
Strengthening Developing tolerance and Strengthening the
Jewish identity understanding of diversity Israel connection

Through Twinning with American Schools Evaluation &

Research

Schools Implement

Environmental
Ghetto Fighters Education Building A Jewish
House Research World Content
Center

The Regional Students from the

Pedagogical Resource The Regional Western Galilee College Resources &
Center Virtual Library assist teachers Support
 Progress
• The project started in 2003 with
four pairs of classrooms
• in 2006 the project involved over
sixty pairs of classrooms in
– kindergarten
– elementary
– middle
– high school
 Method
A four year longitudinal study
was conducted in order to
identify the various variables
affecting the twinning activities
 Method
based on
• questionnaires
• interviews
• journals
 Method
• Students
• faculty
• principals
• policy makers
 Method
• 59 of the participating teachers
were interviewed.
• During the 4 year longitudinal
research four case studies were
conducted.
 Summery of findings
-1-
Facilitating long term joint learning
activities between large numbers of
classrooms in the U.S.A and Israel
requires a great deal of coordination:
– school management
– content
– curriculum
– personal
 school management
Empowerment
The principal recognizes
that decisions are based on
her/his judgment of the
school’s needs and abilities.

By joining the twinning

program the principal will
be responsible for it.
 school management
school setting
• Classroom &
teacher
• Curricular or extra
curricular
• Time allocation
• Language and
technical support
• Evaluation &
student credits
 school management
No Solitary decisions

This is the
twinning stage in
which Israeli and
American
principals begin a
dialogue, which is
based on mutual
study of the
counterparts’
curriculum.
 Content & curriculum

Content-based activity design

• Into which subject will
the activity be
embedded?
• How to meet the
curriculum requirements
so that the new activity
will be feasible?
• What kind of activity
will foster the identified
needs?
 Personal

The nature of
the activities
differ according
to needs,
capabilities and
staff
motivation.
 March Of the Living

– A two year program

– Joint Learning activity based
on Joint research
– Joint product, shared and
displayed on both schools
– Joint MOL
– A whole week in Israel finalize
work, Joy & fun
Summery of findings
-2-

Time, Language and

cultural differences
were the main
variables identified
as barriers to
successful twinning
activity
 Barriers to success
Time zones & calendar
• 6,000 Miles
– 6-8 hours difference
• Different calendars
– School starts/ends
– Jewish Holidays
– National holidays
– Semester brakes
 barriers to success
language
Although Hebrew terms are used in
English as part of the Judaic culture,
the meaning of some of the terms are
grasped differently among the Israelis,
a phenomenon that was a cause of
numerous misunderstandings.

- Menorah – Secular -
- Religious - Student -
 Ari Ot – the messenger

Fridel Jewish
Community
school Omaha

Ma’ayanot -
Cabri
 barriers to success
social background
• Periphery Vs. major city
• Secular Vs. Observant
• Judaism as culture Vs. Judaism
as religion
 barriers to success
State and national standards
The need to meet various state
and national standards
• No Child Left Behind etc. and
“Board standards” in the U.S.A
• Ministry of Education standards
in Israel
Summery of findings
- 3-

Keys to success
 Keys to success
• Teachers seminar and
preperatory workshops
• Open & constant communication
• F 2 F meetings of faculty &
principals
• The “Big brother’s watching”
Mechanisem
 Summery of findings
-4-
technical literacy and the
know-how of conducting
a web-based learning
activity is not a major
hindrance

It does need a lot of

coordination & support
 Technology and
Communication

Video Conference
Video Conference
Technology and Communication

Construct Environments
Book Sharing – Ghetto Fighters
House
 Technology and
Communication

Construct Environments
Building A Jewish World - Jafi
Technology and Communication

• E-mail
• ICQ
• Skype
• U.S & IL Mail
• Currier Pigeons
Summery of findings
-5-

Meaningful learning;

Added value regarding

curricular and social
aspects
 Meaningful Learning
Multi-dimensional learning
• Environmental
issues - Halacha
• March of the Living
• Archeological
digging
• Yom Ha’Zikaron
ceremony
• Students exchange
 Meaningful Learning
Multi-dimensional learning
Sulam Tzur H.S in Indianapolis
 Meaningful Learning
Multi-dimensional learning
The Mezuzah Project
Weizmann Elementary &
the Youngstown Jewish
Day school
Kites
Yitzhak project
Yitzhak project
Yitzhak project
Yitzhak project