The Levantini Podcast
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The Levantini Podcast
The Hebrew Program at Middlebury
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Welcome to the forinsea podcast. Forency.us is a language training website for Hebrew, Arabic, and Russian designed specifically for intermediate to advanced learners. Our daily lessons prepare you to read real foreign language news articles and listen to actual foreign language media on a wide variety of subjects to put you on the path to language mastery. If you're studying Hebrew, Arabic, or Russian, you can visit our site at forincy.us. That's F-O-R-E-I-G-N-C-Y.us, and enter the promo code LANguage Mastery for a 10% discount on our annual and six month subscriptions. This week I spoke with Vardit Greenwald and Elizabeth Gurner of Middlebury College. Vardit is the director of the School of Hebrew, and Elizabeth heads up the Lifelong Learners Program. We touched on a lot of important topics and issues related to mastering the Hebrew language and approaching the Hebrew language as a trade and profession. We also discussed effective learning strategies, the crisis that Hebrew language learning currently finds itself in, and we examined some promising trends and strategies. I'm Alex Soren, I'm the co-founder of Forensy.us and your host, and I hope you enjoy the show. So I'm here today with Dr. Vardit Ringwald of Middlebury Hebrew Program, as well as with Elizabeth Gurner of the program who leads the Lifelong Learners program. Thank you guys for joining me.
SPEAKER_01Thank you for having us.
SPEAKER_00So I wanted to reach out to Middlebury because I think the work you guys are doing is really exciting and interesting. As someone who's studied Hebrew for a long time, I've of course come across people who have attended the Hebrew program at Middlebury and have only heard very positive things. It seems to be one of the more advanced, if not the most advanced, program in the country. And our approach at forensic with our he with our daily Hebrew lessons is that we approach it as a lifelong trade in daily language training. We take it very seriously, and I think that you all do that as well. So that's why I wanted to reach out to you. And I was wondering if you guys wouldn't mind just giving me a high-level overview of your backgrounds. At Fardeed, if we want to start with you.
SPEAKER_01Sure. I've been teaching Hebrew for almost more than three decades. I started my career as a professional Hebrew teacher in South America, but then I moved to the States and I became a lecturer of Hebrew at the Burnley University, and then I became the director of the Hebrew program in other languages as well. My expertise is in understanding the learners who tend to study what we call difficult languages as well as evaluation. And also I became the expert of the proficiency approach related to Hebrew. And more than 10 years ago, I met Ron Libowitz, who then was the president of Middlebury, who offered me to become the founder of the School of Hebrew within the language schools of Middlebury. And I was very honored. In our profession, we know what this language school is all about. And it's been 10 years.
SPEAKER_00That's great. And Elizabeth, a little bit about your background as well.
SPEAKER_02Sure. So I majored in Spanish in college and had studied it my whole life and lived in Mexico and knew that I loved languages. I'd always been very interested in modern Hebrew, but hadn't had the opportunity to start studying until I actually moved back to the US from Mexico in 2011. My sister actually had studied at Middlebury in the French school and got her master's here, and she told me that if I wanted to learn Hebrew, I had to go to Middlebury. So it worked out for me to study that summer, and I came in as a complete beginner. I literally knew nothing. And it was one of the most challenging, obviously, but most rewarding academic pursuits I'd ever experienced, both the pedagogy and also the sort of sense of family that the School of Hebrew creates really enabled me to acquire quite a bit that first summer. And so I've been back every summer, either as a student. I also studied my master's here and then started working a couple summers ago. And I work full-time for the School of Hebrew. So, yeah, so I'm new to the field of language acquisition in terms of working, but um learning quite a bit here.
SPEAKER_00Well, you touched on two things that stood out to be. You said that it's a very challenging environment, but it also is a pretty welcoming environment, and you get a sense of community and family there, which leads into my next question about the uniqueness of the Hebrew program at Middlebury. Either of you can touch on that.
SPEAKER_01So I think that the uniqueness of the program is the fact that we have different learners with different goals. We are trying to be very inclusive. And at the same time, we are trying to actually hire people, people who have a lot of experience in teaching Hebrew as the word language. So all most of our teachers have expertise, specifically in teaching Hebrew as the other language. The other uniqueness of the program is really the fact that this is geared to answer the needs of each of the learners, and therefore we manage in the last 10 years to create different programs within the program. So we have diverse opportunities for all learners to find their niche within the program.
