Events and Activities
The Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education hosts and participates in events throughout the year that strive to raise the level of public discourse about Jewish and general education.
2007-08 Academic Year
June 1-3, 2008: The Network for Research in Jewish Education 22nd Annual Conference, Cleveland
Sharon Feiman-Nemser and Jon A. Levisohn will be presenting two linked sessions on practitioner research in Jewish education, with Joe Reimer, Bradley Solmsen, Judy Shulman and Lee Shulman, at the Network for Research in Jewish Education (NRJE) 22nd Annual Conference.
May 6, 2008, 12:00-2:00 pm: Philosophy of Education Research Colloquia (PERC): David Perkins of Project Zero at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, on “The Thoughtful Will: How it Works and How it Can Be Educated,” Mandel Center, Brandeis
David Perkins was Co-director of Project Zero at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education for more than 25 years and is now Senior Co-director and a member of the steering committee. He is a senior professor of education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Topics to be discussed include varying opinions and studies on willpower. Many people view will and willpower as old-fashioned ideas, yet research points to the will as a resource in directing our lives. The question is, what kind of a resource is it? We tend to think of the will as a reservoir of power that ideally, like the Energizer Bunny, can get us going and keep us going in the right direction. However, a more sophisticated conception of the will treats it more like a reservoir of strategic wisdom about self-management...the "thoughtful will." Without promising to double anyone's willpower, this discussion will explore how the thoughtful will works and the prospects of educating the will. Click for details. Click for Brandeis calendar listing.
Presented by the Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education, the Brandeis Education Program, the Master of Arts in Teaching Program, the MA Program in Cultural Anthropology, & the Office of the Dean of Arts and Sciences.
The Philosophy of Education Research Colloquia (PERC) offers a series of colloquia, open to the public, that deal broadly with educational matters from a humanistic, comparative and historical perspective.
April 25, 2008: Spring Colloquium of the New York State Association of Foreign Language Teachers, Albany, New York: Keynote address by Sharon Feiman-Nemser
The theme of the Spring Colloquium of the New York State Association of Foreign Language Teachers is "Setting a Course for Success: Induction, Mentoring, Networking." Sharon Feiman-Nemser delivered the keynote address.
April 16, 2008: Mandel Center Lunchtime Seminar; Choosing to Teach
This year, in an effort to consolidate our learning as we think about the future of the Center, we held five Center Lunchtime Seminars, each focused on exploring the past and future of a Center project -- in this case, Choosing to Teach: A Study of Beginning Teachers in Jewish, Catholic, and Urban Public Schools.
April 15, 2008, 12:00-2:00 pm: Philosophy of Education Research Colloquia (PERC): Shari Tishman on "Object lessons: How we learn from art and artifacts in museums," Mandel Center, Brandeis
Shari Tishman is a Research Associate at Harvard Project Zero and a Lecturer in the Arts in Education program at Harvard Graduate School of Education. Drawing on a recent study of learning in the study centers at the Harvard University Art Museums, this presentation examined the cognitive and environmental conditions that characterize, and contribute to, powerful learning experiences with works of art and artifacts. The presentation involved hands-on demonstration as well as lecture and discussion. Click for details.
Presented by the Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education, with co-sponsorship by the Brandeis Education Program, the Master of Arts in Teaching Program, the MA Program in Cultural Anthropology, the Office of the Arts, the Fine Arts Department, the Rose Art Museum, & the Office of the Dean of Arts and Sciences.
The Philosophy of Education Research Colloquia (PERC) offers a series of colloquia, open to the public, that deal broadly with educational matters from a humanistic, comparative and historical perspective.
April 11-14, 2008: Philosophy of Education Society Annual Meeting, Cambridge, Mass.
The Mandel Center and the Philosophy of Education Research Colloquia (PERC) were among the sponsors of the 2008 Annual Meeting of the Philosophy of Education Society. View the meeting program.
April 9-11, 2008: New England Educational Research Organization 40th Anniversary Conference, Hyannis, Mass.: keynote address and presentation
The keynote topic of the 40th anniversary conference of the New England Educational Research Organization (NEERO) was delivered by three panelists, including Sharon Feiman-Nemser, on the topic "The State of Teacher Education: A National Perspective." Sharon Feiman-Nemser also presented at the conference on "Induction Policy and Practice."
