Who are we?
Our Vision, Mission, and Values:
Vision:
Jewish education will be an incubator for inspiring and preparing students to take on the opportunities and challenges of our evolving world, with creativity, curiosity, confidence, and compassion.
Mission:
The Idea Institute provides thought leadership, resources, and training that make Jewish education meaningful and impactful for learners in today’s world.
Values:
V'Tein B'Libeinu Le'Havin U'Lehaskil… ותן בלבנו להבין ולהשכיל
“Place in our hearts the ability to comprehend and to be intellectually creative…”
We approach learning as an iterative process with deep curiosity, openness, and wonder
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L'Shmoah L'Lmod U'Lelameid…לשמוע ללמד וללמד
“To listen, to learn, and to teach…”
Through taking on the perspective of others, our learning becomes outwards facing, with a commitment to impacting the world positively
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L'Shmor V'La'asot…לשמור ולעשות
“To preserve and to practice…”
We cherish the beauty of the world that is and strive to bring it ever closer to the world that
ought to be
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U'Lekayeim Et Kol Divrei Talmud Toratecha…ולקיים את כל דברי תלמוד תורתך
“To affirm all the words of the teachings of Your Torah…”
We honor and celebrate the sanctity and diversity of each person, their interests, questions,
ideas, and designs
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B'Ahava באהבה
“With love”
We understand that the process of creating high-quality products of learning is enriched by meaningful collaboration with others and through the empathic understanding of others
The Idea Institute has been training Jewish educators in project-based learning (PBL), student-centered learning, and other innovative pedagogies since 2014, through a variety of workshops, teacher cohorts, and conferences.
From 2018-2023, the Institute was embedded within The Idea School, a Jewish, project-based learning high school, located In Tenafly, NJ. During those five years, The Idea School actualized theories about student-centered education and innovative educational models in dozens of rich lessons and units that integrated Judaic and secular subjects, so students experienced learning that was personally and spiritually resonant and that bettered the world around them. Students grew curious, confident, and creative.
The Institute is primed to take our years of knowledge and experience and bring them to the broader community to further support schools and educators interested in creating more student-centered learning that taps into students’ passions and empowers them to tackle local and global problems.
This is crucial since we find ourselves at an important inflection point, with the world around us becoming increasingly complex, colleges and employers seeking power skills such as collaboration, communication, and problem-solving, and students seeking meaning and purpose in their studies. Our schools and educational settings must reflect on their practice and recalibrate so that we are equipping students with the vital skills they need, not only to succeed in college and beyond, but to thrive as Jews and human beings.
We look forward to partnering with you.
