Since 2012, the Paradigm Project has been a trusted voice in and on behalf of Jewish early childhood education. This visionary network of avant-garde Jewish early childhood practitioners gathers in person and online to push the field forward. Gatherings are festive, arts-enriched, experimental, and welcoming. For the spirited and passionate early childhood innovator, this network is a vital source of inspiration, a fertile ground for experimentation, and a listening ear to nurture one's practice and grow from each person's stories of change.
This network is built and run by practitioners who are active throughout the field of early childhood education. Every one of the people who plans our conference and posts on our social media pages is a volunteer. This is a passion project that has been co-authored by dozens of individuals in the field. From the beginning, the Paradigm Project has been fueled by a ferociously driven crop of emerging leaders who have hungered for learning, for partners in change, and for excellence field-wide. At every stage of the organization's development, #ParadigmShifters have been partners in learning who have then volunteered to give back by leading. Every leader—every conference or committee chairperson, every Community of Practice facilitator, and each of the founders—started out as a learner in a community of practice whose positive experience fueled their desire to give back to the field by growing others and the field.
Past projects include Communities of Practice for multiple groups: alumni of the Jewish Early Childhood Education Leadership Institute; teachers of infants and toddlers; school leaders in Boston, Dallas, Florida, and California, respectively; leaders from around the country forging rapid school change; directors from Orthodox schools seeking progressive pedagogical change; and emerging leaders seeking to grow their skills as coaches in the field. In recent years, graduates of these programs have spread the word about the network, bringing colleagues to the Paradigm Project's spring conference, which brings together hundreds of emerging leaders each year. We also partner with local communities to produce Pop-Up Conferences, in places like Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Boston, and Dallas.
In 2020, as COVID-19 keeps us all at home, we gather on Facebook and via Zoom, leveraging our network to keep us sane and focused on leading and educating as the moment requires. Three vIrtual communities of practice are now underway, with 125 participants learning about Racial Justice, exploring the Reggio Emilia Approach through a Jewish lens, or learning together as teachers newer to Constructivist teaching in Jewish settings.
This network is built and run by practitioners who are active throughout the field of early childhood education. Every one of the people who plans our conference and posts on our social media pages is a volunteer. This is a passion project that has been co-authored by dozens of individuals in the field. From the beginning, the Paradigm Project has been fueled by a ferociously driven crop of emerging leaders who have hungered for learning, for partners in change, and for excellence field-wide. At every stage of the organization's development, #ParadigmShifters have been partners in learning who have then volunteered to give back by leading. Every leader—every conference or committee chairperson, every Community of Practice facilitator, and each of the founders—started out as a learner in a community of practice whose positive experience fueled their desire to give back to the field by growing others and the field.
Past projects include Communities of Practice for multiple groups: alumni of the Jewish Early Childhood Education Leadership Institute; teachers of infants and toddlers; school leaders in Boston, Dallas, Florida, and California, respectively; leaders from around the country forging rapid school change; directors from Orthodox schools seeking progressive pedagogical change; and emerging leaders seeking to grow their skills as coaches in the field. In recent years, graduates of these programs have spread the word about the network, bringing colleagues to the Paradigm Project's spring conference, which brings together hundreds of emerging leaders each year. We also partner with local communities to produce Pop-Up Conferences, in places like Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Boston, and Dallas.
In 2020, as COVID-19 keeps us all at home, we gather on Facebook and via Zoom, leveraging our network to keep us sane and focused on leading and educating as the moment requires. Three vIrtual communities of practice are now underway, with 125 participants learning about Racial Justice, exploring the Reggio Emilia Approach through a Jewish lens, or learning together as teachers newer to Constructivist teaching in Jewish settings.
People
#ParadigmShifters hail from all over the world, with most living in the United States. Here are a few of the founders and leaders who are driving our work today.
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Leading Our 2020 Communities of Practice:
Veronica Maravankin (New Teachers) Sandy Lanes (New Teachers) Aliza Plotkin (Racial Justice) Ilana Dvorin Friedman (Racial Justice) Mara Bier (Exploring Reggio) Naama Zoran (Exploring Reggio) |
Advancing #ShmaKoleinu #HearOurVoices:
Rachel Cram Shellie Dickstein Alyse Eisenberg Sherry Fredman Liz Gebert Madeline Gold Ellen Greene Sasha Kopp Holly Krakow Jeanne Lovy Anna Hartman Aliza Plotkin Kathy Pomer Sharon Sherry Cherisse Smith |