Schulich Canada Smart Classroom Initiative
Hundreds of Israeli schools have been equipped with interactive whiteboards, wireless Internet connectivity, laptops and on-going teacher training. Each participating school has a tailored implementation plan, developed in cooperation with the Ministry of Education.
This program started in 2010 in the Galilee region, in cooperation with both the Ministry of Education and the Ministry for the Development of the Negev and the Galilee. 420 Smart Classrooms were installed during the first phase of this program. The initiative is now being rolled out in the Negev region, to equip a total of 1000 classrooms in the north and south of the country.
MABAT - Learning about Science through Technology
The MABAT program is designed to assist junior high school students in fully understanding and discovering for themselves the scientific principles and technology concepts taught as part ofthe national school curriculum – through the hands-on use of robotic Lego kits. The program offers a package of study materials, online tools and teacher training.
Learning through Problem Solving
In cooperation with the Israeli Ministry of Education and the Tel Hai College Center for Youth Academics, World ORT Kadima Mada is developing a virtual learning environment to enable several WOKM affiliated schools in the north of Israel to conduct collaborative student research projects modelled on a problem based learning approach.
Junior high school students work with their teachers to identify science-related problems in the real world which they find compelling. They study scientific and technological information relevant to the specific issue, discuss possible solutions, select a solution and undertake scientific research to produce the information required for designing and prototyping their solution. Each group of students documents their progress on the virtual platform, and this documentation serves as the basis for feedback and evaluation from the other student groups. At the end of the project, the schools gather together for the groups to present their results to their peers, teachers and outside experts.
Think Science
World ORT Kadima Mada has joined forces with the Israel Center for Excellence in Education and the Israel Ministry of Education to create a pilot teacher training project, assisting teachers to develop the scientific thinking skills of their grade 9 students. Teachers participating in the project will introduce a weekly lesson of one hour's duration, forming part of a "Scientific Thinking and Thinking Skills" course. This will be in addition to them integrating the pedagogical techniques they have learnt into their core teaching.
The pilot will last one academic year and will be actively supervised by the Israel Center for Excellence in Education through the teacher training, and also through classroom visits. Evaluation of the pilot will be conducted by an independent academic research body.
Assessment for Learning
The theory behind Assessment for Learning (AfL) focuses on creating a classroom environment which involves students receiving meaningful and ongoing feedback from teachers as an integral part of their learning process. World ORT Kadima Mada has developed a teacher training program to support the embedding of AfL principles and techniques within a school’s ethos.
Over the course of the program, teacher-facilitators from 20 junior high schools will receive training in AfL theory and practice, with a view to them establishing and training both a maths and science community of teachers at their school. Facilitators are trained by Professor Menucha Birenbaum of Tel Aviv University’s School of Education, one of the pioneers of AfL methodology.
Interdisciplinary Teaching and Learning
This 4-year project is being run in partnership with the I-CORE (Israeli Centers of Research Excellence) program at the University of Haifa, as part of its Learning in a Networked Society (LINKS) initiative. Teaching staff at Misgav, Western Galilee and Har VaGai schools will be developing ideas, frameworks and curricula for combining together under cross-cutting themes subjects previously taught in isolation. As a result, students will better understand the connections between subjects, and experience their schooling in way that is more consistent with their experience of the real world.
Technology Youth Boot Camp / Technology GADNA
In cooperation with the Israeli Defence Forces, World ORT Kadima Mada runs a series of week-long, "GADNA"-style workshops for high school students, with the aim of increasing awareness and creating a more positive image of technical service in the Israeli army. Recruits with technical skills are in great demand but in short supply; the technical corps finds it hard to compete with the prestigious image of the combat units. Addressing this shortage is therefore the primary objective of these workshops.
Top-performing students in the study tracks of mechanics, electronics and mechatronics are selected for the workshops, with a particular emphasis on selecting girls. Activities include introductory army activities, academic lectures in applied contexts, field trips to factories that produce hi-tech army equipment, and a graduation ceremony. Students are also introduced to career opportunities in industries which look for employees who have completed technical army service.
Alex and Betty Schoenbaum Science, Education, Cultural and Sports Campus in Kiryat Yam
Nearly 40% of Kiryat Yam’s total population of 38,000 are immigrants, mostly from Ethiopia. The city faces many socio-economic challenges as it strives to assist and integrate its large immigrant population and its other inhabitants.
In 2007 World ORT Kadima Mada, in conjunction with the Kiryat Yam municipality, built the Alex and Betty Schoenbaum Science, Education, Cultural and Sports Campus - with the aim of transforming the city. The campus comprises: the D. Dan Kahn Science Center, complete with high-tech laboratories; the Margot and Jozef Rethazy Planetarium Building; an oceanarium; a library; a performing arts auditorium; an athletics stadium; a sea sports center; the renovated Rodman High School; and the Nate Lipson Ethiopian Heritage Center.
The goal of the Ethiopian Heritage Center is to host cultural and educational activities for Kiryat Yam’s Ethiopian community, providing them with the necessary education and vocational training to help ease their integration process into the local community. The center also aims to teach Kiryat Yam’s residents about Ethiopian culture and to increase tolerance and understanding among the city’s inhabitants. Activities and classes offered at the center include traditional Ethiopian storytelling, Ethiopian dance, arts and crafts, youth leadership training, ICT training, and matriculation assistance for students.