Grant Amount
NIS 800,000
Pedagogical guidance for mathematics teachers in the five-unit tracks in Ashdod
Ashdod will invest in a nationwide effort to significantly increase the number of mathematics students in a five-unit study program.
Ashdod will invest in a nationwide effort to significantly increase the number of mathematics students in a five-unit study program.
The number of students studying mathematics at the level of five units in a high school throughout Israel is declining. This negative trend is due to various reasons. Students interested in studying math at the five-unit level sometimes have to pass entrance exams and strict admission requirements. Uniform traditional teaching that suits everyone also contributes to this trend and students who do not achieve high enough grades or are unable to keep up with the pace of class progression soon drop out of the less advanced study tracks.
In schools, there is a great variety of teaching methods, a variety that expands when comparing schools, even schools that are geographically adjacent to each other. Within one city, the number of students studying mathematics at the five-unit level varies between schools, and sometimes the differences are significant. Each school sets itself different goals and adopts different methods and there is no system of knowledge sharing between them. Schools do not share teaching methods and approaches with each other, and do not learn from each other. Despite being schools belonging to the same municipality, and although excellent teachers can serve as mentors for new teachers, there are few cases where urban systems exist that allow for professional coordination between schools.
The city of Ashdod, which has 250,000 inhabitants, is trying to change this reality. In Ashdod, the average demand for high school math studies at a level of five units is relatively high (16% compared to a national average of 10%), but there are significant differences between schools. There are schools in the city where demand is at a few percent, compared to other schools where 24 percent of high school students study for a five-unit matriculation in mathematics. In order to deal with the problem, the Ashdod Foundation, in coordination with the Ashdod Municipality, formulated a municipal plan that aims to build the necessary coordination and cooperation, and enable the schools that have difficulty in assisting the more successful schools.
As a first step, the program will locate 12-15 excellent math teachers at the level of five units from different schools, with a proven reputation for success, who will become pedagogical tutors. Each of them will mentor teachers individually and in groups of teachers from several schools in the city. They will learn together from watching what is happening in the classrooms, from video documentation and the best teaching methods. The tutors will assist mentoring teachers in changing perceptions and approaches and incorporating new teaching methods into sub-topics in mathematics. The project will expand every year and after three years the mentors are expected to inaugurate all ninety active and potential teachers in Ashdod.
Meanwhile, the city of Ashdod intends to develop a system of support to increase the number of students in the five-unit mathematics study program. The assistance network will include online monitoring of each student’s personal learning progress, school and municipal support for struggling students, and a coordinated decision-making mechanism for transferring students between track levels.
Upon completion of the program, there is an aspiration to see an increase from 16% to 23% in the number of students completing the math track in five units in the city; To train about 20 experienced pedagogical tutors and a professional team of mathematics teachers in Ashdod who are committed to the achievements of students at high levels and to create an urban support system for learning and teaching.