Professional Learning Communities for Physics Teachers

Back in 2012, the foundation approached the Weizmann Institute to create a framework for operating professional learning communities (PLCs) for physics teachers across the country. The idea was to encourage the teachers to embrace student-centered teaching approaches and to sharpen their professional expertise together. Three hundred teachers participate in these PLCs every year. As of 2017, the Ministry of Education took full responsibility for funding the ongoing operation of the PLCs.

When the war started, the Ministry announced a freeze in its funding for all professional development of teachers in Israel, including the PLCs. The freeze includes the salaries of facilitators, compensation for participating teachers and operational funding for the universities. Our attempts to convince the government of the importance of teachers sharing and learning from practice in their attempts to maintain teaching during the war fell on deaf ears.

Consequently, the Weizmann Institute approached the foundation, in coordination with the Ministry of Education’s superintendent of physics teaching, seeking funding to substitute for the government. They are planning to hold two online meetings every week over a period of three months for 12 PLCs, with the participation of 200 physics teachers. Funding is sought only to cover the work of the PLCs’ facilitators (two for each PLC).

* The text above shows the grant as approved by the Foundation’s Board of Directors / Grant 540