But in practice, academics lament the minority of enrollees in humanities faculties, closed tracks and unified circles to continue to exist. The outcry over the students’ lack of skills is heard from all sides. And this is not surprising, because in high school – matriculation is the main thing. Teachers teach for matriculation, students study for matriculation, principals allocate hours for matriculation and look for candidates with experience in matriculation. It is an examination that, at least in terms of skills and thinking skills – what exists in it is irrelevant, and what is relevant does not exist in it.
It is easy to understand the teachers’ concern: the matriculation exams were a kind of fence that protected our subject studies. It ensured the allocation of hours, the serious attitude of the students and gave high status to teachers and subjects in which there is external matriculation. On the other hand, this fence also limited the areas of learning, its depth and skills.
The new program is not a fence but a space that allows for the advancement of a variety of advanced and relevant learning processes: research learning, collaborative and community learning, self-learning, use of technological tools and more. It will be an entrepreneurial space for teachers and students and will strengthen the possibilities for cooperation between schools, academia and various institutions (museums, for example).
Imagine a team of 3-2 students writing during a year a research paper that deals with the work of Hanoch Levin in terms of literature, history, biblical motifs and the storm that took place around “Bath Queen”
The success of the reform does not depend on the students, but on the teachers, principals and the Ministry of Education. Teachers will be required to innovate, learn, collaborate, create and maintain the academic level and validity of grades. Principals will be asked to stand at the required level, allocate resources, back up teachers and not demand compromises or submissions from them (like “turn 40 into 55” to transfer the student), and the Ministry of Education must have a very serious system of training, infrastructure upgrades and supervision And approve school curricula and carefully evaluate assignments.
Dr. Shaul comes out with an article against one of the exciting and innovative points of light of the program: the interdisciplinary seminar work. She states that such work “does not suit the abilities of the students.”
However, many of the teachers who teach in high schools today have a master’s degree or higher, some in research tracks. Many of them have experienced mentoring students in research papers and research assignments in majors, as part of the exchange assessment or in special programs. The research experts in each team will be the pioneers and leaders in team training.
(Photo: Avi Chai)
An important role will be in the hands of the MHR coordinator who will be required to lead the process together with the subject coordinators. It should be remembered that the first research projects will take place in more than two years – during this time teachers can undergo training and experience smaller research tasks . If it takes place in four subjects at the same time, students will surely arrive ready for twelfth grade.
Imagine a team of 3-2 students writing an entire year of research that deals with the work of Hanoch Levin in terms of literature, history, biblical motifs and the storm that took place around “Bath Queen”. Imagine a team that deals with humor: in the Bible, in a modern literary work or around a historical event and discusses a civic issue of the boundaries of satire. Or focuses on a region of the country – on his appearances in the Bible, on an important historical event, on a book whose plot takes place in it and on a civic issue related to it.
Dr. Shaul mentions the status of the teacher. In addition to salary and working conditions, his status is determined by his actual work. – They are the people of the discipline.Our discipline is at the center of our lives and is our main area of interest.
Tal Tabashi
As a supervisor of research papers for many years, I know that the relationship between a mentor teacher and a research student is special and empowering for both parties – in contrast to the antagonistic and forced encounter that often takes place around the matriculation exam.
Many teachers go against “discrimination against our professions”: why leave the external matriculation exams in math, English, science and language? To me the argument should be the opposite: science teachers should ask why students can not write a research paper that combines chemistry and physics, or biology and electronics? One can only hope that the success of the important reform presented last week is a first step in the renewal of the entire education system.
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