Above and Beyond: Innovations in Advanced Math Education
Training expert advanced math teachers for Jewish and Arab high schools
Beit Berl College offers a prestigious program to train expert teachers of advanced mathematics for Jewish and Arab high schools throughout the country. This program is a result of cooperation between Beit Berl, the Ministry of Education and the Jules & Eddie Trump Foundation,
Based on a model of interactive teaching, the Above and Beyond program, which attracts outstanding mathematics graduates (holders of Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees), aims to achieve two main goals:
- To boost the math achievement levels of high school students – particularly in marginalized communities.
- To increase the number of young women who study and succeed in advanced mathematics in high school.
Unique model – student-centered teaching
The program is based on a unique model of student-centered teaching. Teachers-in-training engage in real-life simulations, peer learning and internships with expert teachers in schools. These teachers learn how to improve and adapt their teaching to suit the individual needs and capabilities of each student in their classroom.
Connecting theory with practice, the one-year teacher training takes place primarily in the high schools themselves, with intensive study days on the College campus. The clinical training is based on experiencing teaching simulations, analyzing lessons as part of the practical training, documenting various teaching situations, didactic workshops and more.
Each graduate continues to receive personal supervision and support from the Beit Berl College faculty for the first two years of work in the education system – in line with the best practices documented in research around the world. Finally, “Above and Beyond” creates a community of graduates who support one another in the field, building an “elite unit” of excellent math teachers as a spearhead in the education system to promote advanced math education for all Israelis.