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Rabbi Lee Buckman, Former Head of School, Tanenbaum
Chat and Greenfield Hebrew Academy

HATC Professional Development Program

HATC’s expert advisors, in partnership with the institutional leadership, Hebrew coordinator and/or lead educator, design a multi-year program based on the HATC Tools. After auditing the school to determine the current state of the program, the order of the introduction of the tools is decided in order to meet the specific needs of the program and maximize the professional development of the Hebrew language staff. The HATC educational team supports the organization in achieving its goals through a combination of in-person and on-line webinars, long-distance coaching and in-person visits.

Expected Outcomes​

What’s Different?​

Because so few of the Hebrew staff have experience and training specifically as teachers of Hebrew as a second language, the traditional solution is for schools to purchase a curriculum and have teachers trained in how to deliver that curriculum in the classroom. In contrast to this one-size-fits all approach, the HATC proficiency/assessment-based approach prepares teachers to promote language learners’ functional abilities according to a fixed set of criteria. This allows each teacher and institution to select the most suitable materials and teaching methods that will maximize their learners’ language acquisition process. The approach also allows the teachers to use the curriculum as a vehicle to reinforce the values that the school chooses to emphasize.

The HATC professional development program empowers educators to master the following TOOLS*:

Assessment
Articulation of Goals
Understanding Our Learners
The Lesson Plan
Unit Development
Integration of Technology
Leadership Development

Assessment
Articulation of Goals
Understanding Our Learners
The Lesson Plan
Unit Development
Integration of Technology
Leadership Development

Assessment
Articulation of Goals
Understanding Our Learners
The Lesson Plan
Unit Development
Integration of Technology
Leadership Development

Assessment
Articulation of Goals
Understanding Our Learners
The Lesson Plan
Unit Development
Integration of Technology
Leadership Development

Assessment
Articulation of Goals
Understanding Our Learners
The Lesson Plan
Unit Development
Integration of Technology
Leadership Development

Assessment
Articulation of Goals
Understanding Our Learners
The Lesson Plan
Unit Development
Integration of Technology
Leadership Development

There are many variations of passages of Lorem Ipsum available, but the majority have suffered alteration in some form, by injected humour, or randomised words which don’t look even slightly believable.

*Advisors determine the order of the introduction of these tools in accordance with the needs of the site and specific teachers.

Our Approach

Assess Learners

The Proficiency Approach for Hebrew was created through the combined efforts of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), with the help of practitioners and researchers in the field, and Hebrew language experts at Brandeis University. Proficiency is an approach used in teaching a foreign language that aims to assist learners in developing their ability to function in the learned language in all four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking). Each of the four language skills is evaluated for each level and sub-level in terms of content/context, task, text type, and accuracy.

Proficiency

The Proficiency Approach for Hebrew was developed as a result of Hebrew language experts at Brandeis University. Adaptation of second language teaching concepts promoted through the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), based on the work of practitioners and leading researchers in the field. Proficiency is an approach used in teaching a foreign language that aims to assist learners to develop their ability to function in the learned language in all four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking). Each of the four language skills is evaluated for each level and sub-level in terms of content/context, task, text type, and accuracy.

Benefits of the Proficiency Approach:

Thoughts on the proficiency approach from Dr. Vardit, former Director of the School of Hebrew and CV Starr Research Professor of Languages and Linguistics at Middlebury College who is one of the language experts responsible for applying the Proficiency Approach to the study of Hebrew:

Join Hebrew teachers, Hebrew leaders, and other school leaders for an intensive, virtual conference on Sunday, April 3, 11:30 – 3:30 EDT.

Click here for more information and to register