Transforming Day School Learning Through ‘Pedagogy of Partnership’
Posted on 04/11/2025 @ 06:00 AM
Thanks in large part to Federation’s financial support and CAJE’s professional development expertise, Miami is known for its high-quality day schools.
This year, CAJE launched an exciting new initiative with Pedagogy of Partnership (PoP) powered by Hadar.
Pedagogy of Partnership (PoP) is a comprehensive Jewish educational model for teaching and learning that fosters wonder, empathy, and responsibility toward fellow learners and Torah.
Watch "Pedagogy of Partnership, Powered by Hadar: Reimagining Jewish Education for the 21st Century"
Drawing on our Jewish learning tradition of chevruta - learning in pairs, PoP combines it with 21st century learning science to create joyful and impactful student-centered learning that has proven successful in day schools across the country.
During this pilot year, Judaic and General studies teachers at Lehrman Community Day School and Scheck Hillel Community School participated in PoP professional development, where they learned new teaching practices and tools they were able to immediately introduce in their classrooms.
Because it seeks to transform how learning takes place in the classroom, PoP not only affects students, it also impacts teachers, introducing new classroom practices and deepening reflection on how to best support student learning.
“PoP has been a wonderful experience for Lehrman! PoP made noticeable changes in the classroom with students becoming more engaged, taking ownership of their learning, and developing higher-level listening and text analysis skills. We see how the program provides them with essential life skills- the ability to think independently, articulate well-reasoned opinions, collaborate effectively, and respect diverse perspectives. Thank you for giving Lehrman the opportunity to be part of the PoP program!” - Ayala Zeev, Director of Hebrew & Jewish Studies, Lehrman Community Day School
One of the hallmarks of PoP is the emphasis on student agency over their learning as well as the critical thinking and interpersonal skills they develop by learning in pairs.
This approach is guided by the core belief that how we learn is as important as what we learn.
“Fundamentally, PoP empowers children to be stewards of their learning by proactively teaching how to engage with texts in a structured way that builds comprehension, listening, perspective-taking, and empathy. Students are having high-level reflective conversations about their learning that support critical thinking, relationships, and executive functioning. It reinforces the social element of learning in the best possible way for a classroom.” - Craig Carpentieri, Chief Academic Officer, Scheck Hillel Community School
CAJE and PoP are working closely with schools to grow the program in both Judaic and general studies classrooms. PoP seeks to build on CAJE’s investment in personalized and blended learning, including student-centered learning and student agency.
As a Jewish pedagogy, PoP equips students to learn Jewish texts more thoughtfully and to use Jewish frameworks across their academic and interpersonal endeavors.
PoP-trained educators ground students in their tradition and identity, helping to ensure that their Jewish learning is both impactful and joyful.
For more information on how you can support this important initiative, please contact Valerie Mitrani, Director of Day School Professional Development, valeriemitrani@caje-miami.org
