Back to School: Not Just for Students

This summer, over 190 teachers from 19 states came together towards a powerful goal: to improve their practice for reaching every student. Through a series of dynamic professional development workshops, Hidden Sparks, the New York-based organization that has empowered thousands of Jewish educators and school leaders nationwide, gave teachers new insights and tools to transform their classrooms.

At the heart of the summer was Hidden Sparks' signature "Learning Lenses" course, where hands-on, experiential learning and group activities pushed teachers to understand the different types of learners in their classrooms. Teachers dove deep into the science of learning and behavior - exploring neurodevelopment, temperament, classroom systems - to build a sharper, more compassionate understanding of why some students struggle and how to teach them. From there, courses on differentiating instruction equipped teachers with instructional strategies for their classrooms.

"When I attend these workshops, it never ceases to impress me how unlocking an understanding of neurodevelopment, children’s learning and behavior, can have a transformative impact on one’s approach to teaching”, said Debbie Niderberg, co-founder and Executive Director of Hidden Sparks. “Sometimes, it’s not new information but a new language and framework for understanding different learning profiles that helps novice and veteran teachers to shift their mindset and come away with a renewed sense of agency."

“These workshops were fun, engaging and informative,” said Sara Palgon of YCTCE in Florida. “It was a pleasure learning with such a positive and professional group of educators.” Sara Presser of TAG in New York added, “I have better tools and language for describing our student’s learning difficulties.”

In Atlanta, teachers came together for two days of differentiated instruction, with follow-up coaching to continue during the year.”The participants engaged in rich discussions around real classroom scenarios and benefited from personalized coaching as they applied new learning to their own curricula.” said Shelley Fogelson, VP of Jewish Education at the Jewish Federation of Atlanta.

One of the most popular courses, which was offered twice due to demand, was a Hebrew Orton Gillingham training. Teachers learned a multisensory, phonetic approach to teaching Hebrew reading and decoding, rooted in the research-backed Orton-Gillingham method. Originally developed to help children with dyslexia and other reading disabilities crack the code of Hebrew, this approach has proven to be a game-changer for readers of every level.

With nearly two decades in the field, over 8,500 educators in 427 schools have now participated in Hidden Sparks trainings and workshops - arming teachers everywhere with real-time strategies and practical tools to support, engage and unlock the potential of every learner in their classroom.