SPEAKER_00How many students do you get for each session? How many sessions are there?
SPEAKER_01So there is mostly most of our activities. So let me just explain a little bit about our programs. We are a very mission-based program. So we have a mission. Our mission actually is divided into three areas. We would like to increase the number of people who are proficient in the Hebrew. We'd like to train the professionals who would teach Hebrew because we do understand that this is an area of that is really lacking within the field of teaching Hebrew in the United States. And also, we are looking into ways of doing research to increase our body of knowledge on how to teach and what learners really are looking for. So sorry to interrupt you.
SPEAKER_00You touched on something that I was going to get to later, but about the current state of Hebrew language teaching in the United States. If you can just talk a little more about where you think it is, what are the issues with it, what needs to be done to improve it?
SPEAKER_01So we are in a very interesting era, in my opinion. I've been doing it for 30 years, and I think that in the last, I would say five years, there is a lot of awakening vis-a-vis Hebrew. There's a lot of effort that's being done in order to improve the teaching of Hebrew. And the reason is because people do understand the importance of Hebrew in shaping people's identity or what we call cultural identity, and also the connection to Israel and understanding better the Israelis and the Israeli culture. So there's a lot of awakening, although it's a lot of activities being done. You see, programs are being created, our program became one of the models for how to really train teachers and how to teach the language, and there is a lot of attention from the philanthropic, even the philanthropy world in order to support what we are doing. However, at the same time, the field is in a crisis. There is a decline of number in number of students who are taking Hebrew in higher education. There are Jewish day schools who decide that decided not to offer Hebrew after only for two years. It's not anymore a requirement for all students all the time. So it's a very interesting dynamic that's going on. I'm very hopeful though.
SPEAKER_00Right.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00It's interesting. I mean, when I was when I was an undergrad in the US and I was taking Hebrew, I felt that a lot of the courses approached it as if it was an extracurricular, you know, another version of Hebrew school when you're a child, which I didn't like because to me I'm approaching it as a very serious student and I want to make it my profession. And I found the opposite when I went to the Hebrew University in Jerusalem for my master's degree. There with their OPOM courses, they approach it as a trade. This is very serious business. You're in there five hours a day. It's very systematic and it's very effective. And then it seems to me that you guys have a similar approach.
SPEAKER_01This is true. And this is what we're trying actually to talk about it all the time when we meet with teachers, when we meet with policymakers, lay leaders, to talk about it as a profession.
SPEAKER_00What are the top things that you try to instill in your teachers?
SPEAKER_01First of all, understand the learners. Learners should be in the center of what we do. Although we have common goals, we approach it differently for different reasons. So this is why we are trying to first of all and understand the learners, especially when we talk about the lifelong learners. And Elizabeth can also expand on this as well. But it's true for all learners. And the way to maximize the process, and maximization it's an art. How do you really help students expedite the process and make sure that it's not about only about learning, but it's mostly about acquisition. How people internalize the language, and as one of my friends said, it's it's becoming part of their HUNES because people come for the experience and for the outcomes as well.
SPEAKER_00And how many different levels do you have?
SPEAKER_01So our program is divided into actually three parts, mostly for two parts, and one of the parts is divided into two parts. So one, we have what we call the language division, in which we have the traditional seven-week program, which is full immersion, of course, and then the three-week program for the lifelong learners. And recently we opened a new program, a three-week seminar for classical Hebrew. And then we have the degree program, in which we have two cohorts mostly for the MA degree, and the now last year we started with a doctorate program, a doctorate in modern languages focusing on Hebrew pedagogy. So overall, right now we have between 150 to 160 students engaging with us during this summer. During the year, it's mostly the degree program students and the students who are staying to take our outreach program uh via distance learning.
SPEAKER_00Right. So now I want to jump into anxieties related to language acquisition, in particular Hebrew language acquisition and speaking. I know you guys have a very intensive immersion program. You have something called the language pledge, which I'd like you to explain. But if you can just touch on what you see when students come, the anxieties they usually have, and y'all's method to overcome those.
