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“The 21st Century Jewish Learner and the 21st Century Educator” 
Jewish Education News, Fall 2007                          Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education  
 
 
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Building a Professional Learning Community for 
Teachers of Hebrew 
 
by Wallace Greene 
 
 
Professional Learning Communities (PLC) occur wherever there are educators who are reflective 
practitioners. Whenever teachers engage in analyzing the why and how of what they do, and 
whenever this is done collegially -- whether formally or informally -- a PLC is said to exist. We are 
familiar with PLCs that are part of the old guild system in which there were apprentices learning 
from journeymen and artisans. The same can be said about quality internships and student 
teaching programs. The disconnect occurs in schools where there is no systemic or systematic 
professional development. One-day seminars are practically worthless and schools traditionally 
do not invest adequate resources to grow a PLC. Much of what is called professional 
development (sic) in the U.S. takes place because the calendar dictates a secular holiday or 
observance. It takes a great deal of ruthless determination, truly dedicated professionals, and 
targeted energy to develop and maintain a PLC in a school with teachers from varying academic 
disciplines and disparate backgrounds. We shall describe a community-based instructional 
program that has created and fostered a PLC. 
 
Jewish Educational Services of the UJA of Northern New Jersey (JES) received a grant from The 
Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture to elevate the teaching of Hebrew in our community. In 
order to do this, we needed not only to create a new approach and new teaching materials ex 
nihilo, but also to create a PLC. We shall limit our observations here to the development of a PLC 
of teachers of Hebrew in fifteen schools. 
 
 
Hebrew Language Project Prologue 
Hebrew is the irreplaceable language of Jewish life and expression. The revival of Hebrew in the 
last century-and-a-half is as singular a feat as the creation of the Jewish State. Hebrew has been 
wholly transformed from an unwieldy classical medium of liturgy and learning into a modern 
Western language. In a Jewish world of sundry and proliferating divisions, Hebrew must emerge 
as the common and unifying language of the Jewish people. The natural bonds of language and 
culture bind more firmly than those of abstruse ideological constructs. 
 
Hebrew literacy has seriously declined as a result of American Jewry’s accelerating integration 
into American life.  Jewish peoplehood is achieved by the transmission of our collective memory 
and culture, rooted in our common language, literature and values.  Lacking a common language 
means we also lack a common vocabulary, not only of words, but also of values, norms and 
ideals.  Thus, there are compelling national and ideological reasons to undertake a 
comprehensive program for the propagation of Hebrew. 
 
The Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture, at its 40th anniversary meeting in Jerusalem in 
2004, decided to launch a bold and innovative pilot program in the United States to address this 
issue.  The focus of the program is primarily on Hebrew as a portal to Jewish culture, literacy, and

“The 21st Century Jewish Learner and the 21st Century Educator” 
Jewish Education News, Fall 2007                          Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education  
 
Jewish text. The project is planned to cover Hebrew in pre-school programs, day schools, 
summer camps, and synagogues over a period of several years. Northern New Jersey was 
selected as the model community.  The presence of this program in one community, with buy-in 
from the schools, is producing a synergy between the discrete programs that will amplify the 
cultural vitality of the program as a whole, and be more effective than a program dispersed 
geographically.  This program can be replicated in other communities in the United States and 
elsewhere in the Diaspora. 
 
The fundamental conceptual basis of this innovative pilot program is attempting to change the 
culture regarding Hebrew in the community -- in the first instance, the culture regarding Hebrew in 
Jewish pre-schools, day schools, and synagogue schools.  Should we succeed in changing the 
culture about Hebrew in the educational system, we will have taken a major step towards helping 
trigger change in other communal institutions as well (camps, synagogues, universities, JCCs, 
etc.), the second stage of this very long-range program. 
 
