I have taught at Akiva for over 37 years now in a variety of Judaic subjects primarily in the sixth grade and High School. This year I'm teaching Chumash to two sixth grade classes and to the advanced boys High School class. I also teach a double period of G'morah to the BII High School boys class.
My primary focus is teaching the students the skills necesary for them to become independent learners and to imbue them with the love of learning Torah and the motivation to learn for the rest of their lives.
In the sixth grade Chumash class the students learn the translation and content of the verses in the Book of Numbers as well as some relevant opinions of the commentaries in the Mikros G'dolos.
The High School Chumash class must prepare the translations as homework so we can deal with understanding the message of the verses and discuss the problems inherent in the verses in class. There is a great emphasis on critical thinking.
In the G'morah class I insists on the students preparing the original texts themselves using only a dictionary in order to build their technical skills and pepper them with thought questions to develop their thinking skills. Right now we are learning the Mishnayos of M'seches Sukkah preliminary to learning the G'morah.
