How to Transform a Hebrew "Class" into an "Experience" (Strategic Principle #2)

On the anniversary of our launch one year ago, we are pleased to share a few of the successful innovations that make our classes 'strategic.' This is the second of 3 valuable tips for making Hebrew classes relevant, engaging and memorable.

1) MOTIVATION

2) LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!  Class setup is uniquely un-classroom like.  

3) APPLICATION

To take a lesson from the old adage, setting is very important. Memory scientists note that the teaching environment has a tremendous impact on whether the information will be accessible at a future time. Test taking strategists recommend that students study in the testing room if possible, so that they are more comfortable recalling their studies in pressurized surroundings.

If our mission is to help Americans gain the skills to speak Hebrew in meaningful situations, then we need to give them every opportunity to practice in a meaningful environment.  

In other words, take the class out of the classroom and learn Hebrew ON LOCATION so students can recall the vocabulary they learn next time they find themselves in a similar situation!

What does this mean for the Hebrew classes themselves?

1) Lessons are not desk and blackboard centered.  

The location of the lesson matches it's content. For example, a cooking class will take place in a kitchen, basketball class on a basketball court, and a dining class around a dinner table or inside a restaurant.

2) Location enhances motivation!

Students are excited to be on the rooftop playground, in the park or gym or supermarket. Looking around, they don't see usual evidence of school and they feel an activity is imminent. Of course, knowing that the access point to that activity is Hebrew, they pay greater attention to the introductory language lesson so they can use the new vocabulary and grammar tools to participate.

3) What about reading and writing?

A portable board or poster serves as a reference point for the language concept of the day, with vocabulary listed in Hebrew (no transliteration). Students are encouraged to use writing as a tool for recording vocabulary in their own notebooks throughout the class period, at any time they have something to record (more on this writing strategy in Strategic Principle #3)!  

Bottom line? Despite taking place in a non-traditional Hebrew classroom environment, the surroundings are print-rich and directly related to the theme of the class. All of these innovations reinforce the language and learning goals for the class and motivate students to give themselves up to the experience of learning Hebrew.

Strategic Hebrew lessons take place on basketball courts and playgrounds, in kitchens and restaurants.  The location is chosen to be conducive to the activity and students are so focused on the topic that they are fully engaged even in a lobby or other public space. View images of our classes on our website www.StrategicHebrew.com. Video footage is available on our facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/StrategicHebrew

What's 'Strategic' about Hebrew?

"Strategic Hebrew" is a novel approach to language instruction that incorporates critical thinking, individual motivation and proactive participation in the language learning process.  More than just a Hebrew class, each program is a complete language experience unto itself.  Rather than envisioning students as simple vessels that passively (or with a great deal of struggle and memorization) absorb components of a language, we give them an active role in their own language (and personal) development.  

The name “Strategic Hebrew” is a conflation of several ideas that relate to the use of strategies in Hebrew language learning.  Here is a brief explanation of each:

Strategic Instruction: Teaching focuses on roots, grammar patterns and recurring vocabulary that form the building blocks of the Hebrew language.  

As students learn to appreciate the beauty and structure of the language, they become better prepared to glean meaningful information from the Hebrew.  This approach encourages students to think critically about the language and how to dissect its many parts.  It engages the intellect to a higher degree than straight memory drills or verb conjugation because students take an active role in building their own understanding for meaningful results.

Strategic Thinking: Students develop and apply strategies for interpretation, vocabulary recall, reading, writing and other communicative needs.

By shifting the focus of lessons to emphasize development of strategies, students are equipped with tools to continue building their language skills outside of class.  Moreover, these strategies can be applied to every area of a student's life, where they manifest as skills for life and learning.  Strategies do not substitute for basic, empirical knowledge of vocabulary and grammar skills, but they are an excellent starting point for deeper language study and help students become proactive participant in their own language learning process.  

Strategic Planning: Curricular design considers students’ life situations; lessons meet the students where they are most motivated to learn.  

Classes that focus on material geared to match students’ interests and intellect are more likely to gain their attention than repetition and memorization of unrelated material.  Showing students how the language lessons can apply to their daily lives, whether by the immediate gratification of asking for and receiving ice cream or by recognizing that they can understand the Hebrew prayers on an empirical level, will help them develop a deeper love and appreciation for the language, and therefore a heightened desire to learn it by participating more attentively in lessons.

The "Strategic Hebrew" method acknowledges that teaching a language is tantamount to teaching a whole person; one must take into account students’ interests, desires, intellect, and ability to apply and transfer skills from one arena to another.  The more a student is encouraged to take the reigns of his/her own learning process, the more determined s/he will be to succeed and the more pride s/he will feel in each accomplishment.

Amy Fechter is Founder and Curriculum Strategist at Strategic Hebrew, Inc. A NY State certified teacher with a Master's Degree in literacy from Bank Street College, she has extensively studied language acquisition in both theory and practice. The 'Strategic' approach is the result of more than a decade of successful development and implementation of constructivist language instruction for students nursery through adult.