Local Workshops for Mathematics Teachers About PISA

Over the last couple of months, a select group of six mathematics master teachers has been convening for a joint learning process. By initiative and with support from the foundation, and academic guidance by the Levinsky College of Education, the group met for three workshops. In these workshops, they jointly analyzed PISA assignments and academic reports from countries that adopted the PISA framework a couple of decades ago. A planned study visit to the Netherlands has been postponed until the Corona pandemic evaporates.
The insights of the teachers so far are interesting. They all understand and identify with the importance of mathematics to the lives and future of students. They feel ashamed of the declining PISA results and aspire to change its course. However, they are still bewildered about the level of mathematics content that is involved. Their commitment is to high-level mathematical knowledge, and they seek proof that by going in the direction of PISA, they will not have to sacrifice the level of mathematics.
In order to explore this issue in a deeper manner, they will now conduct online seminars with colleagues from the Netherlands, as well as meetings with the developers of new learning materials in Israel. In addition, they asked the foundation to assist them with organizing workshops for teachers, face-to-face or online, across the country. They wish to engage their fellow teachers with the same dilemma they are facing, and to pick their brains on how and what to do in their classrooms.
The idea is that each of the six master teachers will prepare a plan to lead a series of workshops, with the participation of a total of about 500 mathematics teachers who teach the highest ability track or excellence class in middle school or in tenth grade. In these workshops, the PISA framework will be presented and assignments analyzed, followed by a discussion among the teachers. The teachers will be asked to address their impression of the level of mathematics, the alignment with the formal curriculum and the classroom pedagogy. They will be encouraged to express their reactions and articulate their needs.
Each of the master teachers (two intend to collaborate) will prepare a plan, via a not-for-profit organization that they will appoint, which will be awarded up to 35,000 NIS in order to execute the workshops. The workshops will be documented and each of the master teachers will prepare a report on the insights which the teachers offered during the workshops.

* The text presented above shows the grant as approved by the Foundation Board / Grant 387