The Tikkun Project
Three lenses, one way of learning
Tikkun learning happens when three lenses work together: Critical Thinking, Cultural and Religious Values, and Authentic Action. Through all three, students build a deeper understanding of real issues and a sense of agency to address them in ways that are culturally rooted and socially responsible.
Critical Thinking
Critical thinking puts thinking at the heart of learning. Every Tikkun unit opens with a Critical Challenge: an invitation to consider a problem and judge possible solutions against clear criteria. The challenge guides students' inquiry and gives their learning a purpose.
"Critical thinking involves thinking through problematic situations about what to believe or how to act where the thinker makes reasoned judgments that embody the qualities of a competent thinker." — The Critical Thinking Consortium (TC²)
Critical thinking also shapes how we teach and assess. As students evaluate their understanding, teachers pose new questions that deepen inquiry and help students connect ideas in new ways. That is why the Tikkun curriculum favours ongoing, participatory assessment over summative tests of student performance.
Shared Values
This lens connects students' thinking and actions to a rich tradition of ethical thought. Each unit centres on a core text that shapes how students think about complex problems and how they can best make positive change. Exploring these texts through inquiry builds critical literacy and a lasting connection to traditional sources.
"The only true education comes through the stimulation of the child's powers by the demands of the social situations in which he finds himself." — John Dewey, My Pedagogic Creed (1897)
By linking core texts to the challenges students meet every day, the curriculum weaves cultural and religious values into their growing identities as engaged members of their communities.
Authentic Action
Student agency gives learning purpose. Students plan, carry out and evaluate an action plan, and learn how positive change actually happens in a community. Making a real difference builds their confidence as capable, democratically engaged global citizens.
Tikkun units are built on partnerships with people and organizations already doing social justice work. Partners who have earned trust in their communities help make sure students' actions are genuinely useful and grounded in evidence rather than assumptions.