In recent years, we have witnessed a significant expansion of the communication channels available to lecturers and students. The purpose of this study is to examine the considerations guiding faculty members in choosing the communication channels they offer their students and the connection between the communication channel chosen and personal…

The model of the six mirrors of the classroom and its use in teaching biology in a cooperative learning mode were implemented in high school classrooms. In this study we present: a) The model of the six mirrors of the classroom (MSMC). b) Cooperative learning settings: 1. The Group Investigation; 2. The Jigsaw Method; and 3. Peer Tutoring in Small…

This paper explores the dynamics of conflicting role expectations among Palestinian teachers in Israel as these expectations are generated by the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its manifestation in the educational system. To understand the enigma of Palestinian teachers in Israel, the paper briefly reviews the different role patterns…

This report, which is not intended to be an exhaustive commentary, reviews and discusses educational applications of information technology (IT) at the elementary and secondary levels. Each of the six topical sections of the report discusses the instructional potential of information technology, realization of the potential, and predictions for…

This discussion begins by describing attitudes of Israeli infant teachers toward giving professional advice to mothers having problems with their infants. The discussion then (1) outlines some of the basic features of the infant houses on kibbutzim; (2) considers specific difficulties of some mother-infant dyads; and (3) describes interventions…

A sample of curriculum projects representing the first generation of new curricula in Israel was analyzed, using an instrument developed to determine the implicit or explicit message regarding the teacher's role in curriculum development and use. Curriculum development in Israel is moving from a centralized approach to greater involvement of…

Interviews were conducted with six Israeli junior high school teachers with the aim of identifying personal dilemmas they faced as teachers. Three of the interviewees were novice teachers; three more experienced. The subjects taught in Arab villages, a religious vocational Jewish school, and in a Kibbutz. Several educational contexts which give…

A classroom ethnographic study of the uses of sound was conducted in church- and state-sponsored kindergartens in Haifa, Israel, and Konstanz, West Germany. Three German and four Israeli classes were selected for systematic study. Structured observations were made of class activities, the uses of space, and salient movements in the classroom.…

An alternative to the traditional standardized test of language proficiency administered to Israeli students at the end of secondary school is proposed as a means of giving schools more autonomy in the testing process. The test was designed based on the following assumptions: (1) the test matches the curriculum and not vice versa; (2) the…

The concept of mediated learning is examined, focusing on the work of L. Vygotsky (1896-1934) and R. Feuerstein (born 1921). Mediated learning is the subtle social interaction between teacher and learner in the enrichment of the student's learning experience. Both theorists take a strong sociological approach to the development of intelligence and…