Mechanistic explanations, aiming to disclose details of entities and their activities, employ the act of unpacking which, inherently and paradoxically, produces explanatory gaps--pieces of undisclosed, undetailed mechanistic information. These gaps, termed explanatory black boxes, are often perceived as counterproductive to the teaching of…

Instructional leadership concerns the ongoing deep involvement of school principals in direct efforts to improve learning and achievement for all students. The goal of this study was to explore principals' perceptions regarding the knowledge required for instructional leadership. Study participants were 38 Israeli school principals, representing…

Content knowledge (CK), pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and, assessment knowledge (AK) are fundamental types of teachers' knowledge. Second-career, pre-service chemistry teachers leave the industry and return to the Technion to study in the "Views" program to obtain a high school teaching certificate. Their background can potentially…

The study investigates the mathematical and the pedagogical content knowledge among in-service and pre-service first- and second-grade mathematics teachers. The sample of 300 subjects consisted of 150 first- and second-grade in-service teachers and 150 pre-service teachers studying in a college of education, 75 of whom were first-year students and…

What is the nature of teachers' pedagogical knowledge? The Innovative Teaching for Effective Learning Teacher Knowledge Survey (ITEL TKS) set out to answer this question in a pilot study that ran in five countries: Estonia, Greece, Hungary Israel, and the Slovak Republic. Using convenience samples, the pilot assessed the pedagogical knowledge base…

The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of the Israeli certification program for teachers of gifted children. Pre- and post-tests addressed Israeli teachers' perceptions of unique teaching-learning situations in pullout centers, the desired characteristics of teachers of the gifted, as well as knowledge of gifted and instructional…

This study investigated mathematics teachers' professional knowledge among elementary school teachers exposed to a professional training program that either supported self-regulated learning (SRL) or offered no SRL support (no-SRL). The SRL support was based on the IMPROVE metacognitive self-questioning method that directs students' attention to…

Analyzes two aspects of teachers' planned presentations of subject matter (knowledge about subject matter and knowledge about students); illustrates using functions and undefined mathematical operations; and discusses the interconnectedness of subject-matter knowledge, knowledge about students, and knowledge about ways of presenting subject…