ELT World » israel

Hebrew Uni project for teaching English benefits high schools

david — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 07:32:53 +0000

Israel: Ten high schools in Israel’s periphery are reaping the benefits of a Hebrew University-led project that provides state-of-the-art English-language learning centers and innovative teaching methods. The English Language Centers (ELC) project, headed by the Hebrew University’s National Council of Jewish Women’s (NCJW) Research Institute for Innovation in Education, is supported by the Clore Foundation and is conducted in conjunction with the British Council and Israel’s Ministry of Education.

Read the full story…

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Some Israeli parents still paying for English classes despite ministerial ban

david — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 07:10:08 +0000

Israel: Months after the government imposed a ban on private funding for advanced English classes in public schools, parents and teachers say money is still changing hands. “The ministry failed to offer an alternative solution,” one paying parent said. The ban was imposed in September, after the Education Ministry threatened to shelve altogether advanced English classes (referred to in Hebrew as “Dovrei Anglit,” which means English speakers) because of funding from non-ministerial sources, which the ministry called “improper.” Michal Tzadoki, a spokesperson for the ministry, told Anglo File this week that the ministry was not aware of public schools which charge for advanced English classes during school hours since adding the 500 hours of class time.

Read the full story…

Search for the latest TEFL news

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Israel: 22 years of teaching

david — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 05:50:00 +0000

In Israeli higher education, there’s one general trend that is clear: increasing numbers of Israeli students are going on to some form of higher education. Israel has been creating a system of regional colleges to cope with the growing demand for higher education. There were 22 such colleges in 1999. Many students also attend foreign universities awarding academic degrees in Israel. These trends all contribute to the increasing democratization of higher education, enhancing the equality of education. In such a climate, a need for English language skills is clear. In this article, originally published in full at the excellent One Stop English website, Marsha Goren describes her experiences of teaching English over more than two decades.

Israel: 22 years of teaching

I am an American who has been teaching English in Israel for 22 years. My work is very challenging and rewarding as most children in Israel strive to learn English.

Last year I received a job in the gifted program at Ein Ganim Elementary School. It was the first year that the children in this unique program were at this school. My school is one of five schools in the whole country that offers this special project. Children that participate in the program come from schools across the entire city. I realized it would take a tremendous amount of effort and investment on my part. It was a learning process for everyone that the program includes.

____________________

Visit David’s ELT in the Middle East for everything you need to know about teaching English in the Middle East.
____________________

Normally, according to the Ministry of Education, regular classes start to acquire English as a second language in the fourth grade. However, schools begin English in the third grade. Teachers teach the oral skills through games, songs, drama, and visual aids. The written skills are usually taught at a later stage after the reading stages.

The gifted program includes three classes: fourth, fifth, and sixth graders who study together as one unit from the third grade until they finish high school in the twelfth grade. Each class contains up to 25 pupils.

Israeli authors usually write the textbooks we use in Israel, although it is possible to purchase books at teachers’ centers from other publishers from almost anywhere in the world. Since parents have the responsibility of buying children their books, it would be too expensive to buy materials from abroad. Although many teachers purchase additional materials, it would be a burden on the parents.

Regular classes in the fourth grade normally begin to acquire basic English at the age of nine, since it is mandatory to begin in the fourth grade. Teachers put a tremendous amount of effort into reading and writing skills. It usually takes a year.

Read the full article at the ELT in Israel section of the blog.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.