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Biblical Text Through Art: an Exploration of Secondary School Students' Bible-Based Artwork and Its Representations of Jewishness

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Biblical Text Through Art: an Exploration of Secondary School Students' Bible-Based Artwork and Its Representations of Jewishness BIBLICAL TEXT THROUGH ART: AN EXPLORATION OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS' BIBLE-BASED ARTWORK AND ITS REPRESENTATIONS OF JEWISHNESS MATT REINGOLD A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY GRADUATE PROGRAM IN EDUCATION YORK UNIVERSITY TORONTO, ONTARIO SEPTEMBER 2014 © Matt Reingold, 2014 ii Abstract I conducted a practitioner research study at a Jewish high school in Toronto in order to understand how teaching and learning through arts can help facilitate more meaningful understandings of and connections to the Bible. I wanted to better understand why students’ best recollections of learned material at the end of the year were arts-based projects, especially given the existing research in arts-based Jewish education, which suggests that the arts are not emphasized in high school curricula. Students worked in groups of two or three and created arts-based interpretations of Numbers Chapter 12, and wrote explanatory paragraphs of their work. Following the completion of their projects, I interviewed students. In the interviews, students explained what they created, what motivated their work, and what they thought about learning through the arts. Drawing upon the projects and the interviews, three distinct themes emerged about what the arts offered students that conventional forms of teaching and assignments did not. The first theme that emerged was that the arts offered students the opportunity to take on the persona of a biblical commentator, and through this opportunity, students formed their own opinions and insights into the text, which resulted in the text becoming more meaningful. The second theme that emerged was that through the creative process students formed personal associations and connections with the narrative and its characters. As a result of these associations, students began to see the text as directly relevant to their lives, and therefore the text itself became more valuable to them. The third theme that emerged was that students felt that the arts offered them valuable educational experiences, including the opportunity to express creativity and to experience genuine collaboration. Considering the three themes as a collective grouping, it is evident that the arts offer students specific and tangible benefits in relation to textual knowledge, meaning-making, personal connections to text, and abilities to think critically and passionately about text. The study demonstrated that the arts offer teachers a powerful tool to help students develop their love of Jewish texts and deepen their relationship with their Jewishness. iii Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to my Grade Ten Tanakh classes of 2012-2013, HRE2OT-02 and -03. Without you, this project could never have happened. And now write for yourselves this song, and teach it to the Children of Israel. Place it into their mouths, in order that this song will be for Me as a witness for the children of Israel. – Deuteronomy 31:19 iv Acknowledgements A dissertation is not the work of just one researcher but is the composite work of many people. I am grateful to: My York University community which includes Professor Martin Lockshin, who helped me think about Jewish education and text in new ways. I am incredibly grateful for the support of my committee members Professors Laura Wiseman and Ofra Backenroth. The guidance, patience, and intellectual curiosity evidenced by my supervisor Professor Chloë Brushwood-Rose has been inspiring, and this dissertation would not be what it is without her. My Tanenbaum CHAT family who provided me a supportive and nurturing environment in which to explore and experiment with using the arts in education. I am particularly grateful for the conversations had with Tamara Rebick, Rafi Cashman, Chaim Klein and Eli Mandel. I would be remiss if I did not mention the support and feedback I received from Sam Kapustin, whose critiques of the arts helped me clarify for him, and for myself, the importance of the arts in Jewish education. The Wexner Fellowship and the Davidson family which has introduced me to a community of likeminded thinkers, and provided me with generous financial and academic support throughout my Doctoral studies. My students, whose curiosity and interest in Jewish studies reminds me everyday that Judaism is alive and relevant and they make it exciting to come to school. My parents, who sent me to Jewish day school and supported my desire to enter the teaching and researching profession and to my brother Ben and sister Jess for their continued support. My wife Chani, without whose support none of this would have been able to happen in the way it did. Her own interests in the arts and involvement with youth, while different from my own, challenge me to think differently and more deeply about texts and Judaism. I am forever in her debt. v Table of Contents Chapter 1. Introduction………..