Middlesex University Research Repository an Open Access Repository Of
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Middlesex University Research Repository An open access repository of Middlesex University research http://eprints.mdx.ac.uk Myers, Jo-Ann Debra (2016) Hebrew, the Living Breath of Jewish Existence: The Teaching and Learning of Biblical and Modern Hebrew. DProf thesis, Middlesex University. [Thesis] Final accepted version (with author’s formatting) This version is available at: https://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/20824/ Copyright: Middlesex University Research Repository makes the University’s research available electronically. Copyright and moral rights to this work are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners unless otherwise stated. The work is supplied on the understanding that any use for commercial gain is strictly forbidden. A copy may be downloaded for personal, non-commercial, research or study without prior permission and without charge. Works, including theses and research projects, may not be reproduced in any format or medium, or extensive quotations taken from them, or their content changed in any way, without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder(s). They may not be sold or exploited commercially in any format or medium without the prior written permission of the copyright holder(s). Full bibliographic details must be given when referring to, or quoting from full items including the author’s name, the title of the work, publication details where relevant (place, publisher, date), pag- ination, and for theses or dissertations the awarding institution, the degree type awarded, and the date of the award. If you believe that any material held in the repository infringes copyright law, please contact the Repository Team at Middlesex University via the following email address: [email protected] The item will be removed from the repository while any claim is being investigated. See also repository copyright: re-use policy: http://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/policies.html#copy Hebrew Pedagogy Hebrew, the Living Breath of Jewish Existence: The Teaching and Learning of Biblical and Modern Hebrew העברית היא נשמת אפו של קיום היהודי Jo-Ann Debra Myers Candidate Number: M00337719 Module: DPS 5360 March 2016 A project submitted to Middlesex University in partial fulfilment of its requirements for the award of Doctor in Professional Studies 1 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank a number of people who have played a part in bringing this project to completion. First and foremost are the children and staff of Clore Tikva Jewish Primary School, and particularly the seventeen children who participated in the focus groups, along with three teachers who were part of this journey from the start. An enormous thank-you goes to the Headteacher, who welcomed me with open arms into her school and gave me the freedom to get on with the research. This project would not have materialised without their participation, support and, most of all, willingness to step into the unknown. I dedicate this project to them. I owe huge thanks to my project adviser, Dr Christine Eastman, for her constant support and faith. She encouraged me to look beyond the confines of my subject area and nurtured the literary and creative side within me. I gratefully acknowledge several other colleagues and friends who have helped and guided me along the way: my Jewish education consultant, Dr Helena Miller, for her wise counsel, no-nonsense approach and practical advice; my dear friend and colleague, Gabriela Ruppin, for her unstinting support and for helping me to think strategically; and Rabbi Professor Jonathan Magonet, for enhancing the Jewish aspects of the project and for sharing his wealth of knowledge and experience. I am also deeply grateful to Rabbi Dr Deborah Kahn-Harris, the Principal of Leo Baeck College, and members of the College Board of Governors for giving me the gift of a five-month sabbatical to write up the project. Last but not least, I must express my deepest love and gratitude to my family. First, to my husband, Jonathan, my constant companion and sounding board. His patience and support throughout these five-and-a-half years has been rock solid, especially towards the final stages. He is one in a million. To my daughters, Talia and Daniella, who always believed in my ability to complete this task, despite my frequently distracted and otherwise strange behaviour. And to my sister, Dr Wendy Chen, who allowed me to use her as a confidant and who helped me through the process by sharing her own experiences. You are all nishmat api , my living breath. 2 CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................ 2 GLOSSARY OF HEBREW WORDS, PHRASES, JEWISH AND OTHER TERMS........ 6 ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................. 14 PROLOGUE ................................................................................................................ 15 CHAPTER ONE: THE HEBREW ENTHUSIAST ......................................................... 17 1.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 17 1.2 South Africa (1964 – 1982) ................................................................................. 17 1.3 Israel (1982 – 1987) ............................................................................................ 19 1.4 England (1987 – present) ................................................................................... 19 1.5 The Ancient and the Modern ............................................................................. 20 1.6 Never the Twain Shall Meet ............................................................................... 21 1.7 Impact of the Separation on the Teaching and Learning of Hebrew .............. 22 1.8 Précis of Chapters Two to Seven ...................................................................... 24 CHAPTER TWO: THE HEBREW PEDAGOGUE ....................................................... 26 2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 26 2.2 Current State of Hebrew Teaching and Learning in Jewish Day Schools in the UK ............................................................................................................. 27 2.3 Educational Change ........................................................................................... 29 2.4 The Hebrew Language and Its Evolution .......................................................... 30 2.4.1 Biblical Hebrew ......................................................................................... 31 2.4.2 Rabbinic Hebrew ...................................................................................... 33 2.4.3 Mediaeval Hebrew .................................................................................... 34 2.4.4 Modern Hebrew ........................................................................................ 37 2.4.4.1 The Politicisation of Hebrew .................................................................... 39 2.4.4.2 The Birth of the State of Israel ................................................................ 40 2.4.4.3 Israeli Linguists ........................................................................................ 41 2.5 Summary ............................................................................................................ 43 CHAPTER THREE: THE JEWISH EDUCATOR ........................................................ 45 3.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 45 3.2 Research Paradigm ............................................................................................ 46 3.3 Methodology ....................................................................................................... 49 3.3.1 Action Research ....................................................................................... 50 3.3.2 Case Study ............................................................................................... 55 3.3.3 Appreciative Inquiry .................................................................................. 57 3.3.4 Autoethnography ...................................................................................... 61 3.4 Research Methods and Research Techniques ................................................ 64 3.4.1 Triangulation ............................................................................................. 65 3.4.2 Validity and Reliability ............................................................................... 66 3.4.3 Classroom Observations .......................................................................... 69 3.4.4 Focus Groups ........................................................................................... 71 3.4.5 Interviews ................................................................................................. 74 3 3.4.6 Teacher Reflection Sheets ....................................................................... 76 3.5 My Positionality and Ethical Considerations ................................................... 78 3.6 Analysis .............................................................................................................. 81 3.7 Summary ............................................................................................................ 82 CHAPTER FOUR: THE EMPOWERER AND NURTURER