Trump Award for Quality Teaching 2013

In 2012 the Trump Master Teacher Award was successfully launched as a national award recognizing excellent teaching of mathematics and the sciences. The award aims to present teachers as ‘cultural heroes’ and convey to the public a clearer sense of what constitutes effective teaching. Our intention was to recognize, reward and celebrate master teachers of mathematics and the sciences, and introduce them to the public as role models, demonstrating that high quality teaching exists in Israel, while igniting discussion around the question: ‘What constitutes excellent teaching?’

A call for nominations was shared with the professional community and via public media, attracting 52   candidates from across the country. 67% of the candidates hold second or third academic degrees, and 30% have been teaching for more than 20 years. A selection committee chaired by a distinguished school principal, Ms. Karen Tal, and with active participation by the Director General of the Ministry of Education, Ms. Dalit Stauber, set criteria for identifying excellence in teaching. 22 candidates were selected in a first stage of selection, and 5 were chosen for the final stage. The finalists were filmed while teaching in their classroom, and then interviewed by the committee.

The inaugural award was won by Mr. Nikolai Schwartz, a high school teacher of physics and mathematics for more than twenty years. Today he teaches the Ort Arad High School, where he is the coordinator of the school physics, science and engineering departments. Schwartz was presented the award by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Minister of Education, Gideon Sa’ar, in a formal ceremony at the PM’s office. The prize committee also recommended an honorable mention to finalists Dr. Abir Abed, a chemistry and environmental sciences teacher from Nazareth and Dr. Eyal Sinai, a physics teacher from Modiin, for their excellent work.

Alongside the selection process we sought for public engagement and participation in the discussion around the criteria for excellent teaching and the final stages of nominating the winner. We used social networks, and particularly Facebook and YouTube in order to generate interest and involvement, resulting in wide outreach and enthusiasm. Especially when the final candidates were introduced, current and past students actively shared their endorsements, sweet memories, and warm words of appreciation, calling the committee to favor their teacher.

In 2013, we intend to hold a second cycle of the prize, keeping our focus on mathematics and science teachers in high school. Lessons learned during the first round will be implemented, including a wider dissemination of the call for candidates, a more effective utilization of the selection criteria at the various selection stages and a deeper analysis of the classroom-based video-tapes.

* The text presented above shows the grant as approved by the Foundation Board / Grant 82