A more rapid way to learn Hebrew as a second language

By Yoel Ganor

JERUSALEM — My wife, Orly, and I recently returned to  Israel after having completed a multi-city trip in the United States performing workshops for Hebrew-language educators.  We espouse a new approach to teaching the Jewish People’s ancient language, one that draws heavily on new technology and unconventional techniques.

The Hebrew language is a glue that bonds Jews everywhere.  With an engineering and high-tech background, I joined Orly, a longtime Hebrew educator, to act on our love of Hebrew and Israel to found Ulpan-Or [www.ulpanor.com] more than 20 years ago.  With a vision to reshape Hebrew-language education, over the course of many years we have developed an effective means of teaching Hebrew with staying power, as the ultimate goal is language proficiency that sticks.

Hebrew language education has historically been a traditional component of the majority of Jewish day school curricula.  However, there is a perpetual challenge to produce meaningful levels of fluency among students that is stymied by the stagnant methodology which is frequently employed.  Through Ulpan-Or, Orly and I have pioneered a new approach to Hebrew-language instruction that blends together traditional educational techniques with advanced uses of multimedia technology.

One component of our program is called E-ToneÒ, a unique interactive, multi-media approach embraced by teachers and students worldwide.  We have found it to have a dramatic impact by engaging users in hearing, understanding and conversing in modern-day Hebrew.  Following our philosophy that students learn best by acquiring a language through audio, video and conversation, the E-ToneÒ is a weekly series of current events items brought to students’ computers with built-in recordings and exercises. Students receive the recorded vocabulary on their tablets or smartphones in advance of each week and then download the audio reading of: news articles; an English translation and interactive quizzes; and video links to the items, which also include an Israeli commercial.  We found that the success lies in students learning from hearing the language and interacting in it, much like children learn their native language.  In keeping with our support of technological tools, the E-ToneÒ is compatible with mobile devices such as the iPad and iPhone.

E-ToneÒ is just on example of Ulpan-Or’s approach to Hebrew studies, which uses multi-media technology, conversation and audio and video recordings to teach Hebrew. Students get immersed not only in the language but in its Israeli context, learning to understand Hebrew in its natural sound and environment, even outside of Israel.  We feel that by making Hebrew learning not only relevant, but tying the process to Israel, increases motivation and serves to promote modern-day Zionism.

Ulpan-Or continues to be a family operation which we actively guide. We have developed a method that we termed Rapid Language Acquisition to offer individual and group workshops in our Jerusalem and Tel Aviv offices, personal coaches and even long-distance learning through the internet. We have also built up many tools including interactive self-study kits, flash cards, games, songs and internet textbooks.  We are now drawing on our experience and approach to develop tools and curricula for schools and academic institutions internationally, which was the driving force behind our recent US workshops for Hebrew-language educators.

We like to say that our mission is to help students learn Hebrew at the speed of light. We use technology – computers, smartphones and tablets – as platforms to deliver content because the technology is fresh and accessible. Harnessing new technology and using mobile devices is also very important, in light of the fact that many American schools are already handing out iPads to their students, eliminating the need to use printed books.  Students get engaged and involved.  They want to share their experiences in Hebrew on social networks.  They become immersed.

We feel the underlying key to Ulpan-Or’s success is taking Hebrew studies from the grammar and memorization-based classroom techniques to a more intuitive learning process. Students learn from hearing the language, constant repetition and from using it in real environments. Private students who come to Israel go out on field trips with their teacher that put their newfound skills to immediate use.

For schools abroad, we offer an entire language curriculum that includes training and broad support for teachers, full lesson plans, exercises for students and methods for evaluating or testing students’ progress. The full curriculum is so successful that many private and institutional donors have made funding available for schools seeking to purchase it.

Ulpan-Or students learn how to speak and understand modern Hebrew, as it is used today in Israel.  They become conversational.  We find it immensely gratifying when students from the US come to Israel and can converse instantly with Israelis.

We also have programs geared toward busy professionals who learn from home or while on the road.  One example we like to cite is of a US Navy lieutenant who studied with Ulpan-Or while serving in Iraq.  Another naval officer scheduled his remote sessions for whenever his submarine emerged from the ocean depths.