SPEAKER_01So I will start, but then I will let Elizabeth actually to expand on this because she went through the process, and she's very g very good every summer to actually explain it to our students who are coming, which is part of the way to deal with the anxiety, is really to describe for them the process they're going to go through. So the most, I mean, one of the main causes for this anxiety is the fact that students cannot be what we call themselves. The pledge is, which is the brand of Middlebury, is actually when students are coming and they are signing an agreement or a contract with us that they're not going to use the language, their native language, only the language that they are studying. So one of the methods that we are using in our program, it's not true for all the programs, is that we actually start the pledge two days after their arrival. We let them for two days to be themselves, talk in English, explain the other who are who are they, what they're coming from, and then they are ready actually to start the process. I will let Elizabeth explain a little bit more and then I will jump in on that.
SPEAKER_02Sure. Like Vardit said, I think the really the key is to help prepare the students in those first two days. They're obviously very motivated, but like you said, there's a lot of anxiety. You know, can I do this? You know, am I gonna to be yeah, be able to express myself? And am I, I think just fear of fear of failure is is quite a big level of anxiety for students. I think preparing them to understand that they're going to be highs and lows and helping them really think through self-care during the summer because you get so focused on Hebrew all the time. You know, meals are in Hebrew activities, homework, you know, concerts. It's it's a it's an intense environment, and you're with people all the time and you're you know putting yourself out there to really put into practice what you've learned in class. And it's easy to forget to take care of yourself, whether that be working out, you know, simple things, you know, maybe finding a TV pro TV program they want to watch, or, you know, arts and crafts, taking a walk in nature, anything that can kind of help them not only relax, but also, like Vardeet said, be themselves. So we offer sports, which can be a wonderful outlet, both for stress relief and also for students to be able to, you know, feel competent as an individual. I think finding those ways to to do things that you enjoy and also that make you feel successful, because there are great days in immersion where you, you know, something you understand and you have that conversation that you've been wanting to have and you communicate what you're feeling. Um, and there are also hard days where, you know, you you don't understand and you feel like you can't express yourself and you can feel alone and struggle with a loss of identity, I would say is one of the main things that you struggle with in immersion. And that can be scary, especially for our adult learners who are, you know, competent professionals and who are used to having a certain level of respect in the community communities where they come from. And then all of a sudden, especially for the beginners, you know, they can't even communicate like a toddler. And and that can be very jarring to your sense of identity and how you view yourself, but it's also a wonder, wonderful invitation to to growth and to just give yourself permission to be in that place and to learn about yourself. And I would say for me as a student, the pledge was ultimately extremely freeing. It's very easy when you study a language for any sort of number of reasons to revert back to English. Maybe it's lack of confidence, maybe it's you are afraid about what you're gonna look like if you really go for it and really try. But everyone knows you're on the pledge, and everyone expects that, and they know that you're going to use charades and draw pictures and make mistakes and and use all sorts of tools to be able to communicate what you're trying to say, and they understand that, and the teachers are so experienced that they they know how to support you in that. And and also, if you go, for instance, to Israel, a lot of people in day-to-day life are gonna answer you in English because they hear your accent, and so that's a huge benefit, is you know, everyone answers you in Hebrew all the time and gives you that chance to really practice and improve.
SPEAKER_01Sorry, go ahead. Um I just want to add that knowing the anxiety uh possibilities related to the pledge, we have what we call modified pledge for beginners. So in the first two or three weeks, they're allowed to use some English in the classroom in order for them to expedite the learning. But when it comes to acquisition, the pledge is kind of a statement to tell them try to do it as much as you can in Hebrew. And we allow them five to ten minutes a day to have uh a phone call in in in English to their families. So they don't lose they don't lose the connection with themselves.
SPEAKER_00Right. It's not like they're in prison, they're not allowed to uh reach out to the outside world.
SPEAKER_01It's a bootcape.
SPEAKER_00It's not a prison. Well, you guys both said a few things that stood out to me. I'm gonna try to remember them all. But Elizabeth, I remember when I was at the uh Hebrew University of Jerusalem and I was in their intensive bulb on what you said about the initial frustration when you can't get the words out that you want. A lot of people in my program had the same reaction where they said, I can't even communicate like a toddler, those words exactly. And I remember saying that as well. But I think people are being too hard on themselves as well, because toddlers can communicate extremely well. If you're three years old, you have a full vocabulary. But I also liked what you were saying about the different activities you all do, because I found in my own study and also with the lessons that we do at forensic that all subjects are intertwined. So, you know, if if we're doing a lesson about drug addiction, you're also gonna come across vocabulary related to depression and how you're feeling and things of that nature. And I think it's the same with the programs you guys are doing. So when you're doing volleyball or ordering a meal, whatever it is, you're gonna be coming across vocabulary that can be used across the spectrum. And I also wanted to ask, what were you personally, Elizabeth, when you were doing the language pledge and you were in the program, how quickly did you notice improvement in your in your speaking ability?
