Weizmann Institute of Science / Israel

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The Weizmann Institute of Science, located in Rehovot,Israel, is one of the top-ranking multidisciplinary research institutions in the world. Noted for its wide-ranging exploration of the sciences and technology, the Institute gathers together 2,500 scientists, technicians and research students devoted to adventuring into the unknown. In their labs, located in a landscaped campus environment, they share a vision: To better understand nature and our place within it. Inquisitiveness is their predominant trait. In the Department of Science Teaching, extensive research and development projects, aimed at producing improved and up-to-date learning materials that integrate the use of modern technologies, and implementing these materials throughout the Israeli education system, are carried out. Work is based on an underlying philosophy that considers curriculum development and implementation, teacher in-service development, research and evaluation as an interrelated and continuous long-term activity. Therefore, research related to all aspects of curriculum development and implementation forms an integral part of the process. This research includes evaluation of pilot materials through classroom research, affective and cognitive studies, analysis of student learning difficulties, effectiveness of specific learning and teaching strategies and teacher cognition.

Professor Avi Hofstein is head of the Department of Science Teaching at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel.  His scientific activities focus on all aspects of the curricular process in the context of chemistry education programs as well as in the program "Science for All". His plan is to continue the research and development in the four interrelated areas, namely, curriculum development and implementation including chemistry teachers' professional development, evaluation, and research. In the next four to five years the chemistry group will be involved in the development and implementation of learning materials based on the new syllabus of chemistry recently published by the Ministry of Education and Culture. The new program will be highly aligned with findings regarding chemistry students' conceptions and misconceptions. In addition, the main goal of the new program is to develop chemistry-literate students and students who will find chemistry studies relevant and applicable. The results of these and similar studies will then be used to develop learning materials and other remedial methods. Research will be conducted with the goal in mind of investigating the educational effectiveness of such learning and teaching tools, and to apply the model and results of the CPD program to other instructional techniques such as using the internet, using scientific articles in the chemistry classroom, and distant learning techniques.

Dr Rachel Mamlok-Naaman is a senior staff scientist, and coordinator of the Chemistry Group in the Department of Science Teaching. In addition, she is head of the National Centre for Chemistry Teachers and a senior member of the Science and Technology-for-All Group. She is engaged in development, implementation and evaluation of new curricular materials, and research on students' perceptions of chemistry concepts. Publications in the areas of scientific and technological literacy, teachers' professional development, cognitive aspects of students' learning, assessment and curriculum development. Dr Mamlok has numerous papers in refereed journals.

Dr Ron Blonder is a staff scientist and a researcher in the chemistry group at the Department of Science Teaching at the Weizmann Institute of Science. She received her B.Sc and her Ph.D in chemistry in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where she was the chemistry coordinator and the director of the Belmonte Science Laboratories center for high school students. Since then she is engage in professional development of chemistry teachers.

Dr Mira Kipnis is a high school chemistry teacher and a teacher of chemistry teachers. She is a member in the chemistry group in the department of Science Teaching, The Weizmann Institute of Science, where she earned her Ph.D. degree.The Weizmann-Team of PARSEL

The Weizmann-Team of Parsel