April 6-8, 2008: Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education (PEJE) Assembly for Jewish Day School Education, Boston, Mass.
The Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education (PEJE) Assembly for Jewish Day School Education, featured a session on "New Teacher Induction as a Catalyst for the Development of All Teachers" presented by Sarah Birkeland, Sharon Feiman-Nemser, and Vivian Troen.
April 2-4, 2008: DeLeT (Day School Leadership Through Teaching) and ACE (Alliance for Catholic Education) Retreat, Connor Retreat Center, Dover, Mass.
Through biblical text study, open discussions in small and large groups, paired walks and reflection, a small group of DeLeT (Day School Leadership Through Teaching) Fellows, alumni, and faculty and a small group of Notre Dame University’s ACE (Alliance for Catholic Education) teachers and faculty (26 in all) explored their personal relationships with teaching as well as why they decided to teach in a Jewish or Catholic setting. Research being conducted by the Mandel Center and the ACE program informed the discussions. Read the press release.
In 2005, a similar group met for the first DeLeT and ACE retreat. Read more here.
April 1, 2008, 4:00-5:30 pm: Interactive Conference on Education sponsored by the Brandeis University Spencer Program in Educational Research, Lurias Room in the Hassenfeld Conference Center at Brandeis
This conference showcased the dissertation research of Brandeis University Spencer Fellows and stimulated discussion regarding the role of education in identity formation, the creation of public policy agendas, and the place of disciplinary knowledge in educational research. Spencer Fellows shared their dissertation research and discussed the intersection of their academic disciplines and education.
View the conference program.
March 24-28, 2008: American Educational Research Association (AERA) 2008 Annual Meeting, New York City
The theme of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) 2008 Annual Meeting was "Research on Schools, Neighborhoods, and Communities: Toward Civic Responsibility." Mandel Center researchers presented in several sessions, including a symposium on "Context-Specific Teacher Education: Identity, Coherence, and Career Commtments" with Sharon Feiman-Nemser, Karen Hammerness, Bethamie Horowitz, Susan M. Kardos and Eran Tamir; and "Examining the Roles of School and Policy Communities in New Teacher Induction," a presentation by Sharon Feiman-Nemser and Sarah Birkeland of a paper based on the research from the Mandel Center's Induction Partnership. View the meeting program.
The Mandel Center hosted a reception for leading education researchers during the AERA annual meeting, to examine critical questions in Jewish education. The program featured remarks by Adam Gamoran, professor of sociology and educational policy studies and director of the Wisconsin Center for Education Research, University of Wisconsin; Miriam Raider-Roth, associate professor and co-director of the Center for Studies in Jewish Education and Culture, University of Cincinnati; and Sam Wineburg, professor of education and professor of history, Stanford University.
Read the press release.
March 19, 2008: Mandel Center Lunchtime Seminar: Joe Reimer on "The Future of Jewish Camping in North America"
Joe Reimer, an instructor in the MAT/DeLeT program, directs the Institute for Informal Jewish Education, which provides professional development for informal educators in camps, day schools, synagogues, JCCs and Israel experiences. He discussed "The Future of Jewish Camping in North America."
March 4, 2008, 4:15 - 7:00 pm: "Pedagogy of the Imagination: An Interdisciplinary Symposium," with keynote address by author, educator and independent scholar Michael Armstrong, The Rose Art Museum, Brandeis
What could happen if the profoundly human impulse to make - to build, create, conjure up, fashion, fabricate, knit, join, assemble, suppose, imagine - were drawn from the margins to the center of the educational enterprise? This interdisciplinary symposium invites consideration of the possibilities and difficulties of conceiving of imagination as the generative force and the justification of educational work at all levels and in all contexts.
Michael Armstrong is a remarkable observer, distinguished teacher, and life-long student of children's thinking. His most recent book, Children Writing Stories, is an impassioned analysis, both detailed in its attentiveness and large in its reach, of the meanings of narrative creativity. Respondents include: Mark Auslander (Anthropology, Cultural Production), Cathy Draine (Cultural Production), Dirck Roosevelt (Education, MAT), and Andreas Tauber (Philosophy).
Cosponsored by the Mandel Center, the Master of Arts in Teaching/Education Program, the MA Program in Cultural Production, the Rose Art Museum, and the Office of the Dean of Arts and Sciences.
