Collective Education in the Kibbutz : From Infancy to Maturity

## PREFACE Much has been written about kibbutz child-rearing and education. Most accounts of this innovative and interesting system in the communal setting have been written by outsiders-"looking in," so to speak-mainly American social scientists: psychologists, anthropologists, psychiatrists, and others. Many of these descriptions have been rather brief and have often been included in the context of broader ethnographic or descriptive studies of kibbutz society as a whole. Other accounts have appeared in conjunction with research reports, of varying degrees of rigor, which have attempted to scrutinize the effects of kibbutz child-rearing. To date there has been no detailed and comprehensive statement of the kibbutz educational approach and experience by those who have been primarily involved in it. It might be said, therefore, that the present volume represents a "look from within"-a statement by'kibbutz educators themselves. Ten veteran educators of the kibbutz movement have combined their efforts in presenting this detailed story of various aspects and phases of kibbutz education. Some of the contributors have been associated with this educational effort from its very inception, having witnessed and participated in the gradual evolution of the kibbutz child-rearing and educational process-from infancy to maturity. They have been involved in the development of methods to prepare and create the "new man," the new kibbutz generation that will be ready to take over from those who were brought up in the conventional family setting and in the traditional educational system. In the introductory chapter, Bertha Hazan, who has been a leading force in kibbutz education for well over a generation, presents the broad historical and philosophical perspectives of that movement. Frieda Katz and Gideon Levin, active educators, researchers, and child psychologists, describe (in Chapter 2) the first four years in the life of the kibbutz child. Both have had considerable experience in working directly with children as well as ih training teachers and metaplot (child-care workers) for the kibbutz children's houses. Chapter 3 was authored by Miriam Roth, a veteran kindergarten teacher and trainer of teachers, with broad experience in Israel and abroad. Chapters 4 and 5 deal with two important aspects of the preadolescent experience in the kibbutz. Hava Shamir describes a fascinating and viable experiment: "the children's society," a sort of junior, semiautonomous kibbutz that is so important in the development of the unique kibbutz character and personality. A parallel statement of the vi more formal educational and learning procedures of this age group is presented by Lea Alterman. Here the "project method" and progressive education in its successful reincarnation, are highlighted. A similar pair of chapters covers the adolescent period. In Chapter 6, Moni Alon, an experienced high school teacher and sociologist, discusses the society of adolescents in the kibbutz: its ideological training, the question of sex relations, and the preparation of the adolescent peer society for the adult world. This description is followed by the contribUtion, in Chapter 7, of the long-time educator and author, Zvi Lavi, who outlines the theoretical and psychological origins of the educational system and illustrates the substantive aspects of the study program. In the final chapters, two special and unique programs of the overall educational undertaking are considered. Rachel Manor (Chapter 8) clearly shows that kibbutz children are not "problem-free." She describes a unique special-education project in which a large network of workers is guided by a central professional corps in their day-to-day activities with youngsters who require special help for a wide range of emotional and educational problems. In Chapter 9 Dr. Menahem Gerson, one of the guiding spirits of the kibbutz college of education, offers an interesting analysis of the rationale for a special teacher training institute. Within the structure of the unique kibbutz society, Gerson points out, a somewhat unconventional training program is required for teachers in the innovative schools. The overall impression is that this educational enterprise is not one of an exotic or primitive society which anthropologists and general readers may find "interesting." On the contrary, the reader becomes aware of the conscious effort of a modern society, with a Western orientation, to provide continuity to the social structure it has erected. In these days, when America is casting about for alternative models and solutions in the field of child-rearing and education, there is much that can be gained from the rich experience related in this volume. The modifications in the family structure, and their relationship to the socioeducational matrix of kibbutz society, give the reports presented here a considerable relevance and timeliness. A.1. Rabin East Lansing, Michigan ## ACKNOWLEDGMENT The assistance of Mr. Dennis Fox in the editing of the manuscript and of Rita Bernier in its preparation is hereby gratefully acknowledged. vii collective education encompasses the totality of the child's life Kibbutz Artzi Ichud Kibbutz Meuchad Kibbutz Dati TABLE 1 Children and Youth in the Kibbutzim (1970) ## Children born Children from in the kibbutz outside the kibbutz Youth groups Total Front Matter....Pages i-viii Introduction....Pages 1-10 Early Childhood Education....Pages 11-34 The Kindergarten....Pages 35-48 The Junior Children’s Community....Pages 49-62 The Project Method: Elementary Schools....Pages 63-96 The Youth Society....Pages 97-130 Methods of Study and Instruction in High School....Pages 131-160 Special Education and Child Guidance Clinic....Pages 161-170 Oranim — Pedagogical Center of the Kibbutzim....Pages 171-180 Epilogue....Pages 181-183 Back Matter....Pages 183-184