Chapter 4: Extending A Hebrew Class Beyond the Classroom: A Problem-Based Learning Approach

The students in my class are deeply engaged working in their groups. Students are reading, writing, and talking in Hebrew and English depending on their task. Some groups are looking at tourist guides in English and Hebrew. Other groups are searching the Internet for information in Hebrew about different cities in Israel, and a few students are searching for important information they would like to include in the guide we are creating for Israelis who are new to central Texas. I move around the room sitting with each group for a few minutes and listening to what they do, asking and answering questions, and directing their work. The class is noisy, but no one is distracted by the noise. Everyone is on task and the class sounds like a busy beehive. Now, fast forward a few weeks. At a coincidental meeting, one of the Israeli moms at the Jewish Day School comments that she picked up from the local Jewish Community Center the Guide for Israelis new to Austin, which my students created. She further remarks that she found some of the information in the guide to be quite useful. The mother adds that she really liked the way the students were able to use their limited Hebrew to produce a valuable and useful guide. When I tell my students about this conversation, they cannot be more proud. Their faces are lit with joy. They have done something that matters and serves a purpose. Their hard work has paid off!