The initial phase of the program entailed working in close contact and cooperation with the 
directors of early childhood programs and principals. We needed to first ascertain their perception 
of the role of Hebrew in their schools and then, hopefully, assist them in enlarging their perception 
of the possibilities for expanding and intensifying the propagation of Hebrew in their schools. 
Northern New Jersey was selected as the pilot program due to its strong day schools, high level 
of support, study and travel to Israel, and the high leadership quality of its Jewish education 
professionals. 
 
The Issue 
The need to elevate Hebrew as a portal to Jewish life and culture in our educational systems is a 
well-documented and essential desire. The status quo is woefully inadequate, as are the limited 
efforts to ameliorate the situation. What complicates things even more is that many educational 
institutions do not seem to value Hebrew as a tool, nor (with a few notable exceptions) do they 
make any sincere or educationally valid efforts to offer instruction in it. When pressed, schools will 
reluctantly acknowledge that Hebrew is important, but add that there are many constraints, such 
as the lack of properly trained and/or knowledgeable teachers, too few hours available, and the 
unwillingness to sacrifice content on the altar of Hebrew literacy. There may be Ivrit B’Ivrit taking 
place in the primary grades, but there is no real understanding of the learning process involved or 
of the component pedagogic principles. Pre-packaged programs/texts are utilized. Where it 
exists, it is school based, not community-wide, and teachers rarely if ever meet to discuss 
techniques or strategies. It falters and disappears in the middle grades and in high school. 
 
The Plan 
The first challenge was getting principals and early childhood directors to agree to participate in 
this initiative. The issue of Hebrew language instruction and literacy is quite broad. Even native 
Hebrew speakers were observed teaching Hebrew in English! We needed to come up with a new 
approach to a serious problem, so we created a learning process that from the very beginning 
engenders positive attitudes towards Hebrew, its culture, and its speakers, as well as a fondness 
and sympathy for the language as a national value.  
 
The success of this initiative is due directly to the creation of a PLC with those who teach 
Hebrew, once “the method” was unveiled. After considerable thought and research, we 
developed a two-pronged approach based on teaching Hebrew as a second language and 
utilizing brain research about how young children learn. Since this is the child’s first encounter 
with the language, it serves as its “shop window.” The more the encounter is embedded in a 
positive experience of enjoyment, involvement, interest, self-expression, and a sense of success, 
the greater the chance of its having a positive effect on the learner’s attitude towards Hebrew in 
the future. Encouraging a positive attitude towards Hebrew is particularly important precisely 
because Hebrew is not merely a language tool, but is also a means of acculturation into Jewish 
culture that can make the child feel “at home” in that sphere.

“The 21st Century Jewish Learner and the 21st Century Educator” 
Jewish Education News, Fall 2007                          Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education  
 
Studies have shown that the earlier a child starts a second language (in this case, Hebrew), the 
more opportunities there will be to use this knowledge and strengthen it with formal and informal 
learning. Early childhood is suitable for the acquisition of Hebrew due to the way a child learns. 
There is a natural reference to the language and its use to communicate, with no need for rational 
explanations. There is no fear of implementation, and there is a readiness to take risks and make 
mistakes. (The detailed pedagogy of this program will be the subject of another article.) Children 
as young as three years old are exposed to spoken Hebrew, so that by the time they reach first 
grade, Hebrew will not be a barrier to instruction.  
 
We visited many schools and presented our ideas to teachers and principals. Good teachers 
realize a good thing when they see it. Brain research and second language acquisition skills are 
really alef-bet when it comes to teaching Hebrew. Additional factors that helped create not only a 
PLC, but also a real chevre in fifteen schools, were the electric personality of the Project Director, 
Shoshana Glatzer, a veteran master pedagogue, stipends paid to participating teachers, ongoing 
seminars, mentoring, classroom observations, and frequent meetings of all the teachers.  
 
Teachers represent every elementary day school in Northern New Jersey, the JCC, and several 
congregational schools. Some are native speakers, some are very fluent in Hebrew, and some 
are less fluent. What draws them together is the logic of our approach and the excitement of 
being part of a PLC where sharing is encouraged and peer learning is promoted as a value.  
 
