Struggles and Successes in Constructivist Jewish Early Childhood Classrooms

This study examined the experiences of teachers in a Jewish early childhood center implementing constructivist theory and pedagogy through a Reggio Emilia-inspired model. Constructivist practices were described through interviews, surveys, classroom documentation, and observations. The data indicated that areas that were initially deemed as successes were hard to maintain and seemingly overshadowed by challenges. These areas included understanding constructivist theory, using open-ended materials, and relying on open-ended questions to facilitate knowledge. Furthermore, teachers struggled when comparing information gained by children from classes using a more traditional educational approach. Insights in each area are provided to support Jewish and general studies constructivist teachers.     

Biology Undergraduate Students’ Graphing Practice in Digital Versus Pen and Paper Graphing Environments

Journal of Science Education and Technology - Graphing is an important practice for scientists and in K-16 science curricula. Graphs can be constructed using an array of software packages as well...     

Ethical dilemmas in teaching and nursing: the Israeli case

This article explores a cross‐occupational approach for dealing with ethical dilemmas by comparing teaching and nursing. Findings indicate more shared patterns of ethical dilemmas (such as caring for needs for others versus following formal codes) than dilemmas specific to teaching (e.g., advancing universal values versus advancing knowledge) or nursing (e.g., patient modesty versus hospital policy). The large number of shared dilemmas suggests that results can be applied to a curriculum devoted to ethical dilemmas in high schools and universities in order to better prepare students to handle them. Formal discussions of these dilemmas can help define the roles of these occupations, thereby improving their status.     

A second chance for higher education: Academic preparatory programs in Israel

The Israeli academic preparatory programs (APPs) challenge the sorting regime of regular education by offering a genuine second chance for higher education to youngsters who have failed to acquire the necessary prerequisites via the mainstream. The study analyzes the success of the APPs to produce changes in their students in light of the failure of a different second-chance framework, the community college, to do so. The analysis of a sample of APP graduates indicates that background characteristics and high school history, powerful sources of differentiation upon admittance to the APPs, lose their discriminating power after graduation. All graduates join any postsecondary educational framework, regardless of their initial disadvantages. The success of the APPs in eliminating initial gaps among the students is assigned mainly to their nonconformity to the selection criteria of regular education. The purpose of this research was to assess whether second-chance educational programs that challenge the sorting criteria of the mainstream succeed in enhancing social equality in education. Outcomes of the challenging second-chance academic preparatory programs in Israel are analyzed in light of the reported failure of community colleges to moderate inequalities in higher education.     

Hijab and principalship: the interplay between belief systems,educational management and gender among Arab Muslim women in Israel

This paper discusses the decision of Muslim female principals in Israel to don the hijab following their appointment to school principalship. This research employed narrative life-story interviews to understand the women's decision to alter their appearance and how this transition is connected to their role as female school principals in the indigenous Muslim community in Israel and the reaction they faced both in personal and professional spheres. The principals' narratives elucidate that transition to wearing the hijab was a matter of choice and collective belonging; it empowers them and affected their leadership style, although it also provokes others' resistance and reactions. Findings clarify the social and personal identity of Arab Muslim women school principals in Israel, and point to the need for consideration of traditional cultural contexts, to enrich managerial theory. This understanding also supports the argument that governmental and organizational policies and initiatives should recognize the diversity in Muslim women's backgrounds and the dangers of privileging mainstream women's perspectives.     

Religious and Scientific Instruction on Evolution and Origins in Israeli Schools

Abstract

With more investigation into the reception of evolution in non-Christian majority cultures, and the increased awareness that anti-evolution sentiment is a global phenomenon, new educational resources are being developed to meet newly understood needs. This article explores the situation in Israel regarding conceptions of the compatibility of evolution and religion, as well as the educational initiatives being developed to advance dialogue. Included in the article are data from a study in a Jewish, Muslim and Christian school regarding stakeholders’ views on evolution, as well as insights from the first professional development course for Israeli teachers on “Evolution and Faith.”     

Evaluating two approaches to helping college students understand evolutionary trees through diagramming tasks

To understand evolutionary theory, students must be able to understand and use evolutionary trees and their underlying concepts. Active, hands-on curricula relevant to macroevolution can be challenging to implement across large college-level classes where textbook learning is the norm. We evaluated two approaches to helping students learn macroevolutionary topics. Treatment 1 is a laboratory for the software program EvoBeaker designed to teach students about evolutionary trees. We tested Treatment 1 among nine college-level biology classes and administered pre/posttests to assess learning gains. We then sought to determine whether the learning gains from Treatment 1 were comparable to those derived from an alternate hands-on treatment, specifically the combination of a prerecorded lecture on DVD and paper-based activity based on Goldsmith's Great Clade Race (Treatment 2). Comparisons of pre- and posttests among participants using either Treatment 1 or 2 show large learning gains on some misconceptions and skills beyond knowledge gained from reading standard textbook entries. Both treatments performed equivalently in overall learning gains, though both had areas where they performed better or worse. Furthermore, gains among students who used Treatment 1 representing a wide range of universities suggest that outcomes are potentially applicable to a variety of "real-world" biology classes.