Strengthening School Culture Through Collaboration

After a four year hiatus of coming together, we are thrilled to be able to bring together our Jewish Early Childhood Education (ECE) community for a day of learning. Let’s celebrate, be inspired, collaborate with colleagues, and network with other amazing ECE educators.

Come by yourself or with your team, and bring your curiosity, your love of learning, and teaching. This day together will offer us the opportunity to refine, and enhance our skills as reflective practitioners.

A Day of Inspiration, Intention and Community

Great experts in the field will help us explore what it means to be a Jewish early childhood teacher through a hands-on learning approach. There will be large group and small group opportunities to collaborate and learn with your colleagues. Together you will have an opportunity to reflect on topics such as documentation, inclusion and play, and school best-practices.

  • Aimed at: Early Childhood Education teachers and directors. This is a great opportunity for teams to join together.
  • Structure: Annual, in-person, professional development day of learning.
  • Presented by: Dr. Lyndall Miller, Rabbi Dr. Meir Muller, and Jewish LearningWorks’ Senior Educator, Ellen Lefkowitz.

Event Details

  • Date: Friday, February 16, 2024.
  • Time: From 9:00 am to 2:00 pm.
  • Location: Temple Isaiah at 945 Risa Rd, Lafayette, CA 94549.

Our program will include a keynote session and a tinkering lab, and other learning circles and workshops. We will also spend time connecting as a community, offering opportunities for collaboration, and sharing ideas to strengthen school culture.

Keynote Session

Capturing Wonder: Navigating Children’s Learning Through Documentation

Embark on a transformative journey in “Capturing Wonder” a session dedicated to exploring the significance of documentation in early childhood Jewish education.

Delve into the “why” and “how” of this practice, discovering its power in articulating and preserving the moments where children make meaning in Jewish life and practice. Beyond individual reflection, learn how documentation serves as a cornerstone for collaboration within teaching teams.

Join us on this illuminating journey, in which we celebrate the art of capturing wonder through the excitement of shared learning.

Tinkering Lab

Group Play for Teachers: Crafting Insights from Authentic Classroom Examples of Documentation

Step into the creative realm of our “Documentation Tinkering Lab,” a hands-on session designed to hone your skills in early childhood Jewish education documentation. In this dynamic workshop, teachers will receive curated examples of authentic classroom documentation, inviting you to explore, and notice, and play with common factors among these rich snapshots of learning.

Engage in collaborative discussions, articulate your appreciations, and formulate questions related to the work samples. This tinkering lab provides a unique opportunity to refine your documentation skills in a supportive environment, equipping you to integrate this practice into your own classrooms.

Join us for a journey of exploration, where you’ll leave inspired, prepared, and empowered to capture the wonder of children’s learning in your educational setting.

Registration

Cost: $36 per participant. We encourage preschool teams to attend together. Lunch will be provided.

This event is at capacity. Registration is closed.

Questions

For more information or any questions you may have, please contact Ellen Lefkowitz at [email protected].

About the Presenters

Dr. Lyndall Miller is a consultant and researcher in the United States with over 45 years of experience in the field of early childhood education. She is known for her expertise in collaborative leadership and inquiry-based curriculum development. She focuses on personal and communal growth within educational cultural contexts, particularly Jewish settings. In the past decade, Dr. Miller established and served as the Director of the Jewish Early Childhood Education Leadership Institute (JECELI), a national professional learning community program designed for early-career directors and teacher leaders.

Rabbi Dr. Meir Muller serves as an associate professor in the College of Education at the University of South Carolina. His research interests include anti-racist pedagogical frameworks, Pro-Blackness, Jewish early childhood education, and countering antisemitism. Dr. Muller has served as lead author of South Carolina’s early childhood state standards and recently co-edited the Bloomsbury text, Early Childhood Jewish Education: Multicultural, Gender, and Constructivist Perspectives Dr. Muller is the co-founder of the Cutler Jewish Day School where he spent 30 years heading the school.