SPEAKER_02Sure. I think one thing that we also what you said first about feeling it like a toddler is I've studied language acquisition with Bardit, you know, I've really reflected on, we we talked a lot about, you know, how children learn languages, learn their first language. And I think one thing that's important to help the students understand also is how language acquisition works, and that you know, speaking it is not it comes across, it's a little slower than the other skills because you need to receive you know tons of input, what they call input, language. You need to hear and and read tons of language before you can expect yourself to be able to create that, to create language. And from day one at Middlebury, you know, you attempt to, but I remember I was able to kind of give myself permission. I tried to to understand that process and to listen. I remember sometimes people would want me to talk and I would just kind of motion, like I want to listen, because I wanted to not only hear the accent and the everything was new for me, you know, I wanted to soak in as much as I could. And I knew I could tell at first that I wasn't able to put those things I learned in class necessarily together quickly enough. So writing for me was a great outlet in class because I had the time to make the connections between the new vocabulary and grammar and really express myself. And so my writing came along much more quickly than my speaking. But after a few weeks, I was able to definitely hold, you know, short conversations. And I remember my first, my first real Hebrew conversation that was sort of spontaneous. I was stayed after dinner and had been really frustrated by not being able to have an exchange with someone that I understood. And the assistant director, Sarah Haskell, was sitting down and I sat by her and I had that first conversation. I have no idea what we talked about, but she knew I was in level one, she knew I just started, she knew kind of what level to engage me on, and we had a conversation about something. And I felt, I mean, like I had, you know, won the World Cup. I was so excited, felt that just the ability to communicate. And I think it was a few weeks in, so I'd received by that point enough input to be able to start creating creating with the language.
SPEAKER_00Bardit, I have a question for you, and kind of dovetailing off of something that Elizabeth said, but I also found when I was in Israel and I would try to speak in Hebrew, whenever I was answered in English, it was extremely demoralizing. And I probably would go two days before I tried to speak Hebrew again. Sounds like you guys have a very supportive program, but you also know what works and doesn't work. What do you tell your teachers to avoid situations like that?
SPEAKER_01Uh situation in which they cannot communicate with the Right.
SPEAKER_00I mean, is there a a strict order, you know, do not answer the student in English?
SPEAKER_01Oh, for sure. You know, our our teachers sometimes we make sure that they will sign a pledge. And the pledge to only conduct everything in Hebrew because they tend to forget. So one of the things that we have at Middlebury is uh signs all over, reminding people about the pledge. And teachers are very committed to doing that. And I I remember in the first years it was very difficult for teachers to understand that students do understand no matter what, because they are using whatever they have in order to get to understand the meaning of what's being said to them. But they are expert teachers, so they know how to support the process, as Elizabeth explained to you. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00How much emphasis is there on teaching the students not to think in English? Because I found whenever I get into flow state and I'm just doing a very good job in speaking Hebrew, my mind is working differently, I'm processing information differently.
SPEAKER_01So one of the things that we've learned to do is not to instruct the students in what way to think. The expectation is of from them is to produce in Hebrew, and we don't care, and we know actually from the research that people think the way they think. I sometimes think in Hebrew while I'm speaking in English, and I speak other languages, and I know exactly how to reflect on my thinking process. The pledge is really a statement in which we tell students try to retrieve the information that you have as much as you can and produce it in Hebrew. And and we tell them and we teach them strategies on how to do that. But in terms of instruct people on how to think, we don't go there. And I really resent teachers who go. I mean, I I visited, I'm I'm visiting a lot of schools, and I see teachers telling their students, think in Hebrew. And this is a territory that we we allow students to make a decision and how to think as long as we produce help them produce the produce the language in English. And this is really the art of crafting the tasks and the process. We are experts in this and we know how to do it.
SPEAKER_00And then from your research, have you ever come across anything that touches on how students can practice speaking when they're alone?
