The question has been raised about what to do with training money. I thought it worthwhile to mention AMIT's latest use of its training money. AMIT is a religious educational network with 30000+ students, 110+ schools and in 30+ cities. Its students come from rural areas and many live in poverty; nevertheless, the AMIT passing rate on the Bagruth exam is significantly higher than the Israeli average (Visit AmitChildren.org for more information).
AMIT recently built a new educational center, the Gogya Center in Ra’anana which is a formalized program instituted to train all of AMIT’s teachers how to adopt and implement the various innovative teaching methods which have led to the tremendous success of the AMIT network of schools. The methods AMIT has used includes flipped classroom, Project Based learning and Shamayim, the Israeli Air Force method of rapidly training soldiers. The training at Gogya is based on the ideas of Dr. Richard Elmore of Harvard and Prakish Nair. Nair has designed schools in 42 countries around the world. It is hoped that eventually these methods will trickle into a larger array of Israeli schools (not necessarily just those in the AMIT network). With this background let me give some more details.
Dr. Amnon Eldar, director general of AMIT’s network of schools in Israel, explains what is driving Gogya. "The traditional concept of the teacher is dramatically changing, given the digital and technological environment of today’s student. Students turn to Google for answers; They do not understand why they have to physically sit in a classroom and listen to a teacher lecture when in today’s reality all they need to do is find the material online. Israeli kids are bored in the classroom; the knowledge of a teacher is valued much less today. Therefore, the primary challenge today is to make the teacher relevant once again to the student."
Eilat Deutsch, deputy director of research and development at AMIT points out that “Kids today do not learn the way children in the 20th century did. No one goes to an encyclopedia or the teacher to find information about the French Revolution; they reach for their iPhone and access many sources of information right out of their pocket.†She believes that given today’s environment, students need to learn how to be critical thinkers, to know how to sift through information, and to be challenged.
“The role of the teacher and classroom is very important in this regard. Learning through projects, group activities, and utilizing other senses helps to improve the retention of information and advance the learning process. Listening is not the only way to learn.â€
In practical terms, how does the Gogya’s educational innovation program translate into a classroom reality? One example may be found in Rabbi Avi Rokeach, who heads Yeshivat AMIT Amichai in Rehovot. He has his staff of teachers experience what it is like to be students. The teachers in his school go through two hours of studying and learning each week with the team of teachers training in the Gogya.
In terms of the classroom, there are chairs on wheels in all the classrooms to help students organize into pairs or groups more easily. There are also several boards in the classroom – not just one – that students use as well. The teacher’s desk is not, as it has always traditionally been, by the board.
Homework is done in the classroom, while learning is done at home, with teachers filming video clips of knowledge lessons for the students to watch. Project Based Learning, the teaching method where students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended time period to investigate a problem or issue, is also a core part of the curriculum. Each student has his or her own tablet, in a school that educates 400 students from seventh to twelfth grade. “Creating an innovative educational environment is not just about getting every student a tablet or laptop,†asserts Dr. Eldar, noting that there are currently 30 AMIT schools taking part in the Gogya center’s innovative educational training. “It’s about creating a positive environment where students will be able to create for themselves, with the help of learning, an identity based on values – and a sense of belonging to a community, nation and state.â€
In addition, Yeshivat AMIT Amichai does not give number grades on report cards, but alternative assess in the middle school. Students can be tested in the format of a TED talk, where they will deliver a lecture in front of their classmates about a subject they learned during the school semester.
This is just a brief overview. Since I have seen some adverse comments to flipped classroom, project based learning and use of technology on Lookjed, let me again reiterate two very important points: #1) AMIT has succeeded. It boasts an 80%+ passing rate on bagruth exams, despite its rural population in poverty stricken areas. This contrasts with the 60%+ national Israeli average. #2) Flipped classroom, Project based learning and technology are not just things you start doing. You need training and commitment. AMIT uses special week long boot camps as well as year round training. Principals and teachers all have mentors and are actively involved in implementation.
Respectfully
Russell Jay Hendel; Ph.D., A.S.A.;
rhendel@towson.edu
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/07/2015 07:07AM by mlb.
