The Presentation Model of Teaching

When mentoring our pre-service and in-service teachers we need to describe and model both research-based and clinical best practices. Accordingly our mentees should know about the Presentation Model of Teaching.

The presentation or advance organizer model of teaching is a teacher-directed and systematically organized way of delivering information to students. This model involves the four steps that are described below:

The Four Steps of the Presentation Model of Teaching (*Arends, 2001)

Steps	Description	Teacher and/or Student Behavior
1	Get students ready to learn, and clarify the objective/s of the lesson	Teacher is clear about the objective(s) and main point(s) · States the goal(s) of the presentation · Focuses on one main point at a time · Avoids digressions · Avoids ambiguity
2	Present the advance organizer	Teacher goes through the lesson in a logical step-by-step progression · Presents materials in small steps · Presents students with an outline if the material is complex
3	Present new information	Teacher gives specific examples · Gives detailed explanations of difficult points · Provides students with concrete and varied examples · Models or illustrates ideas when possible
4	Check for student understanding, and extend and strengthen thinking skills	Teacher checks for student understanding · Makes certain students understand one point before going on to next point · Asks questions to monitor student comprehension · Asks students to summarize or paraphrase main points · Explains in a different way when students appear confused

*Arends, R. (2001). Learning to Teach. (Fifth Edition). Boston: McGraw-Hill.

On the next post we will insert a sample lesson on the Ten Commandments into the four-step Presentation Model of Teaching template.

What is a Model of Teaching?

When mentoring our pre-service and in-service teachers we need to describe and model both research-based and clinical best practices. Accordingly our mentees should know about models of teaching.

A model of teaching (*Joyce, B., & Weil, M. (1986) is an instructional pathway to reach a learning outcome that aligns and is consistent with enduring Jewish knowledge. Some models of teaching are teacher-directed, while others are student-engaged. In future posts we will define and describe three teacher directed and three student-engaged models of teaching.

*Joyce, B., & Weil, M. (1986). Models of Teaching: Third Edition. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.

On the next post we will begin our discussion of the first teacher-directed model of teaching, the Presentation Model.

Curriculum Mapping Template From August Through May

When mentoring our pre-service and in-service teachers we need to describe and model both research-based and clinical best practices. One of those best practices is curriculum mapping.

At the top of this blog is an example of a template for curriculum mapping from August to May.

On the next post we will begin a new topic on the blog: models of teaching.

What is Curriculum Mapping?

When mentoring our pre-service and in-service teachers we need to describe and model both research-based and clinical best practices. One of those best practices is curriculum mapping.

What is curriculum mapping?

Curriculum mapping is a tool to help plan and chart your lessons over a period of time such as a week, a month, a semester or an entire academic year. It is best done by first considering your ultimate learning outcome, your enduring Jewish knowledge, and then working backward: identifying the essential questions, the evidence of understanding, the skills and activities needed, and the assessments. Ideally each lesson you teach should be aligned with your ultimate learning outcome, the enduring Jewish knowledge, you want your students to understand.

At the top of this blog is one example of a template for curriculum mapping.

On the next post we will share another example of a curriculum mapping template.

Sample Application of Writing a Backward Design Lesson Plan Which Includes the Individual Assessment Component

Step Five: Decide Upon What Assessment Tasks Individual Students Should Be Able to Do Which Demonstrate that He or She Truly Understands and Can Apply the Enduring Jewish Knowledge of the Lesson

When mentoring our pre-service and in-service teachers we need to demonstrate how the five step process of Backward Design (*Wiggins & McTighe, 1998) can be incorporated into lesson planning.

Assumption:

We will create a lesson plan to welcome a student or co-teacher into the fifth grade day or supplemental school classroom of a mentor teacher.

According to the Backward Design framework of *Wiggins & McTighe the fifth step specifies the assessment measures or tasks which demonstrate whether individual students truly understand and can apply the enduring Jewish knowledge (i.e. Hachnasat Orchim) of the lesson.

At the top of this post you will find a sample backward design lesson plan template into which the enduring Jewish knowledge, Hachnasat Orchim, welcoming guests, a set of essential questions, the evidence of understanding, the student skills and classroom activities and the assessment tasks are written.

*Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (1998). Understanding by Design. Alexandria, VA. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

On the next post we will discuss curriculum mapping.

Sample Application of Writing a Backward Design Lesson Plan Which Includes the Student Skills and Classroom Activities

Step Four: Decide Upon What Skills and Classroom Activities Students Should Participate in Which Demonstrate that they Can Both Understand and Apply the Enduring Jewish Knowledge of the Lesson

When mentoring our pre-service and in-service teachers we need to demonstrate how the five step process of Backward Design (*Wiggins & McTighe, 1998) can be incorporated into lesson planning.

Assumption:

We will create a lesson plan to welcome a student or co-teacher into the fifth grade day or supplemental school classroom of a mentor teacher.

According to the Backward Design framework of *Wiggins & McTighe the fourth step specifies the students skills and classroom activities that students can do which demonstrate that they can both understand and apply the enduring Jewish knowledge (i.e. Hachnasat Orchim) of the lesson.

At the top of this post you will find a sample backward design lesson plan template into which the enduring Jewish knowledge, Hachnasat Orchim, welcoming guests, a set of essential questions, the evidence of understanding, and the student skills and classroom activities are written.

*Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (1998). Understanding by Design. Alexandria, VA. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

On the next post we will discuss the assessment component of planning a lesson on Hachnasat Orchim.

Sample Application of Writing a Backward Design Lesson Plan Incorporating Evidence of Understanding

Step Three: Decide Upon What Evidence of Understanding Students Need to Demonstrate to Prove that They Comprehend the Enduring Jewish Knowledge of the Lesson

When mentoring our pre-service and in-service teachers we need to demonstrate how the five step process of Backward Design (*Wiggins & McTighe, 1998) can be incorporated into lesson planning.

Assumption:

We will create a lesson plan to welcome a student or co-teacher into the fifth grade day or supplemental school classroom of a mentor teacher.

According to the Backward Design framework of *Wiggins & McTighe the third step is to decide what evidence of understanding students need to demonstrate to prove that they comprehend the enduring Jewish knowledge of the lesson.

At the top of this post you will find a sample backward design lesson plan template into which the enduring Jewish knowledge, Hachnasat Orchim, welcoming guests, a set of essential questions, and the evidence of understanding are written.

*Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (1998). Understanding by Design. Alexandria, VA. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

On the next post we will discuss what student skills and classroom activities students can do to demonstrate that they both understand and can apply the enduring Jewish knowledge ( i.e. Hachnasat Orchim) of the lesson.

Sample Application of Writing a Backward Design Lesson Plan Incorporating Essential Questions

Step Two: Decide Upon What Essential Questions to Pose to Your Students

When mentoring our pre-service and in-service teachers we need to demonstrate how the five step process of Backward Design (*Wiggins & McTighe, 1998) can be incorporated into lesson planning.

Assumption:

We will create a lesson plan to welcome a student or co-teacher into the fifth grade day or supplemental school classroom of a mentor teacher.

According to the Backward Design framework of *Wiggins & McTighe the second step is to decide upon what essential questions to pose to your students. The answers to these essential question provide students information about what constitutes enduring Jewish knowledge.

At the top of this post you will find a sample backward design lesson plan template into which the enduring Jewish knowledge, Hachnasat Orchim, welcoming guests, and a set of essential questions are written.

*Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (1998). Understanding by Design. Alexandria, VA. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

On the next post we will discuss what evidence students need to demonstrate to prove that they understand the concept of Hachnasat Orchim, welcoming guests.

Sample Application of Writing a Backward Design Lesson Plan on the Topic of Welcoming Guests

Step One: Decide on What Content or Enduring Jewish Knowledge to Teach

When mentoring our pre-service and in-service teachers we need to demonstrate how the five step process of Backward Design (*Wiggins & McTighe, 1998) can be incorporated in lesson planning.

Assumption:

We will create a lesson plan to welcome a student or co-teacher into the fifth grade day or supplemental school classroom of a mentor teacher.

According to the Backward Design framework of *Wiggins & McTighe the first step is to decide upon what (Jewish) content or knowledge is enduring.