SPEAKER_01Yes. So one of the things that we do have, there are many tasks in real life situations that you need to memorize. So any real life tasks that include memorization, like reciting, or one of the exercises we like to give students is to tell them that they have one minute to tell everything about themselves. And if they don't get to a one minute, after one minute, they still didn't get anything to they didn't complete their task, they have to go back and do it again. So yes, speaking alone. I used to have a teacher, a Telmo teacher, so used to tell me all the time that we always speak with ourselves. I mean, we always negotiate meaning with ourselves. So we allow students to go through the process of negotiating the meaning with themselves through the language, through the new language. So it's speaking with yourself, but in a in a very different way of interacting with your thoughts and with the process.
SPEAKER_00And then I wanted to ask generally, speaking and other subjects as well when it comes to Hebrew, are there any subjects that you find are the most engaging with students? And are there any exercises or teaching methods that you see have the greatest impact on a student's advancement?
SPEAKER_01So I will let Elizabeth explain what we do with the lifelong learners, but uh we have different students who come from a different background and for different goals. So it's divided between students who are scholars who need actually to gain expertise in the language that relates to their specific discipline. We have students who come from what we call instrumental motivation. They have to go back to Israel and do some actual work, like uh NGO people and and so on. And then we have students who just come for their emotional growth because they are part of, they want to be part of the community that Hebrew is its main language. So we need to be very careful on how we what kind of topics we are trying to present to them or use in order for them to acquire the language. So mostly all topics related to Israeli culture are being taught, such as literature, cinema, Israeli cinema, it's very popular, related to the political issues and sociology, anthropology. One time we even brought a person who is expert in Israeli food just to explain how the Israeli uh society is related to food and what does it mean in terms of uh.
SPEAKER_00I found studying studying food is one of the best topics and one of the best ways to learn, I think, especially if you're watching videos, because you see them holding the objects, you see them interacting with it, cutting it, all things like that.
SPEAKER_01Actually, you're talking about one of the methods that we're trying to it's true. I've learned Spanish only by watching telenovela because they only they not only say what they want to say, but also act upon what they are saying. They want to say, open the door, they're actually opening the door. You know, this is a you're right. But I'm talking about the students appreciate expertise. So it's not about a language teacher who decide to use literature in order to expedite the learning, it's the literature professor who is learning how to teach the language in order to bring the expertise into the language. So in the upper level classes, actually, we do have like each of the students are gaining more than uh one topic while they're here, like four topics that can go through creative writing, uh, literature, history, political science, and even the some some kind of classical Hebrew.
SPEAKER_00Right. So, Elizabeth, can you touch on the lifelong learners program and the work you're doing?
SPEAKER_02Definitely. Yes, so our lifelong learner program is three weeks long and it's full immersion, just like our seven-week program. So it's a great opportunity for your traditional lifelong learner, adult students, or just anyone who maybe can't get off work for the full seven weeks or can't leave their family for that long. So anyone is welcome to study. We have students of all ages in our three-week lifelong learner program. The majority are adult students, you know, maybe 40 to 50 years old on up. We've had students in their late 70s before, which is which is wonderful. So anyone who comes can join the lifelong learner curriculum, or if they have those more intensive academic goals that they need Hebrew for those reasons, they can join the seven-week classes and and join those tracks. But our curriculum for those who choose, and I would say the majority do choose to to study in the lifelong learner curriculum track during those three weeks. We try to really recognize the goals of our students, and it's every year it's it's there's some there are differences definitely, but the the goals that we see in our learners are are definitely very relational. We have lots of students whose maybe their children adult children have made aliyah and now their grandchildren speak Hebrew. Every year we have students who come because they want to speak to their grandchildren when they go to Israel. We have students who volunteer in Israel with different nonprofits and NGOs and want to be able to communicate with people living there on the ground when they volunteer. We have a lot of students who have always wanted to be able to study Hebrew intensively, but maybe throughout their professional career never had time or the resources to be able to do it. So now they finally have the chance as an older adult. So we really gear our curriculum. Every year it changes based on the profile of the specific students in each level. But our goal is to teach to those relational goals. For example, we help them create their personal narrative, which might be anything that they would want to learn to share in Hebrew. It might be their family history, it might be, you know, sort of show and tell something from their lives that they would want to tell people about in Hebrew that an object or an experience that's very important to them. They might want to share about their profession in Hebrew or about, you know, or about their grandchildren, a store, a family story. So we gear our curriculum towards those goals to teach vocabulary that's relevant to those goals.
