Grant amount
NIS 2,270,000
Development Of Incremental Learning Assignments in Mathematics
Development of 45 Incremental Learning Assignments in Mathematics to be Systematically Used by 150 Teachers in 35 Junior High Schools in the Social Periphery
Development of 45 Incremental Learning Assignments in Mathematics to be Systematically Used by 150 Teachers in 35 Junior High Schools in the Social Periphery
In Israel’s social periphery, where the average rate of 5-unit students is below the national average, significant gaps in student knowledge and skill have developed. When these gaps are coupled with fixed mindsets, success in 5-unit mathematics sometimes seems a far-off, even unattainable goal. We noticed through our interactions across the country, that students and teachers who have no confidence in their abilities, are often giving up before they even tried. While others, who developed a strong personal ambition, occasionally fail to translate their aspiration to a strong discipline of practice and learning.
A recent report by McKinsey on this phenomenon with 15 year-old students worldwide, found that certain types of students’ mindsets can have almost double the effect on their outcomes in mathematics than the effects of their socioeconomic background. The report notes that “motivation calibration” – the ability to correctly assess what motivation looks like, such as “working on tasks until everything is perfect” and “doing more than what is expected” has twice the impact of self-identified ambition (“wanting to be the best” and “wanting to get top grades”).
To address this need, we approached the University of Haifa, a center for expertise in mathematics teaching and a close partner of the foundation. Haifa are proposing to develop mathematic and didactic tools which break mathematics assignments down into stages that suit students with different levels of ability and guide them through these intermediate stages. This approach, they assume, will enable both teachers and students to develop skill and confidence together, without compromising the need for a continuous effort and achieving the high standard of 5-unit mathematics matriculation.
In 2016, with a grant from the Trump Foundation, Haifa began to develop and pilot test 30 of these incremental tasks for the five-unit mathematics track. Now they are proposing to develop additional 45 assignment for the junior high school level, and to provide intensive training for teachers on implementation of the assignments and adapting their teaching approach accordingly. The new tasks will cover the 7th-9th grade curriculum and will be divided to five types:
A 30-hour course for teachers will be prepared in collaboration with the Center for Education Technology, to ensure that the teachers are acquainted with the technique as well as the approach. It will include filmed guides and cases, in-depth explanation of the growth mindset and motivation calibration theory, as well as demonstrations of best practice. The implementation is still to be planned in detail; however, the intention is to reach 35 schools and 150 teachers, who would use the assignments on a continuous and systematic manner over the next three years.