At the top of this post you will find a sample backward design lesson plan template into which the enduring Jewish knowledge, Hachnasat Orchim, welcoming guests, is written.

*Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (1998). Understanding by Design. Alexandria, VA. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

On the next post we will include sample essential questions related to the concept of Hachnasat Orchim, welcoming guests.

Jewish Home Lifecare Youth Mentoring Program: Special Post

Learn about the Jewish Home Lifecare Youth Mentoring Program by clicking on to this website: https://jewishhome.imentorinteractive.org/

Jewish Home Lifecare (JHL) is one of the leading and largest not for profit geriatric health and rehabilitation institutions in the country serving more than 9000 elderly annually with campuses in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Westchester. Integral to its mission is an intergenerational youth program for at risk high school students that has been in existence for over 20 years and had an average of 150 youth per year in our program.

Based on this experience, JHL created the Geriatric Career Development (GCD) program in 2006, a groundbreaking experiential youth work force development program providing high school students in the Bronx and Manhattan with academic support, intergenerational mentoring, college preparation, job training and skills that prepares youth to enter the healthcare field. Students leave the program with extensive knowledge about the field of health and aging, experience working with elders in Jewish Home's two 816 and 514 bed nursing homes, direct care skills, and exposure to the vast array of careers within a large health care institution.

The Health Professional Youth Mentoring Program will match youth in our on-line program with health care professionals to help support them with academics, college and career counseling, and personal development. The Mentoring Program and the GCD Program share the common goals of ensuring academic success and preventing high school drop out and ensuring that students have knowledge, experience and skills to make informed decisions about careers in health after high school graduation.

This program is an on-line based mentoring component with a requirement of four in-person meetings throughout the course of the nine-month program. Our students come from NYC public schools in Manhattan and the Bronx and have shown an interest in the healthcare profession. The majority of our students are African-American and Latino and are at-risk for failure. However, the structure of our program provides them with tutoring, SAT prep, internships and department lectures. The on-line mentoring program will be pairing each of our 60 high school juniors with a healthcare professional. These healthcare professionals can consist of doctors, nurses, med school students, social workers, medical billing assistants, dieticians, human resource specialists, speech pathologists, dentists, pediatric oncologists, etc. Basically, we are looking for any individual that works in a healthcare environment and can commit to weekly emails with their mentee and four in-person connections.

The coordinator of this program is Rebecca Meltz, Social Work Mentoring Intern, Jewish Home Lifecare, and she can be contacted at this email address: rmeltz@jhha.org

What Does a Backward Design Lesson Plan Template Look Like?

When mentoring our pre-service and in-service teachers we need to demonstrate how the five step process of Backward Design (*Wiggins & McTighe, 1998) can be incorporated in lesson planning.

Accordingly, at the top of this post please find a sample template for incorporating Backward Design into one’s lesson plan.

*Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (1998). Understanding by Design. Alexandria, VA. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

In the next blog we will share a sample lesson plan using Backward Design.

What is the Five Step Backward Design Approach to Lesson Planning Preparation of Wiggins and McTighe?

When mentoring our pre-service and in-service teachers we need to make clear the connection between enduring Jewish knowledge and the lesson plans we create. An excellent approach to making that connection appears in the work of *Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, the authors of the 'Backward Design' lesson planning process. Accordingly, below please find the five steps for 'Backward Design' lesson planning.

The Five Steps for Backward Design Lesson Planning Preparation of *Wiggins and McTighe (1998)

Step 1. Decide what (Judaic) content or knowledge is enduring. That is, you want to determine what your students must learn during a particular period of instructional time (i.e. a lesson, a unit [a set of lessons], a semester, or the entire year). This is essential Judaic knowledge that an educated person should understand, and be able to apply. In this blog we will refer to this essential information as enduring Jewish knowledge. Example:

· The Torah and the Talmud contain a body of wisdom that guides a person regarding how to lead a righteous and meaningful life.

Step 2. Decide what question or questions you want your students to answer. These are the essential questions that focus student thinking on enduring Jewish knowledge. Examples:

· What are the Torah and Talmud?

· Why are we commanded to study the Torah and Talmud?

