High School Student-Mentoring Physics Program

In most schools physics is taught as part of an integrated science subject until the tenth grade. Most science teachers at this level tend to have a background in biology, not physics. As a result, physics is somewhat sidelined and many capable students lack sufficient knowledge of the subject, which leads them to abstain from choosing physics as their major in upper secondary school. Students commonly perceive physics as a difficult subject which requires significant effort and sacrifice on their parts, and this too deters them from choosing physics.

In an attempt to increase student engagement in physics learning at junior-high level, and thereby make the prospect of advanced-level physics more attractive, ORT Israel is proposing a new program. The program will capitalize on existing twelve-grade physics students in schools who could provide mentoring for ninth-grade physics students. The mentors will receive special credit in their final mark as recognition for their voluntary participation in the program.

For one weekly hour over the course of an academic year, the mentors will provide individual tutoring and will work with small groups in the classroom, with guidance from the teacher. They will reinforce the content taught in the classroom by illustrating with simple experiments, demonstrations and exercises. They will act as role models and will use the educational encounter to change perceptions and encourage the younger students to select the subject for advanced-level study.

ORT network is Israel’s largest school network with approximately 100,000 students enrolled in its 205 secondary education frameworks. Ort teachers will develop for the mentors a set of lesson plans, experiments, demonstrations and exercises. This content would be aligned to the curriculum, paying particular attention to areas which students commonly find harder to understand or which teachers find more difficult to convey.

The mentors will participate in preparatory and ongoing workshops, equipping them with instruction skills in physic and teaching didactics. They will meet on a weekly basis with the teacher in their school, who will supervise their integration in the program. The mentors will be expected to provide the teachers with feedback on the learning progress of individual students, and will consult with the teachers on a regular basis over the course of the year.

The program is expected to generate 450 student-mentors reaching 90 classes over three years. If successful, it is hoped that ORT will implement the program in many more of its schools nationwide.

* The text above shows the grant as approved by the Foundation’s Board of Directors / Grant 89