There are three different teaching modules/approaches and they all work! Success breeds 
enthusiasm to excel and the willingness to participate with others in a PLC. Modestly-dressed 
Orthodox teachers and jean-clad secular Israelis work together to learn, grow, and become better 
at what they do via our PLC. In addition to the supervision we provide, and the workshops that 
are mandatory during the summer, we offer free tuition for our local Ulpan and we also send 
teachers to Ulpan Akiva and other institutions in Israel (via supplemental grant funding). There 
are also visits and sessions with outstanding Israeli teachers. The schools recognize the value of 
these training sessions and provide the necessary 2-3 days off during the school year so the 
teachers can participate. 
 
The PLC concept works here because we have an exceptional product, and we take seriously the 
practical observations of those in the field who implement the program. There is give and take 
between teachers and instructors, and often the suggestions wind up as accepted procedure. 
There is mutual respect, and there is respect for the process of the PLC.  
 
The Professional Learning Community 
A Professional Learning Community exists among all the teachers in the program because the 
principles of Action Research form a key element of this fraternal network of reflective educators. 
There is disciplined inquiry that impacts directly on a teacher's practice and empowers him or her 
to renew classrooms and promote instructional improvement.
1 There is much self-reflective 
inquiry.2  There exists a systematic study of attempts to improve educational practice by the 
participants by means of their own practical actions and by means of their own reflection upon the 
effects of those actions.3 There is a disciplined process of inquiry conducted by and for those 
taking the action. And the primary goal is to assist the teacher in improving and/or refining his or 
her actions.4  
 
We agree with Sirotnik
5 and Joyce5 that an Action Research-based PLC is a process that 
develops a problem-solving ethos. Sagor6 identifies three purposes for Action Research: building 
the reflective practitioner, making progress on school-wide priorities, and building a professional 
culture in the educational arena. Each of these outcomes helps create an environment of learning 
and progress toward educational goals, and as a result they have become the focus of many 
school-based activities. 
 
What makes this PLC work so well are the opportunities for teachers to learn from each other 
within the diverse professional and personal approaches that each represents. The two-

“The 21st Century Jewish Learner and the 21st Century Educator” 
Jewish Education News, Fall 2007                          Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education  
 
way feedback after each observation, and frequent meetings with small and large groups as well 
as the whole group, contribute to its success. 
 
Our PLC has impacted many veteran teachers who now realize that there is a hochma (wisdom) 
to what they may have been doing intuitively. It also allows less experienced teachers with fewer 
mistakes to un-learn, to grow under the tutelage of master educators. Kudos to Shoshana Glatzer 
for making it happen. 
 
We have learned that with the proper motivation, encouragement, supportive environment, 
resources, and tools, any group of teachers can become a Professional Learning Community. 
The Hebrew language experiment will soon start its third year of a projected ten-year 
development period. 
 
Endnotes:     
1. Jeffrey Glanz and Susan  Sullivan. Building Effective Learning Communities:   
Strategies for Leadership, Learning, & Collaboration.  Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 
2005. 
2. Kemmis, S. and R. McTaggart. The Action Research Planner (3rd ed.). Geelong, Victoria, 
Australia: Deakin University, 1988.  
3. Ebbutt, D. Educational Action Research: Some general concerns and specific quibbles. 
Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Institute of Education, 1983. 
4. Sagor, Richard. Guiding School Improvement through Action Research. Alexandria, VA: 
ASCD, 2000.  
5. Sirotnik, K. A.  "Evaluation in the Ecology of Schooling." in The Ecology  of School Renewal:                  
The Eighty-Sixth Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education, edited by J. 
Goodlad. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press, 1987; Joyce, B. R. "Doors to School 
Improvement" in Educational Leadership, vol. 48, issue 8: pp. 59-62, 1991.  
6. Sagor, op cit.  
 
 
Dr. Wallace Greene is the Director of Jewish Educational Services for the UJA Federation of 
Northern New Jersey. He is also President of The National Board of License for Teachers and 
Principals of Jewish Schools in North America. 
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