An instructional coaching program for the 200 new physics teachers of the Atuda program will help them integrate special learning materials and give individual attention to students in a heterogeneous class.
Physics is not taught as a separate subject in Junior High School in Israel, but as one component of a general sciences subject. Most science teachers in Junior High schools are not trained to teach physics and do not have an academic background in physics, and so naturally, physics content is somewhat neglected by most. As a result, many capable students who could study physics in Upper Secondary School lack knowledge of and familiarity with the subject and are deterred from choosing it as their major. Of those who do choose physics, many encounter difficulties and decide to switch majors along the way. This is one of the problems that the Ministry of Education program Science-Technology Atuda tries to address.Science-Technology Atuda operates in 200 secondary schools as a supplementary program for students whose schools have identified them as suitable for the sciences matriculation track. The program strives for its graduates to successfully complete the advanced five-unit track in mathematics and two other science or technology subjects. Suitable students are identified by their schools in 7th grade and separated into designated classes which receive supplemental teaching hours in science and mathematics. These selected students learn two weekly hours of physics from 7th-9th grade, using learning materials that were developed for this purpose.
The program’s teachers come from a very varied professional background and many have never taught Junior High Physics. Since the program was scaled-up rapidly, these teachers were recruited quickly and only some participated in a short external training course. As a result, they report that it is difficult for them to adapt their teaching to the specific capabilities and needs of students.
In order to tackle this issue, the Israel Center for Excellence though Education (ICEE) is proposing an instructional coaching program for the 200 new physics teachers of the Atuda program. In collaboration with the head of science and technology at the Ministry of Education, the program aims to help integrate its special learning materials and to help teachers give individual attention to students in a heterogeneous class. In this partnership, the ICEE will develop content and train the instructional coaches, while Ministry of Education staff instructors will supervise the mentoring of the teachers.
The development process will include the customization of tools and methods to be used by coaches and teachers, including video documentation of classroom instruction, as well as teaching observation techniques. The development team will be comprised of ICEE staff and six experienced physics teachers, who will guide the Ministry of Education instructors in facilitating the instructional coaching. The program is expected to expand over the following two years until it reaches all 200 physics teachers employed by theScience-Technology Atuda.