Yeshivat Noam has always taken pride in its mission to educate each child according to his or her needs and, where necessary, provide extra support or enrichment. Now, thanks to a generous grant from YN parents Becky and Avi Katz, Middle School faculty members receive training in order to provide the highest quality individualized enrichment.
According to Dr. Malki Lanner, Tanach teacher and program coordinator, this program, currently in its third year, “increases the awareness, implementation, efficacy, frequency and quality of enrichment at Noam.”
Participating teachers are being trained to provide enrichment that is flexible and varied, and consists of higher-level reading assignments, deeper exploration of texts and specially tailored tests. Another unique aspect of the program is that teachers may now approach enrichment on a narrower, subject-specific basis. For instance, a student may be very strong in Chumash, but may need extra help in Gemara, explains Dr. Lanner.
At present, six teachers have been selected for training and work on a regular basis with Pirchie Greenspon of Azrieli’s YU-School Partnership. Throughout the year these teachers share their new skills with other Middle School faculty.
“We want to properly prepare each student at his or her own level,” says Rabbi Jeremy Hellman, 6th and 8th grade Social Studies teacher. “As a new teacher, this program has opened my eyes to challenges and new tools that are available to enrich students.” For Aliza Peyser, 6th grade English and Social Studies teacher, the program, “provides us with the opportunity to reflect on our teaching and ensure that each student…is stimulated and consistently strengthening his or her skills.”
“Ultimately, the goal is to increase students’ skills and abilities while exposing them to concepts, ideas and opportunities that they would otherwise not be exposed to,” says Dr. Lanner. Thanks to this generous grant, teachers are now able to make enrichment not only a goal, but a priority.
By Chana Stiefel
