The Blossom School: Teaching Judaism in an arts-based Jewish day school

Educators debate the status the arts should have in Jewish education. They know that the ultimate goal of education is the understanding and individual transformation of knowledge by students, not just the transmission of information. This study examines how the arts can be used to achieve these goals, and how the arts can be used to contribute to students' spirituality, identity formation and cultural literacy. To find out how the arts affect the curriculum and teaching in arts-based Jewish day schools, Eisner's method of connoisseurship was used to identify three schools as a sample. Two arts-infused schools are described alongside an arts-based school. The qualitative research method of portraiture was used to write narrative portraits of the three schools. Three methods of data collection were used in the three sites for triangulation: observations, interviews, and artifact analysis. Observations were made inside and outside classrooms in order to gather data about school environment and culture. Investigations were made into administration and peer support of teachers and into schools' educational philosophy. The study suggests that only in the arts-based school are the arts truly integrated into the Jewish studies curriculum. The Jewish and general studies integrated curriculum is taught through a complex system of arts-based, child-centered, and multi-sensory methods of teaching. By focusing on experience rather than on coverage of material, teachers stress skills development. The arts, taught across the curriculum, are at the core of the school philosophy. The arts are present in classrooms, corridors, and public spaces and are instrumental in identifying students' strengths and in teaching content, language, skills and emotional development. This study draws attention to methodologies necessary to sustain a complex multi-disciplinary curriculum, like a selective hiring process, team planning and teaching, and in-school curriculum development. This study suggests that schools interested in implementing an art-based curriculum must reconceptualize how they design curriculum, hire staff, and define curricular goals. An articulated mission, a strong leader, and a supportive board are essential. The study concludes with issues of arts integration that need to be addressed and researched and makes suggestions about teacher training and curriculum development.