Ten physics teachers will utilize their participation in the CERN particle accelerator Teacher Program to develop a series of research-based tasks for their students
In an effort to engage more students in physics studies, teachers are continuously seeking new and innovative teaching methodologies. They find out that their students are very different in their preferences and interests, as well as in their learning style and pace. Some students are independent learners and seek intellectual challenges, whereas others need more individual support. Many teachers claim that the practice of a one-size fits all teaching in the classroom, is inappropriate for many students, and leads to high dropout rates.At the initiative of Mr. Ze’ev Miller, the Executive Director of the ICA Foundation, a distinguished former school principal, and a voluntary member of the Trump Foundation’s Grants Committee, an innovative answer to this challenge has been proposed. Miller turned to the Tel-Hai Academic College in northern Israel, in order to convene a group of 10 physics teachers who would be trained over a period of three years to teach in a hands-on, research-oriented and inquiry-based manner.
The teachers will be chosen from the northern and southern peripheries of Israel, and will be mentored by expert teachers and scientists. They will meet for eight workshops, four of which online, and will participate in a teacher program at the CERN particle accelerator in Geneva. As part of their joint learning they would develop a series of research-based tasks for their students, and prepare them to conduct an inquiry-based science project which would be included in their matriculation diploma.
It is hoped that this program will enable teachers to incorporate more engaging techniques into their instruction, including elements of collaborative learning, logical reasoning, and creative thinking, and by doing so – attract more students to major in physics and decrease the probability of them dropping out. In the program’s second stage, the teacher will return to CERN with a group of students, in order to test their newly developed teaching techniques and to use the facility and its laboratories to conduct educational experimentations.