A High School Students’ Guide to the Book of Joshua: A Curriculum on Sefer Yehoshuah for High School Students

Abstract

“What I never did, however, was ask myself about my purposes: why teach this material, and to what end, and whether my goals in teaching this material in this way (or these) fit into a defensible framework and whether they cohered with anyone else’s, and whether I was responsible to anyone or anything for what I chose to teach.” ---Jon Levisohn, A Plea for Purpose In a self-reflective essay, Professor Levisohn ruminates on the lack of purpose seen in curricula made for Jewish Studies in Jewish Day and High Schools. While the sources and lessons are often planned, teachers often neglect to take a step back to contemplate and review the purpose of their teaching.