THE ROTHSCHILD PRIZE IN EDUCATION In Memory of Max Rowe
This is the job of the educator… to be an agent of freedom, to provide pupils with the tools to exercise this freedom in their lives… Dov Elbaum, Committee Member
The committee had a difficult task. We encountered optimistic individuals with “glimmers in their eyes”, who gave us the sense that they were carrying the world on their shoulders. In the end, we chose a special group of four people who, through unending dedication over the course of many years, created educational frameworks marked by attentiveness and inclusion, dialogue and acceptance. Rabbi Jeremy Stavisky, Committee Member
THE ROTHSCHILD PRIZE IN EDUCATION In Memory of Max Rowe
2013
April 2013
THE ROTHSCHILD PRIZE IN EDUCATION IN MEMORY OF MAX ROWE Max Rowe immigrated to Israel in 1948. He served as head of PICA and later as Chief Executive of Yad Hanadiv (the Rothschild Foundation) until 1982. In his work at Yad Hanadiv, Max Rowe placed high priority on advancing education in Israel. Under his guidance, Yad Hanadiv established the Open University, Educational Television and the Centre for Educational Technology (CET). All three of these initiatives grew out of Rowe’s beliefs that ‘a high quality education should be available for the masses’, that ‘the particular aptitudes of each individual should be fostered’ and that the school system could not, on its own, contend with these two objectives simultaneously. To honour Max Rowe’s memory, in 1987 Yad Hanadiv established the Rothschild Prize in Education, to recognize educators in the Israeli school system who promote excellence, initiative and innovation, and advance their pupils in exceptional and commendable ways. The selection committee for the Prize includes public officials, representatives of the Ministry of Education, and members of academia in education. Nominations are received from district superintendents at the Ministry of Education, from directors of education departments in municipalities, local and regional councils, supervisors, educators, members of academia, and from the general public. The 2013 Max Rowe Prize is being awarded to teachers at all levels and across all disciplines, who develop in their students the ability and commitment to practice deliberative and respectful discourse – requisites for tolerant democratic citizens.
Max Rowe (1912-1985)
Committee Members – 2013 Professor Amnon Rubinstein, Chair Former Minister of Education, Israel Prize Winner, Interdisciplinary Centre Herzliya
Ms Shlomit Amichai
Chair, Israel Centre for Excellence through Education
Rabbanit Adina Bar-Shalom Founder and Chair, Haredi College of Jerusalem
Ms Gila Ben-Har
CEO, Centre for Educational Technology
Mr Dov Elbaum
Author and Lecturer on Jewish Culture
Dr Dror Eydar
Researcher on Society, Literature and Culture & Columnist, Israel Today Newspaper
Rabbi Avraham Gisser
Chair, State Religious Education Authority
Mr Arie Mimon
Director, Ashdod Education Authority
Ms Yaffa Pass
Director, Division for High School Education, Ministry of Education
Ms Yehudith Shalvi
Executive Director, Avney Rosha – Israel Institute for Head Teachers
Dr Kamal Shofaniya
Secondary School Education Supervisor, Druse Sector, Northern District
Ms Dalit Stauber
Director General, Ministry of Education
Rabbi Jeremy Stavisky
Head Teacher, Himmelfarb High School
Ms Khadija Taha
Former School Head Teacher; Facilitator, Avney Rosha
Sustaining resilient democracy in a diverse society is a sacred and fragile enterprise. It requires citizens’ vigilant devotion to democratic values and processes, and commitment to deliberative, respectful and tolerant debate. Teachers in our schools have the opportunity and responsibility to prepare students for their role as tomorrow’s citizens. This year’s Rothschild Prize in Education in Memory of Max Rowe recognizes teachers who are making exceptional efforts to educate their students in the practice of deliberative and respectful discourse and to instil in them its crucial importance for the future of our democracy.
