“When I teach, ‘What words jump out at you and why?’ is often my opening question. As I listen to my students’ responses I learn more about what moves them and concerns them. From there I learn how to generate sparks of love and excitement between my students and the ideas at hand. By admiring the beauty of a text, students may feel the meaning of that text more personally and this then opens up opportunities for the group to share what they have found.”—Dr. Jane Sherwin Shapiro

As part of a panel titled “Educating Jewishly to Live Wisely,” Dr. Jane Sherwin Shapiro, 2017 Covenant Award Recipient and Cofounder of OROT: Center for New Jewish Learning, shared her methods for building relationships and fostering love and excitement amongst adult learners in her classroom.

Illustration by Jessica Tamar Deutsch.

More to Consider

• The Torah of Bubbiehood: Dr. Jane Sherwin Shapiro (ELI Talks)
• Applying Adult Learning Theories to the Field of Jewish Learning