…………………………………………………………………..………..1 Description of School and Curricular Requirements……………………………………..……4 Description of Researcher’s Pedagogical Approach……………………………………...........6 Numbers 12 and the Classroom……………………………………………………………………... 10 Description of Study……………………………………………………………………………………… 15 Dissertation Road Map…………………………………………………………………………….……. 16 Chapter 2. Discussion of Relevant Literature …………………….…………………...……... 19 Community Jewish Education………………………………………………………………………... 19 Tanakh Education…………………………………………………………………………………………. 24 Jewish Identity……………………………………………………………………………………………… 33 Arts-Based Education……………………………………………………………………………………. 35 Purpose of Arts-Based Learning………………………………………………………………… 35 Experiencing Texts……………………………………………………………………………... 36 Thinking Skills not Learned Elsewhere……………………………………………...… 37 Decision Making…………………………………………………………………………………. 38 The Qualities of Quality…………………………………………………………………...….. 40 Neuroeducation………………………………………………………………………………….. 42 Creativity………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 43 Imagination………………………………………………………………………………………………. 47 Identity-Building………………………………………………………………………………………. 49 Learning Through the Arts………………………………………………………………………… 50 Jewish Arts-Based Education…………………………………………………………………………. 52 Numbers 12 and Relevant Commentaries………………………………………………………. 58 Numbers 12……………………………………………………………………………………………… 59 Commentaries on Numbers 12………………………………………………………………...... 62 ’Isha Kushit………………………………………………………………………………………… 62 Rashi……………………………………………………………………………………………. 62 Ibn Ezra………………………………………………………………………………..……… 63 Rashbam ……………………………………………………………………………………... 64 Ramban……………………………………………………………………………………….. 65 God Summons Moses, Miriam, & Aaron ………………………………………...…….. 66 Rashi……………………………………………………………………………….……...…… 66 Rashbam……………………………………………………………………………………… 69 Ibn Ezra……………………………………………………………………………………….. 69 Ramban……………………………………………………………………………………….. 70 Miriam’s Punishment………………………………………………………………………….. 72 Rashi……………………………………………………………………………………………. 72 Ibn Ezra……………………………………………………………………………………….. 74 Chapter 3. Description of the Research Design and Methodology……..……….…. 76 Methodology………………………………………………………………………………………………… 76 Research Design/Data Collection………………………………………………………………...… 80 Data Analysis………………………………………………………………………………………………... 83 vi Chapter 4. Becoming a Commentator Through the Arts………..………..….………….. 88 ’Isha Kushit………………………………...………………………………………………………….……... 90 Mosaic of the Woman’s Face………………………………………………………………..…….. 93 Interview with Tess……………………………………………………………………………..... 95 Mash-up of Songs Addressing Interracial Relationships…………………………….... 96 Interviews with Summer and Charlotte………………………………………………….. 99 The Relationship between Moses & his Siblings……………………………………...…….. 102 Counseling Session Movie…………………………………………………………………......… 103 Miriam’s Punishment………………………………………………………………………………..…. 106 Animated Movie of Miriam’s Banishment……….…………………...…………………… 109 Interview with Hector…………………………………………………………………………. 110 Ẓara‘at Recuperation Resort……………..………………………………………………………….. 112 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………………………... 114 Chapter 5. Personal Connections to Text……………………………………………………… 118 Race and the Unknown Woman……………………………………..………………….………….. 119 Tess and the Mosaic…………………………………………………….…………………………... 119 Charlotte, Summer & the Musical Mashup………………………..……………………….. 120 Relationships with God………………………………………………………..………………………. 124 Therapy Session & Interview with Jocelyn…………………….………………………….. 127 Gossip God…………………………………………………………………………….………………… 128 Interview with Louise…………………………………………………………………………. 131 The Burn Book……………………………………………………………………………….……...… 132 Interview with Juliet……………………………………………………………………….…… 136 Miriam’s (Digital) Banishment and Interview with Hector……………………….… 139 The Cereal Canvas……………………………………………………………………………………. 140 Interview with Aleeza…………………………………………………………………………. 144 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 146 Chapter 6. Added Value of the Arts in Jewish Education………………….…………... 148 Opportunity to Express Creativity………………………………..……………………………..... 149 Memory Recall……………………………………………………………………………..……………… 152 Feeling Successful in School…………………..……………………………………………………... 154 The Importance of Collaboration……………………………………………………………...…... 156 Challenged to Think in New Ways….…………………………………………………………...... 157 Chapter 7. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………… 161 Significance of the Study and Implications for the Field…………………………………. 162 The Value of Emotional Learning……………………………………………………………….. 162 Opportunity to Constructively Grapple with God……………………………………….. 163 Finding a Place in Jewish
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