Beneath the Tip of the Iceberg: The Teacher’s Changing Role in Light of the Israeli ‘Meaningful Learning’ Reform

Ima Fahoum

doi:10.14746/se.2019.52.22

Abstract

To cope with the challenges of the 21st century, a new Israeli educational reform, “Israel is moving up a grade” (known as Israel Ola Kita), was announced in 2014 by the former Minister of Education, Shai Piron, with the aim of assimilating the principles of meaningful learning in schools. A publication of the Ministry of Education, Something Good is Happening Now (2014) presented the policy and milestones for realizing the reform across the educational continuum.The current article highlights the complexities involved in the underlying reform principles concerning the change in the teacher’s role and argues the urgent need for considerations of these complexities through an expanded view of teachers’ professional development (TPD)with the aim of promoting deep-seated change rather than a superficial ‘signaling’ of the reform.

Highlights

In a rapidly changing world, in which uncertainty may be the most certain characteristic of the future, children must learn to adapt to whatever the future may hold, by receiving a relevant education: “In times of great change, society looks to its schools to help its citizens adjust
To cope with the challenges of the 21st century, a new Israeli educational reform, “Israel is moving up a grade”, was announced in 2014 by the former Minister of Education, Shai Piron, with the aim of assimilating the principles of meaningful learning in schools
Promoting Meaningful Learning among students is difficult without promoting Meaningful Learning among teachers

Summary

Introduction

In a rapidly changing world, in which uncertainty may be the most certain characteristic of the future, children must learn to adapt to whatever the future may hold, by receiving a relevant education: “In times of great change, society looks to its schools to help its citizens adjust. This article highlights the complexities involved in the underlying reform principles concerning the change in the teacher’s role and argues the urgent need for considerations of these complexities through an expanded view of teachers’ professional development with the aim of promoting deep-seated change rather than a superficial ‘signaling’ of the reform.

Results

Conclusion