Bulletin: Education in Israel

Books

• Barry Chazan, A Philosophy of Israel Education
• Anat Even Zahav and Orit Hazzan, Risk Management of Education Systems. The Case of STEM Education in Israe
• Malka Muchnik et al, Elective Language Learning and Policy in Israel
• Miri Yemini, Internationalization and Global Citizenship. Policy and Practice in Education

Articles

• Audrey Addi-Raccah and Yael Grinshtain, Forms of Capital and Teachers’ Views of Collaboration and Threat Relations With Parents in Israeli Schools
• Audrey Addi-Raccah and Yael Grinshtain, Teachers’ capital and relations with parents: A comparison between Israeli Jewish and Arab teachers
• Orly Alaluf, Dorel Ungureanu, and Alina S. Rusu, Israeli Teachers’ Attitudes Assessment regarding Parental Involvement of Children with Special Needs
• Ayman K. Agbaria, The ‘right’ education in Israel: segregation, religious ethnonationalism, and depoliticized professionalism
• Khalid Arar and Asmahan Masry-Herzalla, Gender, Ethnicity, and Social Justice Leadership: Female Jewish and Arab School Principals in Israel
• Nimrod Aloni, Humanist Schools in the Face of Conflicting Narratives and Social Upheaval: The Case of Israel
• Iris BenDavid-Hadar, Education for All: The Israeli Ultra-Orthodox Schools
• Miri Goldratt and Eric H. Cohen, Non Formal Education: A Case Study of Personal Education in Israeli Schools
• Eyal Kaminka, Teaching about the Holocaust in Israel
• Ofer Katchergin, The Medicalizing Power of Rhetorical Images in the Israeli Learning Disabilities Field
• Adam Nir et al, School autonomy and 21st century skills in the Israeli educational system
• Iair G. Or and Elana Shohamy, English Education Policy in Israel
• Oren Shlomo, Sub-formalization in East Jerusalem Schooling
• Benzi Slakmon, Educational Technology Policy in Israel
• Tina Waldman, Efrat Harel, and Götz Schwab, Getting their feet wet: trainee EFL teachers in Germany and Israel collaborate online

Reviews

• Toni Rickenback, on Zvi Bekerman’s The Promise of Integrated Multicultural and Bilingual Education

Theses

• Tamar Bulmash, iPosture: A Closer Look at the Lifestyle Practices of Jewish Israeli School Children

 

New Article: Manor-Binyamini, Mothers of Adolescent Children with Disabilities in the Druze Community in Israel

Manor-Binyamini, Iris. “Positive Aspects of Coping among Mothers of Adolescent Children with Developmental Disability in the Druze Community in Israel.” Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability (early view; online first).

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URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/13668250.2015.1129665

 

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this study was to compare perceptions of coping as experienced by 240 mothers of adolescents with and without developmental disability in the Druze community in Israel. Method: The mothers completed the Sociodemographic Questionnaire, Grandparents Functional Support Assessment, Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales, and the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory. Results: Both groups were found to be similar in their perception of family cohesion and emotional support. However, mothers of adolescents with a developmental disability reported higher rates of both adaptability to change and personal growth. Moreover, associations were found between family cohesion and adaptability to change and support, and between adaptability to change and social support and personal growth. Conclusion: Druze mothers of adolescents with developmental disability reveal important information regarding positive coping strategies.

 

 

 

New Article: Taller-Azulay & Rusu, Parents’ Support in Education of Hearing Impaired Children

Taller-Azulay, Galia, and Alina Simona Rusu. “Parents’ Involvement in Supporting Education of Hearing Impaired Children in Israel.” Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences 209.3 (2015): 188-94.

 

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.11.213

 

Extract

This article aims to investigate the psycho-pedagogical variables associated to the parents’ involvement in the special education of the hearing impaired children in Israel. It is generally acknowledged that parents of disabled children often go through a grieving process after the birth of their children. We assume that there is a difference between parents in regards to their gender and to the individual coping mechanisms with the birth process of a child with hearing impairment. All these differences are expected to be reflected in the level of parental involvement in the special education of their children.

 

 

 

New Article: Shani and Ram, Inclusion in Israel and Ecological Perspectives

Shani, Michal and Drorit Ram. “Perceptions of School Administration Team Members Concerning Inclusion in Israel: Are They in Congruence with the Ecological Sustainable Perspective?” British Journal of Special Education (early view; online first).

 

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1467-8578.12103

 

Abstract

Based on an ecological perspective, inclusive education should involve two essential components: a shared ideology of providing a culturally responsive educational system where the needs of every child are met and a school policy geared towards the implementation of inclusion practices, with collaborations among staff members who create sustainable relationships. The study’s aim was to gain a better understanding of School Administration Team Members’ (SATMs’) perceptions of inclusive education in general elementary schools. It was found that although SATMs expressed pro-inclusion ideological statements, they have not yet manifested an ecological view of inclusion de facto that is holistic in nature. By and large, respondents expressed reactive rather than proactive perceptions. It appears that collaborations have not yet been initiated where inclusion is discussed, and a shared ideology is constructed. The research suggests that the perceptions of SATMs reflect perspectives of problem solving, survival, and partial collaborative networks that do not fully embrace ecological sustainable perspectives.

 
 
 
 

New Book: Lev-On, ed. Online Communities

לב-און, אזי, עורך. קהילות מקוונות. תל אביב: רסלינג, 2015.

The rapid penetration and intensive use of the Internet in general and online social media in particular allowed for the flourishing of a new type of communities – online communities that share some common traits with traditional geographic communities, but differ from them in other respects.

An online community is a dynamic association of individuals based on a common characteristic or a shared interest as the basis of a social relationship, and whose members engage in sustained interaction through the Internet. The voluntary affiliation of community members, the size of the community, the professionalization of its members and the self-regulation mechanisms that it engenders, helps the development of large-scale networks in which members choose to share information and engage in common interest over a substantial time period. In this way, online communities can be a magnet for large numbers of savvy individuals, and at the same time open a new world of opportunities for them.

Online Communities is a collection of articles written by Israeli scholars who are engaged in online communities of various kinds: parents with special needs children, adolescent girls, social workers, online forums dealing with health issues on the one hand and pro-anorexia communities on the other, and more. The chapters of the book address issues such as the structure and function of these communities, uses and gratifications derived from community membership, as well as methodological issues raised by the study of online communities.

The editor, Dr. Azi Lev-On, studies the social and political uses and influences of the Internet, especially social media arenas such as forums of Ultra- Orthodox women and of political activists, Facebook pages of municipalities and Knesset members, knowledge communities and online venues for public involvement.