Montreal Jewish Day School teachers’ real-time experiences during Covid-19 online distance learning

Authors

  • Lauren Thurber McGill University
  • Dr. Sivane Hirsch Université Laval
  • Devorah Feldman Limmud Centre

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26443/mje/rsem.v59i3.10086

Keywords:

Covid-19, Jewish education, community of inquiry, online distance learning, pedagogical shift, digital pedagogy

Abstract

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Montreal Jewish Day Schools shifted to online distance learning. This study follows eight elementary and high school teachers in real-time through observations and group interviews. Applying a Community of Inquiry framework, we unpack the social, conceptual, and pedagogical elements of this pedagogical shift to understand its three “modes”: survival, transition, and innovation, distinguished by stability and connectivity. Peer-to-peer and student-teacher connectivity was mostly underdeveloped and fostered feelings of disappointment and frustration. Teachers varied in their engagement with specific Judaic traditions within their online classrooms and relied on school-wide resources to sustain Jewish identity connectivity for students. The ever-changing timeline of the shifts in conjunction with personally- and community- attributed pressures contributed to teachers’ experiences of anxiety.

Author Biographies

Lauren Thurber, McGill University

is a researcher and former K-6 educator specializing in student-centered assessment, pedagogical innovation, and digital learning. She holds an MA in Education & Society from McGill University and an MA in Public Policy and Public Administration from Concordia University. Her work explores personalized and gradeless learning, inclusive classroom practices, and teacher identity. She currently applies her expertise in education and evidence-based research to social policy. 

Dr. Sivane Hirsch, Université Laval

is a professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning Studies at the Faculty of Education, Université Laval. Her research examines the teaching of ethics, religion, and citizenship education in plural societies, with particular attention to sensitive topics, ethnocultural and religious diversity, and Jewish education in Quebec. She has led and collaborated on multiple SSHRC-funded projects addressing inclusion, racism, and cultural representation in schools. Her recent work includes analyses of teachers’ practices within the Culture et citoyenneté québécoise program and studies of home-based learning in Hasidic communities. Sivane.Hirsch@fse.ulaval.ca

Devorah Feldman, Limmud Centre

is an educator and researcher specializing in alternative education models and Jewish education. She is the founder and CEO of the Limmud Centre in Montreal and collaborates with academic researchers to study community-based learning within Hasidic contexts. Most recently, she presented with Sivane Hirsch on “Homeschooling within a Hasidic Community in Montreal: Documenting Social and Pedagogical Innovation” for the Canadian Association for the Sociology of Education (CASE) and the Canadian Sociological Association (CSA) Sociology of Education Research Cluster. Her work bridges practical educational leadership and research, contributing insights into culturally responsive pedagogy, student engagement, and adaptation of curricula in faith-based contexts. 

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Published

2025-12-10

How to Cite

Thurber, L., Hirsch, S., & Feldman, D. (2025). Montreal Jewish Day School teachers’ real-time experiences during Covid-19 online distance learning . McGill Journal of Education / Revue Des Sciences De l’éducation De McGill, 59(3), 219–241. https://doi.org/10.26443/mje/rsem.v59i3.10086

Issue

Vol. 59 No. 3 (2025)

Section

Articles

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