About the summer school
The newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) include Goal 4 on Education, which announced World Leaders’ commitment to “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and [to] promote life-long learning opportunities for all”. Clearly, as far as education is concerned, the global focus is shifting from access to education towards establishing a multidimensional notion of quality education for all.
These circumstance demand that the educational system must continually seek ways to keep up to date with current trends and methods in order to ensure that it meets pupil needs
Over the past 25 years, criticism of teachers and teacher education has intensified in many countries around the world. Focusing on the importance of ongoing professional development research suggests that for teachers to successfully change their practices in ways that lead to meaningful change in student outcomes, teachers need time, opportunities to practice, feedback, and institutional support
Motivated by a desire to enhance the knowledge and skills of teachers on the one hand and improve student achievement and scores on the other, the Israeli education system is currently seeking to decentralize, modernize, upgrade, and raise the quality of the teaching/learning system in the light of global and regional changes. Within this context, teachers are encouraged to view themselves as facing new challenges—with the help of innovative forms of in-service training .
2003 saw the introduction of one of the major aspects of this program—the establishment of “PISGA” centers designed to provide instruction for practicing teachers, “PISGA” in Hebrew meaning “mountain top” or “peak”. The course offered by the Ofri International Training Center in this regard presents an integrated program for primary and secondary schools teachers.
Aims
- To promote professional development teaching in such a way as to prepare personnel for the future in a systematic yet flexible manner
- To train future-oriented pre-service and in-service teaching staff to meet the needs of the urban education environment 5, 10, and 20 years down the road
- To transform the Teaching Development Center into a proactive, innovation-based organization
To facilitate progressive thinking, leading to educational breakthroughs
To prototype, develop, and implement new teaching paradigms, methods, and tools - To create a lively, warm, and stimulating professional home for teaching staff
- To provide space, context, process, and incentive for an ongoing community- wide conversation concerning education in general and teaching-staff development in particular
- To encourage relevant stakeholders—including teachers, parents, the business sector, senior citizens, artists, municipal officeholders, and children themselves—to play an active role in creating a better education system
Main Subjects
- Presentation of diverse forms of in-service training and methods of adaptation to changes occurring in the education system
- Exposition of the latest concepts, methods, and tools in educational-staff training
- Analysis of different modules for in-service teacher training and defined training goals
- Training facilitators to support teachers in the field
- Curriculum design based on developmentally-appropriate practices
- Design of integrative teaching/learning units
- Elaboration on additional resources for self-development and enrichment
- Examination of the educator’s role as school leader, including discussions regarding teamwork and formulation of school visions
- Exercises for motivating and empowering teachers: self-reliance, self-learning, and self-evaluation
Methodology
- Lectures and discussions led by experts in various fields.
- Workshops.
- Analysis of educational planning through written material and professional visits.
- Meetings with institutional administrators and acquaintance with projects at the national and regional level.
- Simulations, panel discussions, and group work.
- Preparation of final projects by individuals or groups, based on the professional interests of
participants. - Study tours at: different types of schools at all levels, educational centers (science, art, etc.) and teacher
training institutions and pedagogical resource centers
Social Activities and Tours
The seminar includes organized tours of holy sites and locations of general and historical interest. Social and cultural activities will be arranged.
Location and Accommodation
MASHAV awards a limited number of scholarships. The scholarship covers the cost of the training program including lectures and field visits, full board accommodation in double rooms (two participants per room), health insurance (see below) and transfers to and from the airport. Airfares and daily allowance are not included in the scholarship.
Health Services
Medical insurance covers medical services and hospitalization in case of emergency. It does not cover the treatment of chronic or serious diseases, specific medications taken by the participant on a regular basis, dental care and eyeglasses. Health authorities recommend that visitors to Israel make sure they have been inoculated against tetanus in the last ten years. Subject to the full binding policy conditions. Participants are responsible for all other expenses.
The course will be held at the A. Ofri International Training Center, situated in the Ramat Rachel Hotel on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Participants will be accommodated in double rooms (two participants per room).
Application
Application Requirements
Higher education staff: Lecturers, Rectors, Curriculum designer, Professional education developers, Lecturers at teacher training institutions.
Application forms should be sent to the relevant Israeli Mission and to the Ofri Center by or before 19.3.2016
Application forms
Application forms and other information may be obtained at the nearest Israeli mission or at MASHAV’s website.
Completed application forms, including the medical form, should be sent to the relevant Israeli mission in the respective country.
About MASHAV
MASHAV – Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation is dedicated to providing developing countries with the best of Israel’s experience in development and planning. As a member of the family of nations, The State of Israel is committed to fulfilling its responsibility to contribute to the fight against poverty and to the global efforts to achieve sustainable development. MASHAV, representing Israel and its people, focuses its efforts on capacity building, sharing relevant expertise accumulated during Israel's own development experience to empower governments, communities and individuals to improve their own lives. MASHAV’s approach is to ensure social, economic and environmental sustainable development, and is taking active part in the international community’s process of shaping the Post-2015 Agenda, to define the new set of the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
MASHAV’s activities focus primarily on areas in which Israel has a competitive advantage, including agriculture and rural development; water resources management; entrepreneurship and innovation; community development; medicine and public health, empowerment of women and education. Professional programs are based on a “train the trainers” approach to institutional and human capacity building, and are conducted both in Israel and abroad. Project development is supported by the seconding of short and long-term experts, as well as on-site interventions. Since its establishment, MASHAV has promoted the centrality of human resource enrichment and institutional capacity building in the development process – an approach which has attained global consensus.
For more information click "Further official information" below.
This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:
http://www.mashav.mfa.gov.il/MFA/mashav/Courses/Documents/22-07%20Professional%20Development%20for%20In-Service%20Teachers.pdf