Leading high school science teachers from the US and Israel participated in an international seminar to develop innovative ways to study science
The participants of the seminar in a souvenir photo. A worldwide partnership
You could feel the electricity in the air, in the cafeteria of the Davidson Institute for Science Education, on the campus of the Weizmann Institute of Science, when leading science teachers from high schools from the USA and Israel gathered there for a final lunch, before the American guests returned to their country. It was the last day of an international seminar for leading science teachers on behalf of the Sheila Schwartz family - an intensive nine-day program designed to help implement science study programs developed at the Weizmann Institute of Science, and to develop initiatives for collaboration between leading science teachers in the two countries.
The growing awareness of parents of American teenagers to the importance of scientific education, along with the study of the Hebrew language and Judaism, led Zehava Salonim, head of the science department at the "Ramaz" high school in Manhattan, to contact Dr. Zehava Sharatz from the Davidson Institute for Science Education, and from the Department of Teaching The sciences at the Weizmann Institute of Science. In the first phase, five teachers from "Ramaz" visited the Davidson Institute in the summer of 2005. They participated in a five-day experimental program that laid the foundations for a seminar on behalf of the Schwartz family, which was planned and organized by Dr. Schertz, together with Dr. Deborah Cohen and Leah Mandler .
A well-known Chinese proverb says: Give a man a fish and he will have food for a day. Teach him to fish and he will have food for life. On this balance, Zehava Sharatz explains: "If you educate one child, he will have valuable knowledge and skills, but if you 'educate' one teacher, he will be able to pass on the knowledge and skills not only to one child, but to many generations of children. That's why we developed the seminar, the first of its kind, to reach teachers who hold the key to the future in their hands." In addition to being one of the world's leading institutes in scientific research, the Weizmann Institute of Science invests a lot of effort in integrating advanced scientific knowledge in the teaching of science and in implementing innovative teaching methods in schools. The operators of the program hope to expand it beyond the Jewish schools.
Despite the war that broke out in our region in the summer, the American teachers did not hesitate to come to the seminar, during which they participated in workshops, activities and lectures led and delivered by Weizmann Institute of Science scientists, faculty members of the institute's science teaching department, and members of the Davidson Institute for Science Education at the Weizmann Institute of Science. "The research done at the Weizmann Institute is so fascinating. I have no doubt that the students will be enthusiastic about science", says teacher Sissy Schwensen from the "Milken" community high school in the USA.
The teachers were given the opportunity to meet young researchers and observe advanced experiments in the laboratories of the Weizmann Institute of Science, and even participate and integrate into them. They intend to expand and reproduce this experience with their students. This type of active learning allows students to get a real sense of science, to get to know the ways of using scientific equipment, and to experience the way in which "real" scientists approach the study of various scientific questions.
As part of a tour of Nitzanim Sands, they followed animals during the day, and watched the stars at night. All of these allowed them to experience and learn different methods of learning science outside the walls of the classroom, in the open field, in a natural environment under the sky.
Says Michelle Courtnaar from the Solomon Schechter School in Essex and Union in the USA: "It was a special experience. We were given the opportunity to establish a personal relationship with each other, work together to find solutions, and build an international professional community of teachers with a common vision."
The main emphasis in the seminar was indeed on the importance of continued cooperation between the teachers, in order to achieve success and the ability to influence. To reach this goal, they will hold video conferences, collaborate in the development of new learning materials, participate in follow-up workshops, and implement programs for collaboration between classes and students from different schools.
The Weizmann Institute of Science and the Davidson Institute for Science Education will continue to support teachers all along the way, to help implement new programs in their system, to disseminate information, to share knowledge, and to open doors for students from Israel and North America so that they can benefit from the innovative equipment and the special spirit of the Weizmann Institute of Science. Schools from North America also hope that the Weizmann Institute of Science will organize seminars and workshops in schools in their country.
"It was so surprising to find out that even if we come from different sides of the Atlantic Ocean, we all face the same challenges in the field of science education, and we have a desire to make our students enthusiastic about science," says Dr. Sigal Patrasnov from the Be'er Tovia Regional High School.
Roger Kesselbaum, from the "Milken" community high school in the USA, concludes: "It is important for Jewish schools to understand that the future depends on science and technology, and I feel that the Weizmann Institute of Science conveys an important message in giving great value to science, and the study of science. The example that the Israelis give us, in the way they strive to advance in this field, is also very important. I hope that the activities of the seminar will help us all achieve our goal: to encourage the students and direct them to a path where they will develop into a new generation of scientists."
Future teachers
The Feinberg Seminary of the Weizmann Institute of Science recently awarded a teaching certificate to 12 well-paid research students in the fields of mathematics, computer science, physics,
Chemistry, biology, and earth and environmental sciences. The certificate was given to graduates of a first-of-its-kind program that combined the acquisition of teaching skills with master's and master's degree studies. The integrated program, an initiative of Prof. Avi Hoffstein, was later implemented by Prof. Ruhama Even from the science teaching department at the institute. The program is designed to raise the level of science teaching in the education system, to address the growing shortage of science teachers with scientific experience and advanced degrees in science, as well as to create a leading core of teachers who will set a personal example, and will attract youth to choose science training courses.
The recipients of the certificates are: Dr. Roni Crescenti and Dr. Oren Shariki who completed post-doctoral research; Dr. Eran Eyal, Dr. Ivgenia Aparatsin and Dr. Nadav Katz who completed their PhD studies; as well as the research students Michal Ayalon, Carmit Cohen, Roni Moalem, Shai Sofer, Sagit Sela-Abramovitz, Yola Medin and Tamar Basis.
Roni Moalem: "I came to the program after ten years of working as a teacher, and upon graduation I intend to return to teaching on a large scale. I feel at home here, and the teaching studies combined perfectly with the mandatory studies for the doctorate." Sagit Sela-Abramovich recently completed studies for a PhD in biology. "I intend to work in my field, and I would be happy if it would be possible for me to combine teaching as well."
