Over 50 creative and practical applications implemented in Mesivta ...

Over 50 creative and
practical applications
implemented in
Mesivta Shaarei Arazim.
For more information call
Rabbi Zev Freundlich 845-596-1507
or Rabbi Yisrael Meir Rosenman 845-641-8601

Motivation
At Shaarei Arazim, our primary focus is on motivating every bochur by building
on his strengths and strengthening his weaknesses. With innovative programs we
encourage respect for davening, love of learning, appreciation of life and empathy
toward fellow students. Baruch Hashem, many yeshivas are implementing our
ideas.
Here’s how we address some of the challenges:
1.
Davening needs chizzuk.
The entire yeshiva davens together, out loud,
beginning with a special niggun hatefillah for
pesukei dezimra created specifically at the yeshiva.
2.
Interrupted chavrusah learning.
The yeshiva has a special retzufos program. Once a
week, the boys work toward extending the period
of time they can sit and learn. The older the bochur,
the longer he is expected to be able to sit, without
interruption.
3.
Challenge Shaarei Arazim’s Response
1 Davening needs chizzuk. Special niggun haTefilah.
2 Interrupted chavrusah learning. Retzufos program.
3 Acknowledging bochrim who excel in
areas other than learning.
4 Lack of clarity in learning. Mastery program.
5 How to motivate a bochur to give over
what he has acquired.
6 Forgetting to make brachos, especially
al hamichya.
Acknowledging bochrim who excel in areas other
than learning.
At an annual Melaveh Malka, we reward everyone
who shows superiority in some area other than
learning, for example midos, overcoming yetzer
hora, punctuality, chessed, leadership, and so on.
Annual Melaveh Malka to show
acknowledgement and appreciation.
Lilmod u’lelamed program.
“Cookie” program.
7 Lack of confidence. All bochrim get a turn to lead.
4.
How can a rebbe be certain a bochur has
clarity in his learning?
We feature a “mastery program” where the bochrim
are encouraged to demonstrate their ability
to master a specific element of learning. 100%
mastery is demanded for an amud, blatt or perek —
depending on the bochur’s level.
5.
How to motivate a bochur to give over
what he has acquired.
Our lilmod u’lelamed program encourages stronger
learners to teach those who may need some help.
The best part is when the weaker students do well,
the bochrim who helped them are rewarded, too!
6.
Bochrim tend to forget to say Al Hamichya.
We give our bochrim every opportunity to say
brachos. Students are allowed to take up to five
cookies per hour, as long as they say Al Hamichya
out-loud.
7.
Bochrim can lack confidence.
Every bochur must be a shliach tzibbur, a ba’al
koreh, blow shofar, speak publicly, and so on.

Teaching
Techniques
At Shaarei Arazim we understand that monotony can spoil any chance of motivating a
bochur. We strive to keep the learning fresh, exciting and interesting for all by exposing
our bochrim to a variety of strategies and innovations to help maintain their interest
which guarantees success.
1.
Auditory learners are addressed;
what about visual learners?
Aside from demonstrating the sugya visually, we
also use an overhead projector. The gemorah is
projected onto a white board. This helps make it
less intimidating. Only the lines the class is learning
are displayed. The bochrim are then invited to
write on the white board for everyone to see—
highlighting questions, proofs, and so on.
2.
Bochrim don’t participate in class.
We arrange group debates in our shiurim. For
example, half the class will be assigned to defend
Rava’s opinion while the other half will hold like
Rabbah. Then, each group must defend its position
while attacking the other.
3.
Challenge Shaarei Arazim’s Response
1 Addressing “visual” learners. Visual aids.
2 Lack of class participation. Group debate in class.
3 Hachanah seder difficulty. Rendering gemorah from bite size pieces.
4 “Wasted” chavrusah time. Chaburos of four.
5 Monotonous learning. Weekly rotations.
6 Some bochrim don’t respond to
either auditory or visual learning.
How to prevent a bochur from giving up during
hachanah time.
Our Rabbeim break down the gemorah into bitesize
pieces—question, answer, proof. If something
is particularly challenging, it is highlighted at the
bottom of the page. This is given to the bochrim
prior to hachanah seder.
Tapping into the 7 multiple intelligence
techniques.
4.
Chevrusah time can be unproductive.
Our rabbeim arrange the bochrim in chaburos
of four, with a strong student, a weaker student
and two average students. The strongest is given
responsibility of keeping the group on track,
the weaker student is supplied with the proper
translation. Each of the average students has a turn
to say the gemorah.
5.
Learning can be monotonous.
We always challenge the bochrim in new ways.
One week they may be required to learn extra
meforshim. Another week they will be challenged
to learn an entire blatt by heart, word for word. A
third week they may be required to make charts of
each sugya, and so on.
6.
Some bochrim don’t respond to either auditory
or visual learning
Tapping into the seven multilpe intelligence.

