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Pedagogical Approach

Chavruta

Named Pedagogical Models and Movements

Chavruta is a traditional method of Jewish text study in which two students study a passage of Talmud or another rabbinic text together, questioning, arguing and testing each other's interpretation aloud rather than each working alone or simply listening to a teacher's lecture, on the premise, attributed to a rabbinic teaching, that a person acquires understanding of Torah through friends more than through any other means. Long central to yeshiva study halls, the method has more recently been adapted into general education and interfaith text-study programs outside a strictly religious setting.

Facts
Central Question
Whether a text as full of conflicting opinions and contradictions as the Talmud is best understood through two students questioning and arguing it aloud together 1
Most Effective For
Yeshiva students engaged in intensive daily Talmud study, who on average spend about ten hours a day learning in chavruta pairs 1
Sources
1. Chavruta - Wikipedia
  • Origin section
    Chavrusa learning is particularly suited to Talmud study, as the latter is a text filled with conflicting opinions and seemingly contradictory statements
  • Practice section
    On average, a yeshiva student spends ten hours per day learning in chavrusa.
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