· How does the study of the Torah and Talmud help us live a righteous and meaningful life?

Step 3. Decide what evidence your students need to demonstrate to prove that they truly understand this enduring Jewish knowledge. Examples:

· Students will be able to cite specific examples from the Torah and Talmud of g'milut chasadim, acts of loving kindness, i.e.

1. Visiting the sick, Bikkur Cholim, Genesis 19:1-3

2. Welcoming guests/strangers, Hachnasat Orchim, Genesis 18:3-5.

Step 4. Determine what student skills and classroom activities students can do which demonstrate that they understand, and can apply this enduring Jewish knowledge. Example:

· Students will generate a list of g'milut chasadim projects that they will implement individually, or as a class during the school year.

Step 5. Determine how to assess or measure whether individual students truly understand, and can apply this enduring Jewish knowledge. Examples:

· Students will define and give examples of g'milut chasadim from personal experiences, and from stories in the Torah and Talmud.

· Students will write an essay, create a song, or draw a picture showing how doing an act of g'milut chasadim made a difference in their lives and those of others.

*Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (1998). Understanding by Design. Alexandria, VA. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

On the next several posts we will discuss how to incorporate the Backward Design process into your lesson planning.

What is a Lesson Plan? What are the Eight Essential Elements of a Lesson Plan (Hunter, 1982)?

A lesson plan is a thoughtful written document designed to empower students to acquire, apply, and create knowledge. The chart below contains the eight essential elements of a lesson plan according to *M. Hunter (1982).

Eight Essential Elements of A

Lesson Plan (*Hunter, 1982)

Elements	Definitions
Objective or Learning Outcome	The content or the knowledge that the student is supposed to learn.
Anticipatory Set	The motivational activity that prepares the student for the objective or learning outcome.
Introductory Activity	The initial exercise that focuses the attention of the student to the objective or learning outcome.
Developmental Activity or Activities	A set of steps or procedures designed to reach the objective or learning outcome.
Guided Practice	Instructional time devoted to enabling the student to apply new skills. or strengthen those skills learned at a previous time.
Assessment/s	Initial, ongoing, and final activities designed to measure what the student has learned.
Independent Activity or Activities	An activity that takes place outside of the classroom where a student applies what he or she has learned in class.
Closure	An activity that summarizes and ends the lesson.

*These are the eight essential elements of a lesson plan according to M. Hunter (1982). Lesson plans, however, can also include other elements such as enduring Jewish knowledge, essential questions, standards, benchmarks, social skills, and thinking skills.

*Hunter, M. (1982). Mastery Teaching. El Segundo, CA: TIP Publications.

On the next post we will begin to discuss the Backward Design approach to lesson planning preparation of Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (1998).

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What Other Sources are Available to Your Mentee to Find Enduring Jewish Knowledge?

In this portion of the blog we are discussing how the mentor can empower the mentee to find enduring Jewish knowledge.

In this particular post you will find a listing of additional resources your mentee can use to find enduring Jewish knowledge.

1. Ask yourself: what is the core, essential or vital Jewish knowledge that I want my students to understand when they leave my classroom each day, at the end of the week, at the end of a unit, a semester or the year? In addition, what information is important, but not essential for my students to know? With what knowledge should educated Jewish students have some familiarity?

2. Ask your colleagues inside and outside of your school building, including the rabbi, principal, other teachers, professors, teacher specialists at the board or center for Jewish education, mentor teacher, expert teacher, etc., what Jewish knowledge is enduring.

3. Read Jewish books and periodicals. Please refer to the bibliography in this blog or in the Toolbox for Teachers and Mentors for additional information.

4. Visit your local board, agency, or center of Jewish Education, and find its curriculum or resource library. Then investigate its print, visual materials, sound and musical recordings, computer files, and internet resources.

5. Visit your local Jewish colleges or universities that have Jewish Studies Departments, and explore their Judaics, and curriculum libraries. Some colleges also offer online courses in Judaics and pedagogy (instruction) for high school students, undergraduate Jewish Study majors, and graduate students.

On our next post we will begin to discuss how the mentor can assist the mentee in lesson planning.

