It sounds too good to be true. The less you study, the better your grades will be. Yet this is exactly what Rabbi Avraham Goldhar, developer of the Goldhar Learning System, says will happen if you are faithful to his revolutionary new study techniques. His claims seem fantastic, amazing, outrageous, yet educators claim that this system actually does work. And it’s being introduced at Ilan High School.during the current semester.
The staff and administration at Ilan High School are committed to the enhancement of the curriculum for their student body. Ilan is at the forefront of education in both the Brooklyn and Deal communities, and beyond. The school has achieved outstanding standards of excellence in both the Judaic and secular studies departments. It provides a balanced and enriched curriculum, combining academic excellence, spiritual growth, and both social and emotional development. Its excellent curriculum has achieved distinction among the Torah institutions in our community. And it is making a dramatic impact on the lives of all of its students.
When this revolutionary learning system was introduced to the administration at Ilan, they were eager to see how it worked. When the program was described and presented to them with real-life success stories from other institutions, they knew they had to try it. The program is currently being offered to Ilan students of all grades, with an introductory orientation program for all parents and students. It is an after school program, which the girls attend during their free time. Yet a substantial number of students felt that this would be crucial to their academic progress and decided to sign on.
Rabbi Goldhar worked for 15 years with Aish Hatorah in New York, where his specialty was teaching crash courses in Judaism. He developed a system, which helped thousands memorize key elements of the entire Chumash in an hour, or the essence of Jewish history in three hours. When renowned educators saw what he was doing, they suggested that he teach these study skills and learning techniques to middle and high school students. He then developed “The Goldhar Learning System,” and has been teaching it in student workshops for the past three years.
Rabbi Goldhar told the Ilan staff that many students are bright and capable but they don’t know how to study properly. They usually transcribe their teachers’ lessons word for word and then spend hours trying to memorize them. The Goldhar Learning System trains students to simplify what they learn by writing notes that are simple and easy to read and remember. The student is able to retain the essence of the lesson with very little effort. In short, the system organizes the mind and allows the student to think in a faster and simpler manner.
Ilan High School students have now joined about a thousand students from various schools who have taken the course. The feedback has been amazing. Nachum, a science teacher who is familiar with the system, says, ”We piloted the program in one of our weaker classes and over the course of the year, their grades improved dramatically. Students who regularly failed began getting marks in the 80s.”
The program bolsters the self-confidence of the students. Rabbi Jacobowitz, Administrator at Ilan High School, says that he heard one student remark after the first class that she doesn’t have to study much anymore. She’s sure she’ll get 100 on her next test.
Mrs. Kassin teaches Spanish at Ilan, and she is confident that this system will be helpful when studying any subject. “I love the program,” she says. “It’s absolutely fabulous. I came to the orientation, and he had us memorize facts about Chumash in five minutes. It was quite an experience.” She has been implementing the skills in her own classes as well. “When I teach verbs, I use the Goldhar visual approach. I’ve even taught it to my daughter who is in the sixth grade, to help her study for history tests.”
“These skills will accompany a student for life. This is something you need to know always,” says one Ilan teacher. “Whether you’re taking a course in college or are attending a shiur klali (lecture) in yeshivah, it’s virtually impossible to write down every word that the teacher or maggid shiur (lecturer) is saying. Instead, you learn how to listen and summarize and take structured notes. Once you do this, you can do a quick review as often as you like. ”
Jacqueline, a tenth grade student at Ilan High School, says”It’s a great system of learning, I see a difference already. My notes are easier to take and easier to study. And I definitely got better grades on the tests I’ve taken since we started.”
Leave it to the administration at Ilan to bring this innovative and enriching program to their students. At Ilan, every effort is made to introduce the most advanced and cutting edge learning techniques.
