The current research sought to test the effect of using technology on students in various mathematics courses. The study was conducted in the mathematics department of our college of education. We tested how the students evaluate our teaching method and how involved they are in the acquisition of knowledge while using different digital…

The integration of visual programming in early formal education has been found to promote computational thinking of students. Teachers' intuitive perspectives about optimal learning processes -- "folk psychology" -- impact their perspectives about teaching "folk pedagogy" and play a significant role in integrating educational…

Home schooling is a growing practice in many Western countries. Examination of the practice has entailed collection of "hard" data, such as academic achievements and success rates in higher education, as well as investigation of the practice from the perspective of parents. It is very important to examine homeschooling from the…

As explicit administrative expectations to use meaningful inquiry-based instructional activities and formative assessment tasks might influence teachers' classroom practices, this study assessed science teachers' use of contemporary educational activities and assessment tasks above and beyond their conceptions of traditional teaching and learning…

Empirical research in Jewish education has found almost exclusive use of "transmission" pedagogy among Jewish studies teachers. This study hoped to fill out the empirical landscape by studying Jewish studies teachers who prioritize student-driven interpretation. It followed six Jewish studies teachers in four different Jewish elementary…

Empirical studies have reported difficulties, confusion, and lack of understanding among students at all levels of instruction regarding the issue of weight--gravitation--weighing relationships. This study examined the impact of a new conceptual framework of weight, on a small group of 7th-grade students (N?=?14) in a middle school in Israel. This…

Acquaintance with various ways of inculcating concepts in any studied area of knowledge is one of teachers' duties, particularly mathematics teachers. Studies indicate errors and difficulties when inculcating concepts in mathematics and learning them. Many concepts have different meanings in different contexts. Hence, teachers should deal with the…

In this article we analyze moviemaking as a unique pedagogy that is used in a preservice semester in Israel program for the preparation of Israel educators: Students create their own short films about an aspect of Israeli society and/or their relationship with it. We analyze the students' movies, together with students' reflective papers about the…

Background: The importance of knowledge and skills in mathematics for electrical engineering students is well known. Engineers and engineering educators agree that any engineering curriculum must include plenty of mathematics studies to enrich the engineer's toolbox. Nevertheless, little attention has been given to the possible contribution of…

This study was aimed at assessing the relationships between college students' pre-entry factors, self-efficacy and motivation for learning, and the perceived constructivist learning in traditional lecture-based courses and seminars (SM). The study included 411 undergraduate third-year college students. Several scales were administered to the…

This article presents findings from a longitudinal qualitative study that examined teaching approaches of neophyte teachers in Israel during their 4-year exclusive teachers' training program for teaching Jewish subjects and first two years of teaching. The program wanted to promote change in secular pupils' attitudes toward Jewish subjects. We…

This article reflects critically on simulations. Building on the authors' experience simulating the Palestinian-Israeli-American Camp David negotiations of 2000, they argue that simulations are useful pedagogical tools that encourage creative--but not critical--thinking and constructivist learning. However, they can also have the deleterious…

This paper describes the impact of the project-based learning (PBL) approach on learning and teaching physics from the perspective of pre-service elementary school teacher education students and an instructor. This approach promoted meaningful learning (mainly in the scope of projects), higher motivation, and active involvement of students in…

This study reports the effect of teachers' professional development in a two-year MEd program of High School Science Education, held from October 2010 until March 2012. Twelve out of the 33 teachers enrolled in the program participated in the study. The main research questions were: what are the teachers' perceptions of their own work and teaching…

This study investigated how the use of two virtual platforms for learning--a Facebook group and a learning management system course website--affect students' perceptions of learning and participation. The theoretical basis for the research relied on social-constructivist theory. It was found that Facebook, although not originally created for…