Public
Speaking
One of the best ways to learn is to teach others. At Shaarei Arazim, we’ve introduced an
innovative multi-tracked program designed to encourage bochrim to speak in front of
small groups, then gradually before the entire yeshiva and eventually at larger events
such as parent gatherings, open houses, dinners, siyumim and graduation. All public
speaking is video taped and available for students and parents to follow progress of
confidence and delivery.
Q Basic Track
In the ninth grade, bochrim are encouraged to speak before their classmates, either by
presenting over one specific inyan or presenting a dan l’kaf zechus scenario. (Boys who
guess what really happened are rewarded, too.)
At this early stage, bochrim are also encouraged to present a moshel to the entire
yeshiva while everyone else has to figure out the correct nimshol.
Ninth and tenth graders are required to make a 5-minute presentation twice a year.
They can repeat one of the musser shmusses they heard in yeshiva.
Q Intermediate Track
Using Rabbi Maimon Elbaz’s famous Shmone Esrei slide show presentation as a guide,
bochrim make their own visual presentations to inspire others to daven with more
kavanah.
Bochrim incorporate visual aids like power point, a slide show or overhead projectors to
explain a complex gemorah shiur.
Q Advanced Track
In eleventh and twelfth grades, boys are expected to present a summary of various
musser shmussen they have heard throughout the year. This is done before the entire
yeshiva and each bochur must speak for 20 minutes.
The 12th graders have to give a shiur on the halachic topic that they have mastered. A
45-minute kinesthetic presentation is given followed by questions and answers.

Confidence
Building
At Shaarei Arazim we teach our bochrim confidence by showing our confidence in
them. We prove to them that they can do anything, thus making them their own role
models. Beginning with tefillah, every bochur is given an opportunity to be shliach
tzibbur, ba’al koreh and during Elul, ba’al toke’ah.
1.
Bochrim feel insecure to speak up
and participate in class.
We create a 100% safe environment. Negative
comments are not tolerated, only encouragement is
offered. There is no fear of being ridiculed.
2.
Bochrim don’t believe in themselves
If bochrim say they can’t do something they get a
25¢ fine.
3.
Lack of self-confidence.
Everyone must give shalom. Actions of confidence
create real confidence.
4.
Challenge Shaarei Arazim’s response
1 Insecurity—fear of being ridiculed. 100% safe environment.
2 Bochrim don’t believe in themselves. No such a thing as “I can’t”.
3 Lack of self-confidence. Sholom Aleichem program.
4 Social inadequacy. Teamwork building programs.
5 Fear of rejection. Raffle campaign.
Social inadequacy.
Through our group initiative activities bochrim
experience the benefits of groups. They learn
problem solving, leadership, perseverance and trust.
5.
Fear of rejection
Through our school raffle, the bochrim overcome
their fears. Bochrim are coached to make cold
calls and learn the confidence needed to approach
others—from cold calls to attending various
minyanim and making an appeal after davening.

Simchas
HaChaim
At Shaarei Arazim, we understand that a bochur who hasn’t yet tasted simchas
haTorah needs to feel good about himself to perservere in learning and life’s
challenges. That’s why we’ve instituted a Simchas HaChaim program that helps
build excitement, including:
Q Bochrim build their own desks which they use during
all four years of high school
Q Pen making
Q Electives including woodworking, music, cooking,
carpentry, computers, and more
Q 25 piece marching band and 10 piece “Revolutionary”
Fife and Drum Corps.
Q Sukah building
Q Purim campaign
Q Annual raffle for the yeshiva
Q Organized group sports
Q Retreats and trips
Q Sheves Achim on Erev Shabbos
Q Rosh Chodesh seudos and Melaveh Malkas
Q Kiddushim—when a bochur overcomes a challenge we
celebrate with a kiddush
Q Group initiatives—team building activities

Empathy
Just as important as mitzvos bein adam lamakom are mitzvos bein adam l’chaveiro.
At Shaarei Arazim, we have various programs in place to help teach bochrim about
the importance of accepting everyone. While someone may be stronger in the beis
medrash, he may need some help on the basketball court.
By helping one another, our bochrim learn that everyone has something to teach
someone else and, at the same time, everyone can learn from someone else.
1.
How can we promote respect
for one another
Our innovative sefirah baseball league
is designed to promote only positive
encouragement while negativity results in
player disqualification.
2.
Challenge Shaarei Arazim’s response
1 Promoting respect for one another. Sefirah baseball league.
2 Sensitivity toward non athletic boys. Basketball clinic.
3 Highlighting each bochur’s strength bein
adam l’chaveiro.
Sensitivity toward non athletic boys
The athletic bochur is paid to coach a nonathletic
bochur. Both parties—the “teacher”
and the “talmid”—score in nachus and an
additional benefit is that two bochrim, who
otherwise might have little to do with each
other, bond socially.
3.
Nosei be’ol program.
Highlighting each bochur’s
strength bein adam l’chaveiro
There are so many ways that bochrim
can help each other and the yeshiva.
The bochrim brainstorm and create a list
of chasadim that they want to do. This
develops a greater awareness of each
individual’s strength.

Shaarei Arazim
Unique approaches for motivating bochrim.
For more information call
Rabbi Zev Freundlich 845-596-1507
or Rabbi Yisrael Meir Rosenman 845-641-8601