February 26, 2008, 6:00-7:30 pm: Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Open House, Abraham Shapiro Academic Complex at Brandeis Atrium
An open house providing prospective MAT students the opportunity to meet the faculty, ask questions, and enjoy refreshments. Learn about the Brandeis Master of Arts in Teaching for secondary schools in the areas of history, English, biology, and Bible, and the Master of Arts in Teaching for elementary schools, including the MAT/DeLeT program. Information about the Brandeis MAT programs is at www.brandeis.edu/programs/MAT.
February 24-27, 2008: Association of Teacher Educators 2008 Annual Meeting, New Orleans
The theme of the Association of Teacher Educators 2008 Annual Meeting was "Multiple Realities in Teacher Education: Exemplars that Address Dilemmas, Conundrums, and Processes." The meeting included "A Dialogue with the Editors of the 3rd Edition of the Handbook of Research on Teacher Education," a celebration of the recent publication of the research compendium The Handbook of Research on Teacher Education: Enduring Questions in Changing Contexts, Third Edition by Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group and the Association of Teacher Educators. Sharon Feiman-Nemser is a co-editor of the volume, with Marilyn Cochran-Smith, D. John McIntyre, and associate editor Kelly E. Demers.
February 13, 2008: Mandel Center Lunchtime Seminar; MAT/DeLeT
This year, in an effort to consolidate our learning as we think about the future of the Center, there will be five Center Lunchtime Seminars, each focused on exploring the past and future of a Center project -- in this case, the MAT/DeLeT program.
February 12, 2008: "Religious Identity Formation" - a presentation and Q&A with Galia Diller-Zaks
Dr. Galia Diller-Zaks, who will be will be visiting Brandeis on a Fulbright scholarship, presented her research on the subject of "Religious Identity Formation," followed by a question and answer session. The event was cosponsored by the Mandel Center and the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies, and was hosted at the Mandel Center.
February 7-10, 2008: American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education 2008 Annual Meeting, New Orleans
The theme of the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education 2008 Annual Meeting was "Quality Matters: Our Commitment to All Learners." Sharon Feiman-Nemser presented at several sessions, and served on an invited task force focusing on the moral foundations of teaching.
February 4, 2008, 6:00-7:30 pm: Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Open House, Abraham Shapiro Academic Complex at Brandeis Atrium
An open house providing prospective MAT students the opportunity to meet the faculty, ask questions, and enjoy refreshments. Learn about the Brandeis Master of Arts in Teaching for secondary schools in the areas of history, English, biology, and Bible, and the Master of Arts in Teaching for elementary schools, including the MAT/DeLeT program. Information about the Brandeis MAT programs is at www.brandeis.edu/programs/MAT.
February 2008: Publication of Leaders in Philosophy of Education: Intellectual Self Portraits, with a Foreword by Israel Scheffler
Leaders in Philosophy of Education: Intellectual Self Portraits, edited by Leonard J. Waks, published by Sense Publishers, features a foreword by Israel Scheffler. Read more and order the book.
January 27-28, 2008: Teaching Rabbinic Literature: Bridging Scholarship and Pedagogy
This research conference, a part of the Mandel Center's Initiative on Bridging Scholarship and Pedagogy in Jewish Studies, featured presentations by and discussions with outstanding teachers of rabbinic literature from diverse settings and multiple levels. Visit the conference on Teaching Rabbinic Literature website for full conference details, including detailed conference description, abstarcts, and a list of participants. Video of conference sessions is coming in March 2008.
January 16, 2008: Mandel Center Lunchtime Seminar: Daniel Lehmann on "American Jews in Boarding Schools During the Mid-Twentieth Century: a Window into an Unexplored World"
Rabbi Daniel Lehmann, Founding Head of Gann Academy – the New Jewish High School of Greater Boston, and a Mandel Center Dissertation Fellow, discussed "American Jews in Boarding Schools During the Mid-Twentieth Century: a Window into an Unexplored World."
