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TEXT-DRIVEN VS. CONTENT-DRIVEN
CURRICULA
What will best cover the desired information in any given
Jewish Studies class--a text-based curriculum that is organ-
ized so as to follow the meandering terrain of the Rabbinic or
Biblical texts under discussion? Or perhaps a curriculum con-
sisting of shorter, more topical textual selections drawn freely
from a wide variety of different works and genres based on the
topic(s) of the course is a better organizational format? Many
Jewish educators assert the value of picking one or two central
Biblical or Rabbinic texts, studying them in depth, and basing
the subject of the course and text skills on those that one
encounters in the journey. However, other educators maintain
that the advantages of custom-designed, focused curricula far
outweigh the more traditional text-based format of study.
There are advantages and disadvantages to each form.Text-driven curricula have a number of advantages in
Jewish Studies classes:
Text-driven curricula can, in some ways, be considered more "nat-
ural" in that they follow the flow of the text itself. Students must
be prepared to deal with and learn all of the various subjects and
varied genres of literature, Biblical or Rabbinic, which they may
encounter in the focused and extended study of a single text. It is
also the more typical way that texts have been studied in the past.
Text-driven curricula are easier for teachers to prepare and teach
because they follow the progression of the text itself. While other
texts and materials can be used to supplement the extended study
of a single text, it is relatively effortless to follow one text and its
attendant commentaries. It is also much easier for students to
bring to class only one book or sourcebook that contains the one
text they are studying.
The study of text-driven curricula enable students to discover
insights into the composition and depth of a single text. Studying
one text as an integrated, whole, complete unit of study gives stu-
dents the ability to gain familiarity with Biblical or Rabbinic texts
overall. Learning the ebb and flow of a text, its main ideas and
digressions, helps students learn the general literary geography of
a particular work and develop an appreciation for the text as a

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Publication Information: Book Title: Practical Pedagogy for the Jewish Classroom: Classroom Management, Instruction, and Curriculum Development. Contributors: Daniel B. Kohn - author. Publisher: Greenwood Press. Place of Publication: Westport, CT. Publication Year: 1999. Page Number: 130.
    
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