WHAT WOULD EINSTEIN THINK? STEM Thrives at Jewish Day Schools

CHICAGO - Jewish day schools are known for having a welcoming community, teaching Jewish values, and nurturing the whole child. But today, Jewish Day Schools are gaining a reputation for cutting-edge STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education programs aimed at preparing the future Einstein's of the world.

In fact, four of the Chicago area's top independent schools - Akiba Schechter Jewish Day School, Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School, Chicago Jewish Day School, and Solomon Schechter Day School – are creating a new equation for student achievement that draws on the analytical practice of Jewish studies to strengthen the power of STEM education.

At Bernard Zell in Chicago's east Lakeview neighborhood, teachers and students in the Middle School are extremely proud of M'Kom Drisha, a new, state-of-the-art science lab, and new coding and circuitry classes across all grade levels. M'Kom Drisha, Hebrew for "a place of exploration," features 3D printers, a Vertical Garden and a Tinkering Messy Zone for experiments. State-of-the-art equipment in an inspiring environment gives students the freedom to expand their minds and take risks.

"We try to develop the inherent wonder and curiosity that all students have within them to better understand and develop questions about our world and universe," says Science Instructional Leader Beth Sanzenbacher. "We engender a passion for science, math, engineering and the arts that equips students with the analytical skills to become lifelong learners." Bernard Zell students also collaborate with cutting-edge science organizations including the Learning Science Research Institute at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where 6th graders become ecologists in Wallcology, a cyber learning collaboration that allows students to solve environmental problems.

Dr. Eliezar Jones, the new head of school at Akiba Schechter in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood, believes STEM education teaches children the critical skills that need to navigate a global and connected world. Recently, Akiba Schechter created an R&D Lab with a grant from the Jewish Education Innovation Challenge. Faculty members at Akiba Schechter use the R&D lab to incubate and test new ideas in education. The R&D lab is a first-of-its-kind for Jewish day schools and one of the only R&D labs in the country. When the lab first opened, staff members attended a weeklong training session where they learned the essentials of "design thinking" to construct solutions to problems, as well as how to create prototypes and how to adjust them if they failed.

"We need to acknowledge things that don't work are as important as building up things that do," said Miriam Kass, Akiba-Schechter's principal. Kass hopes it will create more opportunities for experiential learning, including, possibly, a maker lab.

The integrated educational approach at Chicago Jewish Day School(CJDS) infuses STEM education throughout the curriculum. The inquiry-based curriculum encourages curiosity, questioning and critical thinking that connects STEM education and Judaism to the everyday world. At CJDS, project-based learning integrates math skills during in a Rainforest Unit and scientific exploration of water and buoyancy during a Mayflower Unit. Students are continually encouraged to ask questions and the integrative approach to each subject develops the capacity for complex learning. The possibilities of STEM education at CJDS will be even greater when the school moves from its current location in the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago to its new campus in Irving Park this spring.

Taking a closer look at the Chicago Jewish Day School curriculum, students are designing monument models on 3D printers to commemorate the Holocaust, creating prototypes of a radar protection unit and using virtual reality apps. Students are also learning coding on iPads as early as first grade. In fact, technology is so essential to a CJDS education that last year one middle school student developed an organizational scheduling app that CJDS teachers and students use every day.

At Solomon Schechter, a National Blue Ribbon school in Northbrook, students, faculty, and parents are excited about a new Innovation Studio that allows students to collaborate, create, and experiment. Students use 3D printers, iPad Pros, Chromebooks, green screens, electronic paper cutters, poster printers and dry erase walls in the Innovation Studio. When students walk into the Innovation Studio they become architects, project managers, artists, problem solvers, critical thinkers, collaborators, teachers, and graphic designers.
"The students' enthusiasm was infectious," says Debbie Harris, Director of Education Technology at Solomon Schechter, about the opening of the Innovation Center, "and their grasp of the connection between the technology and education was beyond impressive."

Albert Einstein famously said, "The important thing is to not stop questioning." Indeed, it is this tradition of questioning that has been the cornerstone of Jewish study for generations. Today, combined with world-class STEM programs, it has become the cornerstone of these premier Jewish day schools in the Chicago area.

About Discover Jewish Day Schools
Discover Jewish Day Schools is a multi-year initiative, funded locally by the Crown Family, and managed by PRIZMAH: Center for Jewish Day Schools. The goal is to provide Jewish families with the most relevant information to help them make the best decision about their child's future education. The project focuses on four Jewish Day Schools in the Chicago area: Akiba Schechter Jewish Day School, Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School, Chicago Jewish Day School, and Solomon Schechter Day School. Visit www.DiscoverJewishDaySchools.c... for more information.