A lesson on the book of Yona opens with a digital map and music, followed by a series of interactive lessons alongside the biblical text. Students are challenged to use independent thinking, outside the box creativity, textual analysis and reflective learning.
An English lesson on artwork offers a virtual tour of a graffiti wall complete with photos, video instruction, a list of difficult words and an easy-to-use dictionary. An artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot on the side of the screen is available to engage in a conversation in English with students who are eager to practice newly acquired language skills. A section on skill building is designed to empower students to set goals, build and manage a calendar, practice time management and set priorities.
Welcome to AMIT’s Learning Management System (LMS), one of the recent innovative tools AMIT has developed as part of its commitment to the personalization of learning and excellence in pedagogic development.
The AMIT Network operates across 87 schools in Israel, impacting 40,000 students per year in more than 30 cities throughout the country. About 70% of these schools are in Israel’s geographic and socioeconomic periphery, where there is often a shortage of teachers and few resources. The new LMS is currently being used by approximately 6,000 students in grades seven to 10, and dozens of teachers in 20 AMIT schools.
The goal is to incorporate this model in 56 schools in the coming year and, eventually, into every AMIT school. This innovation highlights AMIT’s enduring mission to harness both Jewish values and technological tools to empower children on their journeys: educational, social, professional and personal.
Utilizing AI tools, this first-of-its-kind system in scope and scale provides a tailored learning experience for students in the subjects of English, Tanach, history and skill building, integrating rich educational content with goal setting, personal development and learning assessment. Using the module, students set their own goals with teachers and track their progress, choose the subject they wish to learn at the appropriate level of difficulty and pace, and tap into AI-powered support. Teachers monitor students’ development and provide real-time feedback and solutions to challenges as they arise, while at the same time adapting content to best support each student’s learning journey.
Transforming the Education Model
In 2022, AMIT embarked on a revolutionary path to transform the model of education in Israel to be as relevant as possible to today’s ever-evolving classroom, a path overseen by Dr. Michal Aflalo, AMIT’s vice president of research and development.
“AMIT is a body that enables you to dream and to achieve your dreams,” said Aflalo, who has been with the organization since 2016. “Everybody speaks, but in AMIT we also do, which means we can see the outcomes that are driven by an entire organization. The sky is the limit.”
At the heart of this transformation was the push to enhance six core pillars—connection, belonging, security, capability, internal compass and autonomy—that are critical to young students’ growth. Students thereby develop the knowledge, values, skills, internal motivation and self-worth to succeed inside the classroom and far beyond, advancing AMIT’s ever-compelling mission to inspire lifelong achievement.
Central to this model are three key aspects:
- Identity: Students look inside themselves to discover their values and what is important to them within the Jewish/Zionist framework.
- Strength of Students: Students hone their interests and strengths, decide what they wish to learn and at what pace and level, and the teacher adapts the lesson accordingly. Teachers shift from being transmitters of knowledge to facilitators of the learning process, empowering students to take control of their personal educational journey and feel more motivated to succeed.
- Personalization of Learning: Students choose one of three Gates of Learning pathways that best nurtures their unique needs and development. These pathways are Group Study, Independent Study or Discovery, in which students have more freedom to build their educational program.
Throughout this process, mentors work individually with each student to map out goals and progress, to regularly track outcomes for learning and development, and to ensure constant growth. One mentor is assigned per 15 students, ensuring hands-on attention and guidance.
Aflalo is responsible for setting the vision for the entire educational model, which includes overseeing a team of 60 developers who are building the cutting-edge technologies and AI capabilities to drive this approach and to facilitate a path unique to each student’s needs. AI technology supports the teacher in mapping a unique learning journey for each student and developing the most relevant content according to this assessment. It supports student learning in the LMS module, where each individual can progress according to their own pace and learning style and access chatbots that provide around-the-clock support as well as enrichment questions based on their level. The teacher then reviews the student’s work and gathers AI-powered data and metrics on their strengths and weaknesses. This enables the teacher to properly determine the student’s progress and adapt the content and pace of study.
AMIT has also developed tools for teachers to support students with pedagogic skills vital to their personal development, such as motivation to learn and cognitive, emotional and social skills. One of the AI tools currently in development is a chatbot that will help teachers sharpen their mentoring skills. When dealing with challenges in the classroom, the bot will review the teacher’s response and provide feedback based on simulation of a conversation with a student.
The team is working on further developing the educational content to incorporate lessons for every subject, as well as additional life skills, and to expand this system to students in 11th and 12th grades.
AMIT Is Leading the Way
Aflalo stressed that this one-of-a-kind AI-powered system does not exist anywhere else in the world. Israel’s Ministry of Education has taken great interest in this tool, underscoring its potential to change the face of education in Israel and possibly beyond. According to Aflalo, the Israeli education system has not changed dramatically in many decades, which is why AMIT is so committed to investing in these technologies that will modernize the classroom and engage students in today’s climate.
There is endless possibility and potential for the use of AI in the classroom, and AMIT is at the forefront of developing this technology and introducing modern learning tools to empower today’s students and tomorrow’s future leaders. The impact is already being seen, as teachers report higher grades and increased levels of engagement as a result of the LMS, with more comprehensive assessments to be completed in the future. It comes down to seeing every student as a unique individual and being bold enough to allow the student to proactively lead their own educational journey, with the support of AMIT’s talented teachers and mentors.
“We want to have an impact on education, to be meaningful and create a different approach to classroom learning,” Aflalo summarized. The results speak for themselves.
