Online/Blended Learning Model: Synchronous & Asynchronous Online Learning from Home

Update (July 2017): Temple Emanuel of the Pascack Valley (TEPV), Woodcliff Lake, NJ

Model Description | Update 2017

Current Status:

This model continues to grow and thrive at Temple Emanuel. This past year, there were two 7th grade classes of 13 students each. Each class had one teacher and there were two separate sessions, one at 4 pm and the other at 5 pm.

All the students now opt to do the class from home, so TEPV no longer needs an assistant to help on-site. While all students join the class virtually, a few pairs met in each other’s homes to “hang out” for the evening and do the class together.

Reflections of the Educator:

The educator takes great pride in the tremendous impact of this model. She strongly encourages congregations to consider joining with others to put this kind of model in place.

The educator, Rabbi Shelley Kniaz, has been generous in sharing her wisdom and detailed experience for starting such a model:

"First, join with other congregations and invite your local Federation. Collaboration enables us to improve Jewish education for the entire community! We also tried to include a university, but, unfortunately, they were unable to participate. We started with 10 congregations; in the end we had six congregations with ten teachers in the cohort. The Covenant Foundation gave us an ignition grant for $20,000 for the workshops during the year, teacher compensation and the educational consultant. The Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey paid for the No Teacher Left Behind (NTLB) course and provided staff support.

A group of congregations would need about $6,000 for teacher training and $4,000 for an educational EdTech consultant during the year. (We had planned to pay the consultant $9,000 to work with teachers and do site visits, but the teachers did not use as many hours as we had anticipated.) The teachers were each paid $1,050 ($10,500 total) for their time in the training. Meals during the training were under $700. Airfare and accommodations for our in-person JETS workshops were covered by the local yeshivas and day schools since we scheduled our workshops to coincide with their training programs.

All the other expenses were provided "in-kind" by the Federation and the two project directors (Rabbi Paula Feldstein of Temple Avodat Shalom and me). This included meeting space and equipment (Smartboard and WiFi), evaluation design and analysis (Federation staff), and administrative and creative support (Sarah David of the Federation). Paula, Sarah and I put in a LOT of hours to write the grant and to administer the program.

JETS did the online training in the summer (their NTLB course) and also three 3-hour in-person workshops during the year. They also helped design the evaluation instruments. We found a local educational consultant who was the EdTech director of a local yeshivah.

We are completing the summative report right now. The program was a resounding success and will continue to "pay off"."