It is easy to get depressed by the education provided in Israeli schools. There is a never-ending progression of Education Ministers who do not desire the job and are not interested in solving the long-term challenges. There is, for example, a severe lack of teachers; those that have remained in the system are burnt out and recovering from post-COVID distress. The classes are overcrowded, and educators, harshly underpaid and undervalued, suffer. Everyone complains about the academic level, the quality of instruction, the violence, and the lack of motivation at all levels. In the college, it is easy to focus on those pre-service teachers who are absent too often, who do…
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Classroom observation 2020: As bizarre as it gets!
This week I observed one of my pre-service teachers in an English lesson. It was the student’s first observation, and I was eager to see how she is progressing. I thought I knew what to expect; after all, this is my third year working with students in their school practicum. What did I know in advance? I knew the student would teach via Zoom, as she teaches in another school and because of COVID 19, can’t be exposed to other groups of pupils. She has never met the pupils face-to-face. After reading the lesson plan and giving feedback twice, I knew what material the class would learn and how. I…
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International practicum – another learning opportunity
When most teacher educators hear the concept ‘international practicum’, they imagine groups of pre-service teachers boarding a plane and travelling to experience teaching and learning in another country. Teaching faculty from their institution usually accompany them.Since I began my teaching at the Oranim College of Education, I have been involved in two small international practicum projects, and I am about to embark on a larger one. All of these experiences have involved online or local mentoring.My first international mentoring experience involved accompanying two third-year students from Oranim who were chosen to fly to Lucerne, Switzerland, to experience teaching in a high school there. They lived with Swiss families for a…