What is Enduring Jewish Knowledge from the Perspective of the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS)?

In this portion of the blog we are focusing on what constitutes enduring Jewish knowledge from the perspectives of different Jewish educational agencies, institutions and religious movements.

In this particular post we will share the perspective of the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) at Yeshiva University). If you go to their website,http://www.yutorah.org/you will find resources on enduring Jewish knowledge from the point of view of the RIETS.

In our next post we will look at additional sources for finding enduring Jewish knowledge.

Dr. Wallace Greene, Director, Jewish Educational Services, UJA Federation of Northern New Jersey Endorses Toolbox for Teachers

This is a must read for all those concerned with the future of the Jewish educational endeavor.

“Who will be the next generation of Jewish educators? How will we train them? What should they know? How early should the Jewish community invest in encouraging young people to enter the field?”

“Dr. Richard and Elaine Solomon’s Toolbox For Teachers and Mentors provides a step-by-step guide for the seven levels of professional development from high school student aide up through the career ladder to master teacher. This is a must read for all those concerned with the future of the Jewish educational endeavor. There aren’t enough students in degree programs to fill all the staff positions that are or will become vacant. This book is hands-on, practical, and appropriate for most educational settings. It’s a fresh approach to an old persistent problem and one that merits our consideration.”

Dr. Wallace Greene

Director, Jewish Educational Services

UJA Federation of Northern New Jersey

Rabbi Robert Abramson, USCJ Director, Dept of Education Reviews the Toolbox for Teachers and Mentors

Toolbox for Teachers and Mentors: Moving Madrichim to Mentor Teachers and Beyond, A Review by Rabbi Robert Abramson, Director, Department of Education United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism

This book can make a difference.

For quite some time, some supplementary schools have engaged teens as teaching assistants in a variety of ways and some material was developed to aid in these endeavors. Now, all of us who care about inspiring a new generation to consider the possibility of becoming a Jewish educator, either full time or part time, have reason to celebrate.

Dr. Richard D. and Elaine Solomon, after many years as teachers of teachers have embraced a new challenge. They have developed a manual, Toolbox for Teachers and Mentors: Moving Madrichim to Mentor Teachers and Beyond, which serves as a guide for 11^th and 12^th graders who might be attracted to a program that will prepare them to take on more and more responsibilities in their congregational school. Richard and Elaine have spent much time and effort in crafting a manual that will guide novice madrichim – counselor/teacher helpers – step by step until they have both the confidence and the ability to be inspiring classroom teachers. This is the focus of the first part of the Solomons’ book but it does not stop there. The second part to the book provides guidance to teachers on how to become continuously developing professional teacher – mentors.

To nurture the growth of madrichim and madrichot, the Solomons call on a very ancient pedagogy; the Socratic method. What unfolds, for those who come to learn in order to teach, is a dialogue between Dr. Solomon and a 12^th grader named Lisa. Lisa wants to succeed as a madrichah and then become a teacher in a congregational school when she goes off to college. As Lisa’s mentor, Dr. Solomon leads her along a path of active learning while she works as a madrichah in a class. They set forth ideas and provide terminology as well as teaching methods. The text is filled with prompts, learning methods, explanations and explorations. Lisa is supported, challenged and engaged

The Socratic method requires the student to ask questions and Lisa does that constantly and very well:

· “You explained to me the five steps involved in backward design…You never explained to me how to find enduring Jewish knowledge.”

· “That’s really helpful, but don’t students have any role in determining what content they should learn and know.”

· “But you never explained to me how to decide what specific information I should be teaching at what grade level.”

· “But you never explained to me something really basic, like how to write a lesson plan.”

Dr. Solomon welcomes such questions, apologizes when he has overlooked something, or when delving deeper is what is called for.

Let us celebrate this new tool for encouraging both novices and experienced teachers to increase their effectiveness as both learners and teachers.

Richard and Elaine deserve our thanks.

Rabbi Robert Abramson, Director

Department of Education

United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism

820 Second Avenue

New York, NY 10017

212-533-7800 ext 1131

The book is available via Google by entering Toolbox for Teachers and Mentors: Moving Madrichim to Mentor Teachers and Beyond.