January 13, 2008, 12:00-4:00 pm: a special MAT/DeLeT program: "Navigating the parent/teacher relationship in our Jewish day schools"
An afternoon of conversation presented by the Master of Arts in Teaching - Jewish Day Schools/DeLeT Program of The Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education and the Brandeis Education Program
A case study, "Why Can’t You Give Me the Extra Point? A Parent, Teacher, Student Interaction," by Faye Ruopp, MAT/DeLeT Teaching Mathematics Instructor, was presented, followed by small group conversations about cases of teaching provided by DeLeT graduates.
Questions that framed the conversation: What does a successful parent/teacher partnership look like? How can we work together around a common goal? What are our preconceived notions about the role of parents and the role of teachers? How can we safely reveal how we think and feel about difficult issues? Is it different in public schools?
The event was open to anyone interested in Jewish day schools and the world of Jewish education.
January 10, 2008, 10:30 am - 12:30 pm: "Teacher Learning," a Round Table Forum with Sharon Feiman-Nemser, The Mandel Leadership Institute, Jerusalem, Israel
Since the 1980's, when "teacher learning" emerged as a new focus of research, we have made some progress in understanding how people learn to teach and develop their identity and practice over time. In this session, participants considered different "theories" of teacher learning and considered their implications for teacher education policy and practice.
January 2008: Publication of a new digitally printed edition of Israel Scheffler's book Symbolic Worlds: Art, Science, Language, Ritual by Cambridge University Press
A new "print-on-demand" digitally printed edition of Israel Scheffler's 1997 book Symbolic Worlds: Art, Science, Language, Ritual was published by Cambridge University Press. Read more and order the book.
December 11, 2007, 6:00-7:30 pm: Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Open House, Abraham Shapiro Academic Complex at Brandeis Atrium
An Open House providing prospective MAT students the opportunity to meet the faculty, ask questions, and enjoy refreshments. Learn about the Brandeis Master of Arts in Teaching for secondary schools in the areas of history, English, biology, and Bible, and the Master of Arts in Teaching for elementary schools, including the MAT/DeLeT program. Information about the Brandeis MAT programs is at www.brandeis.edu/programs/MAT.
December 5, 2007: Mandel Center Lunchtime Seminar; The Induction Partnership
This year, in an effort to consolidate our learning as we think about the future of the Center, there will be five Center Lunchtime Seminars, each focused on exploring the past and future of a Center project -- in this case, the Induction Partnership.
December 4, 2007, 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM: Mandel Center Study Group with Israel Scheffler - inaugural meeting. Topic: "intelligent performance in and through practice."
Inaugural meeting of a study group led by Mandel Center Scholar in Residence Israel Scheffler, for Brandeis faculty and staff involved with teacher education. Questions being explored include: How we learn how to do something well? What are the role of rules (of various kinds), of experience (of various kinds), of cognitive knowledge, or of practical knowledge? How do we learn from the past (our own, or someone else's) in order to be able to do something in the future?
November 21, 2007: Mandel Center Lunchtime Seminar; The Beit Midrash Research Project
This year, in an effort to consolidate our learning as we think about the future of the Center, there will be five Center Lunchtime Seminars, each focused on exploring the past and future of a Center project -- in this case, the Beit Midrash Research Project.
November 15, 2007: Mandel Center Joint Advisory Team Meeting
The advisory board of the Mandel Center, comprised of representatives from the Mandel Foundation and from Brandeis, met at Brandeis for its regular session.
November 11-12, 2007: Pedagogy and Curriculum in Contemporary Jewish Education – A Conference in Memory of Professor Seymour Fox z"l – Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education, Jewish Theological Seminary, New York
The William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education of the Jewish Theological Seminary hosted a symposium in memory of Professor Seymour Fox z”l. Professor Lee Shulman, President of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, was the opening speaker. The program included reflections on Professor Fox’s life and career from students, friends, and colleagues. Sharon Feiman-Nemser, Jon A. Levisohn and Susan P. Fendrick of the Mandel Center participated. For more information, please contact: ofbackenroth@jtsa.edu.
Remembering Professor Seymour Fox, z"l (1929-2006)
November 7, 2007: Mandel Center Lunchtime Seminar; The Bridging Initiative
This year, in an effort to consolidate our learning as we think about the future of the Center, there will be five Center Lunchtime Seminars, each focused on exploring the past and future of a Center project -- in this case, the Initiative on Bridging Scholarship and Pedagogy in Jewish Studies.
