Jewish Learning Process

Making a match.

Another key component of our process is to thoughtfully match our students with educators who will be the right fit and inspire our students to do their best. Teaching style and of course availability are also factors in pairing our teachers with students. OJL educators – some of whom are clergy – are extremely knowledgeable, experienced and have advanced teaching degrees. Our Leadership Team is closely involved in the process to ensure the right match for each student.

Learning engagement & periodic assessments.

Once a curriculum and course schedule are established, students will meet with their teachers on a regular basis. We do not administer formal testing, rather, we conduct informal assessments and provide parents/guardians with progress reports along the way. Ongoing communication plays an important role in our success, therefore we welcome and encourage feedback from our students and their families at any time.

Milestone preparation.

We view milestone preparation as an important opportunity to deepen Jewish identity. We begin well in advance by providing our students and families a comprehensive overview of what to expect. Students will learn to read from the Torah and recite the blessings before and after the Torah reading. Students may also learn to lead many prayers of the service, chant Haftorah and learn the blessings before and after the Haftorah. 

No two b’nai mitzvah are the same, and creating personal and positive experiences for all OJL students and their families are among our top priorities. We work closely with families to: determine the service that would be best (e.g., Shabbat morning, weekday, mincha/havdallah); determine the parts of the service with which the student would like to participate (e.g., morning prayers, special blessings); plan the ceremony; and develop an achievable timeline. 

Continuing education

We welcome the opportunity to continue to engage students who have reached their initial learning goals. Proficiency in conversational Hebrew, understanding how to interpret complicated texts and commentaries, and an exploration of Israel and Jewish history are among the areas of study our students often pursue. Our Leadership Team works directly with students and families to determine the next path of their Jewish journey. 

Program development and implementation.

OJL programs are scalable. Clients may choose to expand upon their existing curriculum, or request OJL to create new, supplemental teaching modules. A key benefit of our unique infrastructure is our clients’ ability to supervise and monitor students’ progress at any time. All lessons and classes are recorded, therefore clients may check-in on their students in real-time, and provide important feedback to parents/guardians, as needed.

Program Options include:

•  1:1 Learning:
  •  Students learn 1:1 with their teacher
  • Paced according to individual learning needs and goals
  • Personalized attention enables students to learn more materials
•  Small Groups:
  •  Students learn in a small group setting with peers
  • Students benefit from an engaging, social community experience online
• Combination Programs:
  • Students engage in both 1:1 and small group learning sessions enabling both personalized attention and opportunities for community interaction
• Family Learning:
  • Students and parents/guardians learn together in a fun and engaging online setting when it is most convenient for the family

Reporting and evaluation.

OJL periodically provides progress reports on all students as well as a comprehensive, final report. We value collaboration and effective communication, and as such, we welcome client feedback at any point throughout the program. We also request that our clients complete a service evaluation at the conclusion of a program. We pride ourselves on our successful client relationships and enjoy serving as extensions of their teams, and working together to develop long-term programming solutions for their communities.