Ran Yashfe Ran Yashfe, a teacher and founder of the The School of Transformative Media, Tel Aviv, and of the Advancing Communication Programme in high schools and middle schools, has turned the video camera into a tool for helping special education pupils and youth-at-risk tell their life stories and the stories of Israeli society. In 1992, he purchased his first video camera in order to photograph and ‘edit’ his life, and to share his perspective with those around him. This personal experience led him to develop programmes in which pupils raise important questions for discussion based on their own lives, using a story and characters they create. The pupils, from middle schools and high schools in Jerusalem and nearby cities, write scripts, photograph, act, direct and edit, with a single goal: to conduct a discussion on what they have produced and, consequently, to discover alternatives. According to his method, the pupils’ videos serve as a platform for developing dialogue among them. The motto that guides them is ‘everything disappears in time, except for the alternatives’. The key expressions guiding the discussion are ‘why’ and ‘why must it be so’ – questions that pupils ask each other after watching their films, with the aim of clarifying the reason for a particular action (on the ‘set’ and in life itself) and what the possible alternatives are (in cinema arts and
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in life beyond the camera lens). In this way, the cinematic work creates an innovative and creative space for self-reflection, for expressing emotions and for conducting a dialogue about the pupils’ worlds. The combination of an audio-visual work and the subsequent textual discussion generates discourse that incorporates insights and emotions, and strengthens the belief in each individual’s ability to engender change in himself and in his environment. In addition to training the pupils to develop dialogue through film, Ran trains teachers to stimulate meaningful dialogue with their pupils through the use of a camera and its output. His work methods also involve exposing students’ parents to this creative process, thereby expanding the circles of discourse and discussion. The community, which provides the setting for the filming, is likewise a partner in this work and its output.
For creative pedagogic activity that facilitates discourse between pupils and their communities, and for creating a model of communication that advances dialogue through a video camera and its output, Ran Yashfe is awarded the Rothschild Prize in Education in Memory of Max Rowe.
Shikma Levi Shikma Levi, form teacher for a class of older pupils and pedagogic coordinator at the Ilanot School for Special Education in Nahariya, began her career in the world of education as a soldier-teacher in the IDF. She went on to study and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Education, graduating with honours from Gordon College of Education in Haifa, and a Master’s Degree (also with honours) in Special Education from the University of Haifa. She regards her educational work as a path for training pupils to become contributing and involved citizens in their community. Thus, beginning in 1994, she began to use discussion and discourse as basic tools for acquiring skills for the future. She explains to her pupils that everywhere in the community they will need to listen and contend with a range of ideas and unfamiliar notions, and that the way to bridge the differences is through dialogue. Jews, Christians and Muslims learn together, side by side, at the school where she teaches, and issues often arise that require openness and sensitivity through discourse and discussion, with an emphasis on diversity and the importance of listening. She also initiated and directs a schoolwide programme for dialogue among pupils. To implement the programme, special hours were allocated for discussions in which issues are raised from the world of work and participation
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in the community. Shikma also initiated a monthly Cafe where older pupils discuss current topics with younger pupils. In all of the discussions, she insists on a set of rules, including listening, speaking in turn and in the first person, and respecting diversity of opinions. This method provides the pupils with tools for analyzing events and dilemmas, for coping with conflicts and for overcoming difficulties. Many members of the staff have adopted her approach and she shares her guidelines with them so that they can apply them in all circles of life. Thanks to her work, many of her pupils are participating in National Service [Sherut Leumi] and in community work.
For establishing dialogue and discussion as basic tools for acquiring life skills and for unique initiatives fostering discourse as an instrument for contending with hard questions and situations, Shikma Levi is awarded the Rothschild Prize in Education in Memory of Max Rowe.