SPEAKER_00And what this is a question for both of you, but what are your long-term goals for your respective programs?
SPEAKER_01So there's so many goals. As I told you before, we are a mission-based program. So we want to increase the number of people who are proficient in Hebrew. And we would like to, you know, we understand that Middlebury is limited in a way that we can do that in this very specific and special environment and context. So we would like to expand the possibilities for other people and do share our knowledge, share what we've learned, tell people about the possibilities so they can they can enjoy what we've managed to gain in terms of understanding and how to do it well.
SPEAKER_00Right. Elizabeth, you have long-term goals for the Lifelong Learners Program.
SPEAKER_02Yes, I think specifically for the adult learners, we have some students who've never studied Hebrew before, but a lot of students have studied as, you know, growing up in Jewish day school and then maybe a little bit in college, and they've never, I find that a lot of them, some of them are very proficient and just want to improve, but a lot of them were never able to really, you know, get it in a sense. They were frustrated, they always wanted to be able to speak or to learn, and and it just didn't click for some reason. And I think I really enjoy our program because you see, you see it click. And the the immersion and the the way we teach gives them an opportunity to really finally acquire language that they've always wanted to, and and that's beautiful to see. So I think just showing adults they really can learn. I think there, you know, there's a stereotype. Adults themselves believe it. You know, they would they joke around all the time, you know, I can't learn, I can't remember anything anymore. And that's just not what the research says. The research says you can acquire this language. You have many skill sets that younger learners do not have, and we just need to take advantage of those and really utilize those in your learning, and you can be just as successful as a younger learner. Um, and I think the key is helping them believe that to start with, and showing them the research, explaining and helping them really capitalize on those strengths they have, and and also cope with the weaknesses that might the changes, the differences between younger learners and learners.
SPEAKER_01And I would like to add that related to the lifelong learner, one of the components that we're aspiring to do is really do two things. One is to have the Israelist component in our program and also create a maintenance program for them during the years through distance learning. So we developed a model that we hopefully will be able to execute soon with the library.
SPEAKER_00That was actually one a question I had and I was on the fence about whether to ask it. But distance education and maintenance is key. I mean, with foreign tea, that's one of our goals. And is, you know, to hear that other people are thinking about doing it is great as well. You know, if you guys were ever to offer a distance education class for people at different levels, it would it would be awesome because not everybody can, you know, I can't get away from for a f you know seven weeks or three weeks, unfortunately. But I think technology is providing a lot of solutions that that weren't there before.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and it's not only, I mean, uh one of the main goals for me is really to create a new cadre of leaders in Hebrew, which means improving the teaching of Hebrew in high schools. We are talking about even expanding the Hebrew into and and and be part of the Hebrew the language programs in in public schools, and how to bring them into Hebrew, because we need to rely on people within the community with in the cont in order to continue the teaching and learning in Hebrew and not necessarily rely on the what we call the accidental teachers, Israelis who happen to be in the area at the right time. And and by the way, Elizabeth is an ex excellent example. I mean, she's an American who has specific interests in Hebrew, and she's now one of the leading professionals in the field.
SPEAKER_00What you said about um I find it funny about Israelis being in the right place at the right time when it comes to Hebrew teaching opportunities. It is part of the problem, is there are a lot of Hebrew teachers who don't really have any business teaching Hebrew besides the fact that it's their native language and they were in the right place at the right time.
SPEAKER_01And you know what bothers me the most is that the fact that people buy into this possibility. People don't understand that this is a trade, as you said, in a profession. And I'm talking about people who also are policymakers and lay leaders. And I always tell him if you ever thought that your math teachers in school is going just to do to know numbers, and then you give them the responsibility to teach your kids uh math. No.
SPEAKER_00So this is the same kind of Well, welcome to uh education in the United States.
SPEAKER_01Well, yeah.
SPEAKER_00So I was to kind of close out, but when I was thinking about reaching out to you all, I was looking at your background, and you have a very prolific background in the material that you've produced. And I wanted to give you a chance to talk about what you're working on now, which is the second volume of the Brandeis Modern Hebrew textbook. So if you can just give me a high-level overview of what that textbook's going to include and what you're hoping to achieve with it.
