Training 120 Mathematics Department Heads to Lead Their Teaching Staff to Implement PISA-based Mathematics

In 2020, the Technion, with the support of the Trump Foundation, launched a program aimed at developing the i-MAT program – a repository of 100 learning tasks based on mathematical applications in the high-tech industry. The Technion team partnered with high-tech companies to identify the mathematical models they use at work. These real-world examples were then adapted into educational materials aligned with the middle school mathematics curriculum.

The developed materials were reviewed by the OECD mathematics team, which recommended raising the skill level of the tasks to align with levels 5-6 of the PISA conceptual framework. The materials were also submitted to the Ministry of Education, which requested that the tasks be shortened so they could be completed within a single mathematics lesson. Based on this feedback, the program underwent revisions and improvements.

Over the past four years, the program has trained approximately 600 mathematics teachers across the country. Today, the program’s content has been integrated into the national task repository (“Maor”) while also continuing independently in several local authorities. A key insight from the Technion’s experience is that deep implementation requires ongoing professional support for teachers within schools during the implementation process.

Following discussions with the foundation, which expressed interest in expanding the reach of PISA tasks in schools, the Technion is proposing a complementary program. The goal of this program is to train 120 school-based mathematics department heads over three years to lead the implementation of PISA tasks within their schools. The selected department heads will be teachers who have not yet been trained in teaching these tasks and have no prior experience in implementing them in the classroom.

The department heads will participate in a 30-hour training program, where they will learn about the PISA framework and receive training on teaching the tasks. They will then study effective teaching methodologies and develop strategies with their mathematics team for integrating the tasks into their classes. To help department heads prepare to lead the project in their schools, the Technion will emphasize key lessons learned over the years, while adding management and organizational skills and providing the department heads with ongoing coaching and feedback.

The program’s expectations are that each department head will lead at least 10 teacher team meetings per year dedicated to teaching PISA tasks, and that each mathematics teacher on the school’s team will teach at least 10 PISA tasks throughout the academic year.

* The text above shows the grant as approved by the Foundation’s Board of Directors / Grant 611