Labeeb Sirhan Labeeb Sirhan began his career in the field of education as an instructor in the Shelah civic responsibility programme. In addition to his undergraduate and graduate studies, and a management course at the University of Haifa, he has worked as a social coordinator, form coordinator, head teacher and administrator, and lectured at colleges in the field of educational psychology. For five years, he supervised programmes for Educational Television for the Druse sector. In 2003, he was appointed head teacher of the Alghudran ‘Heh’ Elementary School, Mghar. During the past decade he also taught science classes and led numerous initiatives, including an experiment in which the pupils developed skills empowering them to influence the community. Through learning based on dialogue, together with the teachers who followed his lead, he was able to improve the school climate and boost student achievement. Labeeb has instilled higher-order thinking skills in his staff and has transformed the school into a learning organisation. The dialogue he generates among members of the staff assists teachers and guides them in creating an atmosphere of meaningful learning through experimentation, environmental literacy, developing awareness and fostering readiness and commitment to take action. The school’s daily routine includes
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a morning assembly that provides an open forum for pupils to raise issues and questions. Later in the day, there are discussions about the issues that were raised, as well as other subjects of study. The conversations encourage the pupils to ask questions, to think critically and inquisitively, and to take responsibility for effecting change. In 2011, Labeeb also developed a constructive intercultural dialogue involving meetings with pupils from a Jewish school. In addition, the school is a proponent of sustainability and participates in a project to preserve sources of water – this includes caring for the stream that runs in back of the school. With the help and initiative of his staff, he has led additional educational initiatives, such as promoting the involvement of parents, teachers and pupils in activities, and strengthening the connection between teachers and parents.
For developing an educational vision based on dialogue, for unique initiatives to improve the school environment and for developing innovative tools to boost the sense of belonging and pride among pupils, teachers and parents, Labeeb Sirhan is awarded the Rothschild Prize in Education in Memory of Max Rowe.
Johina Awauda From the time she began teaching geography and history in 2001, Johina – today a regional instructor, evaluation coordinator, teacher and educator at Al Hekma ‘Alef’ Elementary School, Kafr Kanna – has made a practice of teaching the subjects of study through discussion and democratic discourse. In addition to broadening her professional knowledge, including a Master’s Degree with honours in Middle Eastern History and a certificate of excellence in training head teachers, she has implemented the standards of discourse and discussion, and has established open dialogue as the foundation of her professional work. For Johina, the learning process is based on an exchange of views about problems or complex situations that demand attention or solutions. She does not act as an expert or authority in this dialogue, but rather as a partner and participant with her pupils. This allows the dialogue to expand and draw in many pupils who might otherwise be passive. In all of the roles she has filled during her 13 years in education, she has initiated innovative projects – all of them based on learning through discussion, open and equal discourse, readiness to accept the other and development of critical thinking. For example, she facilitates, accompanies and guides a weekly
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meeting between first graders and sixth graders in which the pupils collaborate on value-driven activities. Her work as a teacher, educator, coordinator of a special programme for gifted pupils, pedagogic coordinator and as a coordinator of evaluation and assessment, have spurred her pupils to participate more actively in lessons and to take responsibility. She has helped improve pupils’ ability to express themselves and to contend with complicated and sensitive situations maturely and democratically. Johina succeeds in establishing a culture of discourse and discussion not only among her pupils, but also among colleagues, parents and the community in which she works. In 2010, she founded a Mothers’ Council at the school. The Council’s activity is based on dialogue and it has succeeded in boosting the involvement of parents in the education of their children.
For creating a culture of democratic discussion and discourse, and for bringing new vision and methods in her activities with pupils, teachers and parents, Johina Awauda is awarded the Rothschild Prize in Education in Memory of Max Rowe.
Honourable Mention Recipients, 2013 Rami Ben Aharon Nesher Comprehensive High School
Itzik Gvili Shapira High School, Netanya
Anat Lavy Agron Elementary School, Jerusalem
Dr Daphna Moskowitz Israel Arts and Sciences Academy & The Hebrew University Secondary School, Jerusalem
Amnon Rabinovitz Sieff and Marks School, Jerusalem