Conquering the Challenge of Decoding

The most common reasons offered for why children in part-time/synagogue settings do not learn to decode accurately and fluently are external to the curriculum - there are not enough hours, attendance is spotty and children are "not motivated." Rarely have Jewish educators considered the possibility that some of the issues might lie in teaching strategies that are usually based on a teacher's kishkes, not on research-based practice.

In the 2023-2024 academic year, #OnwardHebrew set up a think tank comprised of education directors and Hebrew supervisors to determine if research findings from what is known as the "science of reading" might offer more effective teaching strategies for our part-time/synagogue programs.

This page shares the results of that work AND, in the spirit of "citizen science" is putting out a call for educator experimenters to help further this work. Scroll down to the "Join Us" section to see what this might mean for you and your Hebrew teaching colleagues.

The video, below, offers a general overview of #OnwardHebrew's work to mitigate the challenge of decoding. Invite a colleague to watch it with you!

START HERE - DOWNLOAD THESE:

CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE to download a resource that 1) introduces the work of #OnwardHebrew's 2023-24 decoding think tank, 2) offers a summary of take-aways from research-based teaching strategies think tank members tested, and 3) lays out ten decoding challenges, matching each with specific teaching strategies garnered from the science of reading that have potential application to decoding instruction in part-time/ synagogue settings. NOTE - Page 23 offers a document with seven different fonts for each Hebrew letter. The link is there, as well as here: https://tinyurl.com/AlefBet-fonts.

CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE to download a professional development manual for education directors and Hebrew supervisors. The first half of the document offers adaptable workshop strategies that help stakeholders better understand the #OnwardHebrew approach. The second half offers PD ideas that help teachers/tutors explore, adopt and adapt research-based sound-to-print teaching strategies.

CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE to download short excerpts from science of reading research that could have application to the teaching of Hebrew decoding in part-time settings. There are three sections: 1) quotes organized by theme, 2) a bibliography organized by author, and 3) quotes organized by the ten challenges in the "Conquering the Challenge of Decoding" resource.

USE THESE PD RESOURCES: (all are referenced in the "choose Your own adventure" document)

CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE to download the L'lamed ("to teach!") game. It offers players a set of rich images of what #OnwardHebrew approach might look like in a part-time/synagogue setting. Each download-and-print board and action cards accommodate 3-4 players. The game takes 45-60 minutes, including the introductory explanation and final debriefing. It is also discussed and linked in the PD manual, above.

CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE to access a Word Doc of the planning worksheet that is on pages 16-17 of the "Conquering the Challenge" resource. This downloadable version is designed for those who prefer to type onto a document, rather than filling in the blanks by hand. The "Planning Worksheet" guides a person through the planning of an experimental sprint and offers a format for tracking data.

THE VIDEO, ABOVE, offers a short overview of the science of reading within the context of Hebrew decoding in a part-time/synagogue setting. Page 10 of the "Choose Your Own Adventure" resource (scroll up) summarizes key points and offers suggestions for discussion.

CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE to open a PDF with 7 different fonts for each Hebrew letter. This resource opens the conversation of "What makes __ letter a __?" (What makes an Alef an Alef?)

JOIN US AS AN "EDUCATOR-EXPERIMENTER!"

OnwardHebrew needs your help in verifying the hypotheses and findings of the 2023-2024 Decoding Think Tank AND in testing other possible Hebrew teaching strategies that can be anchored in the science of reading research. In the spirit of “citizen science” (where anyone anywhere can volunteer to collect data needed by scientists to further understandings), #OnwardHebrew is hoping that directors/supervisors will support their teachers in experimenting with teaching strategies of personal interest and then sharing their results with the initiative. Details are in the “Conquering the Challenge of Hebrew Decoding” resource, pages 15-17.

The data gathered from teachers/tutors nationwide will help identify the strategies that foster learning success in part-time/ synagogue settings. Feel free to be in touch with Nachama Skolnik Moskowitz with your results >> [email protected].