The Davidson Institute of Science Education and the Children’s Television Channel will collaborate to produce a television mini-series to increase student interest in five-unit mathematics and science
In 2015, the Ministry of Education launched a public media campaign titled “Give Five,” encouraging students to choose five-unit tracks in mathematics; and set a national target to double the number of students enrolling in the five-unit track. Indeed, many teachers report that their classes are significantly larger than in the past, but that they are struggling to help these students persevere and succeed, and avoid dropping out.
While the Foundation’s primary efforts are focused on developing teachers’ clinical teaching skills, the students’ commitment, determination and ability to handle the challenges of five-unit studies are also essential. We have learned that students tend to give up when their studies become difficult, that they are concerned with their self-image if they fail, and with how studying 5-units is perceived by their peers if they persist.
In order to address this, the Davidson Institute of Science Education at the Weizmann Institute and the Children’s Television Channel are collaborating to propose a television mini-series beginning in April 2016. The popular children’s channel plans to address students before they choose their high school tracks, in order to convince them that their choices are important and that the effort is worthwhile. The mini-series will present mathematics and science students as teen heroes, successful both academically and socially, and will emphasize the value of investing in striving for excellence.
In line with our Advisory Council’s recommendation to expand our communication strategy to target high school students via television, the series will speak to teens at “eye level,” by dealing with their everyday lives, dilemmas, loves, hates, and education. It will emphasize high-level studies of mathematics and sciences and its benefits, as well as the effort involved. The series will attempt to shatter stigmas and stereotypes attached to science studies, such as “geeks,” or these being “subjects for boys only.” The program’s protagonists will be played by some of the Channel’s stars, well known and admired by its viewers.
The mini-series will consist of eight short episodes (5-10 minutes each) broadcast for a year on the Children’s Channel (each episode will air at least 25 times) and available on VOD. In addition, the program will include online activities aimed at increasing exposure to the series’ stars beyond the television format; eight bonus videos; and there will be a collaboration with a flagship show of the Children’s Channel involving their biggest stars. The Davidson Institute will also add content to the series’ website on children’s science education, home science experiments, and invitations to events and exhibitions.
The Davidson Institute is the educational arm of the Weizmann Institute of Science. It engages both teachers and students through a wide array of training programs and activities aimed at professional development, fostering excellence, science enrichment and more. Approximately 500,000 people are exposed annually to the Institute’s activities and are participate in them. The Institute partners with the Foundation in a number of programs. Their partner in this collaboration, the Children’s Television Channel has been operating for 25 years, and reaches over a million viewers a month, with18,000 children using the channel’s application on a daily basis. Their VOD library is available for free on the internet and enjoys over a million views a month.
It is hoped that this mini-series will lead to an increased interest by 9th graders in five-unit mathematics and science and more willingness to invest and persist in these tracks.