November 2-4, 2007: Society for the Scientific Study of Religion Annual Meeting, Tampa, Florida
Bethamie Horowitz of the Mandel Foundation, a senior researcher for the Mandel Center's Choosing to Teach study, and Sharon Feiman-Nemser presented on “Intersecting Identities: New Teachers in American Catholic, Jewish and Urban Public Schools.”
October 24, 2007: Mandel Center Lunchtime Conversation: a conversation about the Ben Gamla Hebrew Charter School
Florida's Ben Gamla Charter School, which identifies itself as "America's First English-Hebrew Charter School," opened in August to much controversy. Daniel Lehmann, Mandel Center dissertation fellow and founding head of Gann Academy - the New Jewish High School of Greater Boston, and Eran Tamir, Mandel Center postdoctoral fellow, shared their views to kick off a conversation about the school and the issues.
October 23, 2007, 4:00-6:00pm: Discussion and book signing at Brandeis – Transforming Teacher Education: Reflections from the Field
A discussion with the authors of Transforming Teacher Education: Reflections from the Field, edited by David Carroll, Helen Featherstone, Joseph Featherstone, Sharon Feiman-Nemser, and Dirck Roosevelt (Harvard Education Press, 2007).
Discussing themes from the book were: Helen Featherstone, Associate Professor of Teacher Education, Michigan State University; Joseph Featherstone, Faculty Emeritus, Michigan State University; Sharon Feiman-Nemser, Mandel Professor of Jewish Education & Director, Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education, Brandeis University; and Dirck Roosevelt, Associate Professor of Education & Director, Master of Arts in Teaching, Brandeis University.
A book signing followed the discussion. More details.
Co-sponsored by the Brandeis University Education Program and the Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education.
October 21-22, 2007: Solomon Schechter Day School Association strategic planning retreat, New Jersey
Jon A. Levisohn and Susan M. Kardos, former Mandel Center post-doctoral fellow and now director of the Initiative for Day School Excellence at Combined Jewish Philanthropies in Boston, are serving as consultants to the strategic planning process of lay and professional leaders of Conservative Jewish education.
October 18, 2007, 5:30-7:00pm: Askwith Education Forum at the Harvard Graduate School of Education - Transforming Teacher Education: Reflections from the Field
Over a ten-year period, Team One of Michigan State University established a first-rate reputation as a beacon of progressive teacher education. At this forum, the creators of Team One discussed their new book, Transforming Teacher Education, and describe their ongoing efforts to nurture and sustain a teacher education program that could serve as a learning community for students, faculty, and administrators alike. Their work presents a powerful vision of what teacher education could be and offers an impassioned rationale for engaging in the intellectually demanding work of professional teacher education.
Speakers included: Joseph Featherstone, professor emeritus, Michigan State University; Helen Featherstone, associate professor of teacher education, Michigan State University; Sharon Feiman-Nemser, Mandel Professor of Jewish Education, Brandeis University; and Dirck Roosevelt, associate professor of education, Brandeis University. Katherine Merseth, director of the Teacher Education Program at Harvard, provided an introduction.
More details (scroll down page to October 18)
August 29, 2007: Differentiated Instruction Professional Development Days
Sharon Feiman-Nemser led a session for day school teachers and support staff, titled "Proficiency to Mastery: Mentoring and Teacher Leadership," followed by a hands-on workshop. Differentiated Instruction Professional Development Days was sponsored by Combined Jewish Philanthropies, the Boston Bureau of Jewish Education, Gateways: Access to Jewish Education, Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Boston, and The Rashi School. The program was hosted at the Solomon Schechter Day School.
August 28, 2007: Bar Ilan University Responsa — Global Jewish Database now available to Brandeis community
The Mandel Center's Bridging Initiative joined with the Near Eastern and Judaic Studies Department to purchase a major database for the Brandeis University library: the Bar Ilan University Responsa — Global Jewish Database, newly available online. The Bar Ilan Respona Database covers classical texts of rabbinic literature -- Jewish law, commentary, philosophy, mysticism, liturgy and more -- from the first century to the present day. The database went "live" on August 28th. Anyone affiliated with Brandeis now has instant desktop access to this searchable database. Explore it here (Brandeis UNET account required): http://resources.library.brandeis.edu/login?url=http://www.responsa.co.il/LoginForm.aspx
Archive of 2004 — 2007 Events and Activities