SPEAKER_01Right. So the book already is in a pilot uh format, and we are trying to finalize it and create the what we call the real edition of the book. So one of the challenges in creating materials for intermediate level students is because if you do understand language acquisition, you understand that this is the stage in which learners are experiencing what we call the plunge, in which they are actually they have a hard time producing language, understanding language because there's so much knowledge by now that connecting the dots, it's really an issue for them. So after our first book was very successful, and we were supported by then the president of Brandeis, who actually supported us in publishing the book, Yoda Reinhardt, and he always, you know, after he saw the success of the first book, he came to me and said, Vardit, where is the second volume? Why don't you produce, you know, a volume and a new one? And I said, you know how hard it is, how challenging it is to create materials for intermediate level students. So the way we approached it is by actually showing teachers the possibilities and opportunities on how to teach intermediate level students. So it's spiraling into the grammar and the linguistic components of the Hebrew. It's based mostly on topics that we introduce in the first book, and then we develop each chapter as a unit that can actually create an opportunity for other teachers to see it or view it as is, or as an example or template for a unit that they can develop for their learners. Because the key for intermediate level students is to understand what will be meaningful for them. So therefore, we tried actually to bring different and diverse type of materials in order for them to show how to teach a movie, how to teach an article, how to teach a story, how to teach a poem. If you look at a book, so stu so teachers can take the book and teach it as ease, but at the same time, it's an opportunity for them to add more materials based on the principle that we used in the book.
SPEAKER_00Right. And it sounds great that you're developing something specifically for intermediate learners. And it's it's a very widespread issue that there is not adequate material for intermediate to advanced and for language maintenance. And I also find there's not adequate material designed for adult learners in terms of I call it R-rated Hebrew language learning. And we wrote a blog past blog post on it on forensic where you know you don't have to be crude, but there are adult topics, whether it's relationships or diseases, death, other other things that I think a lot of Hebrew courses shy away from because it's uncomfortable to talk about in class. It makes the teacher blush, it makes students blush, but you have to get over those barriers.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and one of the things that we really teach our teachers in our master's program is how to integrate Israeli culture within the language classroom. It's a topic that now I'm researching and I'm doing a lot of work related to this because I found out that in order for them to because of different reasons. There are Israelis who would like to present Israelis as an ideal place, or it's easier to teach a language when you are simplifying the facts and you're not really touching upon the issues that are really occurring in Israel. So we teach them really how to integrate it in a way that it's not going to what we call we call the close the filters of the students, but on the contrary, open them to and make make it them more uh meaningful for them. It's a big and huge issue. I had a student who is in her 60s and she was crying because suddenly she realized that the Israel she's she she herself is a she's a non-native. The Israel that she she she the Israel she really wanted to see through the learning of Hebrew was not the Israel that actually exists. So she had she went through a crisis. And we don't want our students or our learners to get to a point in which they find out that what they've learned, it's not a reality.
SPEAKER_00Right. And the material's there, it's uh it's all over the place, right? Whether it's in news, YouTube, I mean, you know, Israeli music right now is at a really good place, and you can study modern songs without having to study, you know, Hakova Shali, Shalous Pinot.
SPEAKER_01Right, right. And this is part of what we cannot rewind the people and say to to tell them now simplify yourself in order to get a simplified language. You really need to make sure and that you are talking to adults and they are they know what's going on in the world. And this is one of the one of the challenges, really, too. So there are two aspects to for this. It's I hope I want them to understand the language, therefore I'm simplifying it for them, and therefore I'm not going to touch upon these critical issues. On the other hand, I don't want them to think about it the culture in a in a way that they might not be interesting or they're not going to agree with the culture, and therefore they might not continue the studying Hebrew. Right. So these are the true issues, yeah.
SPEAKER_00So if people want to learn more about the Hebrew program at Middleberry, they can visit www.middleberry.edu slash ls slash Hebrew. Um and there's a contact us page, but there's also a beautiful website. Um there's more than enough information for people to find out about the program. I want to thank both of you guys for joining me. I think it was a really fun and enlightening discussion. And it sounds like you guys are doing really state of the art and cutting edge stuff there. If you ever want to discuss what you're doing, any new programs you have coming out, please reach out to me and um it's been a pleasure having you on.
SPEAKER_01Thank you.