Part of the fun of college is being able to audit classes and get to know instructors’ individual teaching styles before deciding whether to register for their class. AMIT is bringing that student-led decision-making process to several of its high schools, starting with AMIT Wasserman Junior and Senior High School in Beersheva.
In the pilot program last year, students sat through the same class with four different teachers at the helm and then had to select one of them. This is the second year that the Wasserman students have chosen their teachers for history, literature, Tanach, and Torah classes.
“Students who are essentially a captive audience at school are less prepared for life,” Michal Melamed, one of the school’s teachers told Yedioth Ahronoth. “They are not partners in their learning and they have less faith in the system. When it comes to innovative learning, teachers can’t have immunity; this new method forces us to aim higher.”
Having this choice has also empowered the students and improved their grades, Elisha Peleg, the school’s principal, told Yedioth Ahronoth. He said that the students feel a greater responsibility for their education and invest more in learning.
“When a student can choose their way of learning and their teacher, our indications show that they feel more connected and they succeed in making the learning more meaningful,” said Amnon Eldar, AMIT’s director general.
This method is expected to expand to additional AMIT schools in Ma’ale Adumim, Haifa, and Ra’anana next year.