Moshe Silberstein

The Expert Case Study Model: an alternative approach to the development of teacher education modules

Abstract The study provides a rationale for and describes the procedures used to develop teacher education modules based on case studies of expert teachers. The Expert Case Study Model (ECSM) is based on findings of recent studies which focus on the personal practice knowledge that teachers build up through their teaching experience. An example of an expert elementary school teacher teaching reading in a mixed ability class is described in detail including citations recorded during the observation of the lesson and the processes of reflection and deliberation which served as the basis of the activities which characterise the module. One of the major undertakings of the project staff was to tap the tacit knowledge of the expert teacher and infer from it the behavioral patterns and the implicit theories. This was carried out with the help of the teacher who, through continuous dialogue with the staff ascertained the validity of the staff interpretations. Further study is needed to find out the impact and ef...

A curriculum development case study in biology: two levels of interpretation

Summaries English In this article, the authors examine the nature of curricular decision‐making at two levels which relate, respectively, to external curriculum developers and to teachers as curriculum users. At the first level, the process of translating scholarly, scientific material into formal curriculum materials is influenced by the curriculum developers’ interpretation of curricular constraints and intentions. At the second level, the adoption or adaptation of curricular materials in classroom teaching is influenced by the teachers’ perception and interpretation of the curriculum materials. As a study of an Israeli curriculum unit has revealed, there are significant differences between curriculum developers on the one hand, and curriculum users on the other, in their interpretation of curricular constraints, intentions and implementation possibilities.

Increasing the effectiveness of learning how to teach in preservice education

AbstractIn the context of re-examining teaching practice as an integral part of teacher education, two hypotheses were tested by a year-long experiment in preservice education of elementary school teachers:1)A “group reflection workshop” to be incorporated into the teaching practice program will increase the effectiveness of the teaching practice (i.e., will improve teaching performance).2)Increasing the time of teaching practice in the traditional model from one day per week to two in Year 2 and from two days to three in Year 3 will not increase the effectiveness of teaching practice. The experiment involved 126 trainee teachers and their cooperating teachers, 9 tutors, and 5 independent and skilled observers. The trainees were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups, and the two hypotheses were examined independently. Each trainee was observed in the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of the year (second or third year in the initial training program). Three measures of teaching effectiveness served as the dependent variables. The findings supported both hypotheses, especially in regard to the second-year students. It was concluded that the teaching practice time should not be extended and that a group reflection workshop should become an integral component of teaching practice.

Curriculum Development and Implementation as a Component of Teacher Education in Israel.

Abstract The description of a Teacher Education Program in Curriculum Studies, introduced recently in Teacher Education Institutions in Israel, is the main issue of the article. The program was developed in response to: (a) a new conception of the role of teachers in curriculum making in Israel, emphasizing competencies of autonomous consumer and producer of curriculum materials, and (b) findings of a survey assessing the actual treatment of curriculum studies in 23 Teacher Colleges and six Universities which train elementary and secondary school teachers. A brief outline of the new conception and also a brief description of the findings of the survey are given. Finally, preliminary empirical data about how the program was met by the target population, that is, the teachers of the teachers, is presented.