Teaching Tanakh

Rationale for Program:

Many teachers of Tanakh, especially in the diaspora, have never received formal training in the field of Tanakh pedagogy. They face challenges and difficulties in the classroom for which they have never been properly prepared. This program is designed to help meet the needs of these teachers. The main goal of the course is the "how to" of Tanakh teaching, but by its very nature, the course also deals with the "what" of subject matter, the Tanakh, and analyzes various sugiyot of the Tanakh that are taught in the classroom. Emphasis in the course is placed on defining goals, in terms of skills, knowledge, understanding and values, that are involved in effective teaching, and on creative methods for achieving these goals.

The Program:

The program consists of six required courses and four electives. The required courses deal with the didactic problems and techniques involved in teaching different subjects within the Tanakh, and fields of knowledge that intersect with the Tanakh. The elective courses are designed to enrich the students' own appreciation of the subject matter and to address some of the broader meta-issues involved in teaching these subjects. Upon successful completion of eight courses – six required courses plus two electives, for a total of eight credit points (the equivalent of 224 study hours), the student will be entitled to receive a specialization certificate in the didactics of "Teaching Tanakh" from The MOFET Institute's Online Academy.