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NEW
PUBLICATION - AN IN-DEPTH PIONEERING STUDY OF THE FLORENCE
MELTON ADULT MINI-SCHOOL
A Journey of Heart and Mind: Transformative Jewish Learning
in Adulthood
Lisa D. Grant, Diane Tickton Schuster, Meredith Woocher, Steven
M. Cohen. New York: Jewish Theological Seminary Press (2004)
This
book on the Mini-School is based on a compressive research
of four Mini-Schools, their students and graduates and is
a major scholarly work in the field of adult learning. This
book is a must for every Mini-School Director, faculty,
advisory board and agency head.
Over
the last twenty years, the Jewish communal system has invested
considerable hopes and substantial resources in the phenomenon
of Jewish education for adults. What has been the impact of
this investment? How does adult Jewish learning make a difference
in people's lives? The Talmud teaches that study is greater
than practice because study leads to action (Kiddushin
40b). Does this dictum hold true for adult Jewish learning?
If so, what kind of study leads to what types of action?
This
pioneering study of the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School
provides some answers to these and related questions. The
authors found that the learners emerge with greater appreciation
for and competence in Jewish text learning, increased and
deeper connections with other Jews (their classmates, their
families, their communities, and Israel), and a much richer
appreciation for the practice and observance of Judaism.
How
and why these impacts occur unfolds through the authors' exploration
into the conception, curriculum, and personnel that shape
the Mini-School. Through interviews, classroom observations,
a survey of "graduates," as well as a careful examination
of teaching materials and other documents, they present a
vivid portrait of an adult Jewish learning institution that
operates in more than sixty sites across North America, Great
Britain, Australia, and Israel, with an alumni base of over
18,000 learners. Beyond their analysis, the authors also consider
the broader social and educational context for adult Jewish
learning and assess the relevance of the Mini-School approach
for other endeavors in the Jewish community.
Click
here to receive further information on how to purchase your
own copy.
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