Diane Zimmerman is the Associate Education Director at Temple Sinai in Washington, D.C. She wrote the Project Based Learning section of the lesson plan manual for Building Jewish Identity, Volumes 3 and 4, which will be published by Behrman House in March 2013.

PBL has the potential to liberate Judaism from the exclusive domain of the synagogue.

Most Hebrew programs in congregational schools are directed toward language learning rather than language acquisition. In other words, students learn Hebrew as a skill (and often as a prayer skill) rather than for communication. That's a choice education directors make based on the time available, teacher ability, practical needs such as preparing students to become bar or bat mitzvah, and other factors such as the education director's own level of comfort speaking Hebrew or the Rabbi's preference.

Prayer has become more meaningful, intentional, and personal for fourth graders at Temple Beth Shalom in Needham, Massachusetts, thanks to Project Based Learning (PBL). The fourth graders created a siddur all their own that is now used by their fellow students in K-5 classes. Guided by questions about why people pray and the importance of the siddur, the fourth graders worked in groups based on their interests. One group was in charge of siddur design and layout, a second group focused on kavanah, a third group worked on the siddur's illustrations and graphics, and another group decided on the siddur's content and the order of the prayers. Students combed through a library of siddurim as research, interviewed people about what's important to include in a siddur, and reflected on their own prayer in the process. The project culminated in a dedication ceremony for the new siddur.

Project Based Learning has made a splash in the secular education world, and it can be a powerful tool for Jewish classrooms, too. In fact, project based learning can be a dynamic technique for teaching a wide range of Judaic topics, especially Jewish values. Why? Because we want students to live Jewish values, not just study them, and PBL is all about learning in the context of real life: Project based learning is hands-on, student-driven, and involves projects designed around real-world activities. Students build life skills while researching and tackling issues that are meaningful to them, resulting in learning that can be deeper and more lasting.