Planning How To Encourage Students To Excel In Mathematics & Science

Study and Planning on How to Encourage Motivation for Junior High School Students to Invest and Excel in Mathematics and Science Studies

Study and Planning on How to Encourage Motivation for Junior High School Students to Invest and Excel in Mathematics and Science StudiesEddie and Jules Trump Family Foundation

Clinical Teaching

Grant amount

NIS 270,000

Grant term

One year

Date of Approval

December 2017

Status

Completed

In order to help more students prepare for the advanced five-unit levels, we have gradually begun working at the junior high school level. However, we have learned that there seems to be no clear motivation for junior high school students to invest and excel in studying mathematics and the sciences at advanced level. At the ages of 13-15 the matriculation test is a distant target and other measures, local and international, are of little consequence to them.

In the forthcoming meeting of the foundation’s Advisory Council in 2018, we will discuss the implications of working with junior high schools in detail. Until then, we intend to explore this direction more systematically, looking into curriculum, assessment and instructional capacity. In parallel, we will be testing the waters with a series of mathematics “challenges” to motivate and expose junior high school students to the skills that the PISA test assesses.

In addition, we are now proposing to prepare a report, which will analyze the problem in depth, learn the lessons of the PISA challenge, scan the landscape for solutions from other countries, and suggest a course of action for the foundation. Roi Tzikorel, who is currently concluding his role as the foundation’s communications director, agreed to lead the preparation of this report. The study will include the following components:

A deep dive into the motivation of junior high school students in Israel to invest and excel in their mathematics and science studies, based on interviews with students, teachers and principals.
Closely monitoring the progress and analyzing the results of the PISA mathematics “challenges” focusing on the effects of exposing students to real-life mathematics assignments.
Examining previous and current attempts to create intrinsic motivation around education and social goals. This section will include an analysis of the foundation’s social media endeavor -`It’s Time for Education`, as well as of organizations worldwide such as `Purpose‘, `Blue State Digital‘, `Nation Builder‘ and `Change‘.
Recommending the most appropriate approach for the foundation in order to catalyze motivation to excel in mathematics and the sciences in junior high school, looking into possible local organizations and operating models.

As part of this process, in order to ensure long-term sustainability, Tzikorel intends to explore if such an approach would be of interest to additional funders who are curious about encouraging demand and support for their strategies and programs.

* The text presented above shows the grant as approved by the Foundation Board / Grant 277

Vision & Mission

Advisory Council

Sustainable Infrastructure