professional development

What on earth—and in education—is a MOOC?

I’m about 2 ½ weeks in to the most puzzling class experience I would say I’ve ever had, the E-Learning and Digital Cultures MOOC from Coursera.com, aka #edcmooc. So what is a MOOC?

Make the Most out of Summer

Now that the school year is winding down, you are probably giving a sigh of relief and planning some fun activities for the summer. Don’t forget to include your professional development on your to-do list for the summer. Edutopia has provided lots of free resources, including this Summer Rejuvenation Guide, filled with things to learn and do.

Classroom Games—Motivating or Destructive?

In my travels around the country, educators regularly ask me for classroom game ideas. The kids love games, they say. Games can add liveliness, variation, and interest to a lesson. Games are experiential. I’ve seen games that facilitate learning in several ways. These games: • provide practice and review of Hebrew decoding and prayer recitation skills. • provide reinforcement in a relaxed setting.

Personal Growth Can Be Scary

“We value and respect personal development, creativity, and intellectual growth.” That’s one of our core values here at Behrman House. Personal and professional development is not just encouraged here—it is required. 1. Each of the fifteen employees writes a personal development plan for the year and reviews and assesses it quarterly with the department head. (Years ago this replaced the annual review.)

Teach Israel

 Experience Modern Israel

New from Behrman House. Fly to Israel without a plane ticket.

Discover Israel

 Let's Discover Israel

Offer younger children an exciting and age-appropriate introduction to the Jewish homeland