In 2020, Miriam Ben-Peretz, the Israel Scholar of 2006 and a member of the U.S. National Academy (in addition to being a recipient of Israel's EMET Prize for Research in Education and an American Educational Research Association Fellow) passed away. Ben-Peretz, whose life patterned Israel's contested history (including its wars), was equally well…

Test-based accountability (TBA) draws on a managerialist ideology that emphasises standards, constant measurement, and external motivation for improvement. It stands in sharp contrast to the idea of professional learning communities (PLCs) that aim to mobilise teachers' internal motivation and willingness to cooperate with peers to facilitate a…

In this article we explore how we as teacher educators translate a new vision of Israel education into curricular practice in the preparation of emerging Jewish educators. Using a practitioner inquiry mode of research, we reflect on our existential vision of Israel education and its translation into practice as creators and directors of a semester…

The article provides science educators with definitions of inquiry and its levels, relating them to real-world scientific processes. Such an educational shift entails a fundamental cultural change in the epistemology of science learning in schools, shifting it from "instructionism" to social constructivist learning. The highest level of…

Despite the growing consensus regarding the value of inquiry based teaching and learning, the implementation of such practices continues to be a challenge. The goal of this paper is to present a model for the educational infrastructure that can support the implementation of the Biomind program, which is a new open inquiry program for Israeli…

Assesses the conceptual change of teachers who have been involved in the development, implementation, field testing, and evaluation of several modules. Points out that the intrinsic nature of the STEMS (Science-Technology-Environment-Society) curriculum requires that the teachers who teach it also be the developers of its modules. (Contains 48…

Describes changes and effects of the Israeli paper-and-pencil matriculation examination in biology since first analysis in 1972. The examination has been significant for implementing an inquiry-oriented high school biology program based on the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study. Implications for upgrading science education are discussed.…

In the new biology-learning curriculum for Israeli high schools, known as Biomind, students experience "open-inquiry." This paper describes a qualitative action research project that was performed in order to investigate the characteristics of the open inquiry learning process. Specifically, the research investigates this process in…

The intended, perceived, implemented, and achieved curriculum of high school biology classes in Israel was studied using a variety of data sources and research methodologies. The intended curriculum was identified by analysis of commonly used laboratory manuals. The perceived curriculum was captured by procuring the views of teachers and students…

This paper describes two new family life curriculum development projects at Carnegie-Mellon University and presents the results of an evaluation of two mini-courses using a modified Solomon four-group experimental design. Based on historical, sociological, anthropological, and psychological research, the first unit presents family life in Japan…

Presents results of a study that examines the development and use of computer simulations for high school science instruction and for integrated laboratory and computerized tests that are part of the biology matriculation examination in Israel. Eleven implications for teaching are presented. (MDH)