Courses topics may change
This course develops advanced academic writing skills required for graduate studies in English language teaching. The course emphasizes scholarly writing conventions according to the American Psychological Association (APA 7th Edition).
Students will learn to critically read research articles, formulate research questions, locate and evaluate academic sources, and produce structured academic texts. Emphasis is placed on source integration, synthesis writing, academic argumentation, and ethical research practices.
The course views academic writing not only as a technical skill, but also as a reflective process through which teachers develop their professional and scholarly voice.
The seminar is designed to enable participants to develop a professional role conception, grounded in a deeper familiarity with the Israeli education system and a consolidation of a personal educational-social vision.
The teacher’s role conception spans between being part of a school, local, and national system, and their place in advancing a pedagogical and values-based worldview.
Throughout the course, we will deepen our understanding of the Israeli education system across its formal, organizational, historical, and developmental dimensions. In addition, participants will be exposed to a range of approaches and perspectives on several pedagogical and values-based issues.
At the core of the course will be the writing of a seminar paper that bridges a small-scale empirical study with personal reflection.
Qualitative research is the study of a phenomenon from the subjective point of view of those who experience it. Dr. Sigad seeks to discover not one ultimate truth, but as it is perceived, felt, and experienced by research participants. Therefore, qualitative research is an in-depth examination of teaching and education processes. The course aims to impart the ability to conduct qualitative research by
In the course, we will specifically deal with empirical and qualitative research development and examine differences in their assumptions and characteristics. Students will experience conducting various stages of qualitative research: Formulating a research question, selecting and locating a research population, building research tools, conducting interviews and observations, perform coding and data analysis processes, maintaining ethical rules, and ensuring reliability. These processes will be discussed in relation to the educational context. Practice lessons accompany the course.
The course will combine plenary lectures, consultation in small groups with the lecturer, online practice, and joint work by all the students on a research project on a common topic of their choice. The course will provide a platform for examining diverse aspects of the research topic.
A synchronic online course – Independent learning.
This course provides informal assessment tools to provide an understanding of the components of pupils’ English proficiency. The tools provide a theoretical and practice-based foundation for building an intervention program. Participants will experience, contextualize, and critique assessment tools as a first step to creating effective intervention in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) for a struggling student or a group of students who have challenges in acquiring English.
This course is designed to foster students’ literary awareness, critical thinking and analytical skills, empowering them to engage with and teach literary texts independently and with confidence. Through the exploration of poetry and short fiction, students will acquire practical strategies and innovative approaches for the effective teaching of literature within diverse EFL classrooms and curricula. Beyond developing pedagogical expertise, the course seeks to cultivate an appreciation of literature as a powerful medium for cultural understanding and personal reflection. By deepening their own engagement with literary works, students will be better equipped to inspire curiosity, interpretation, and a love of reading.
This course provides pre-service teachers with a comprehensive theoretical and practical framework for the integration of digital tools and Generative AI within the modern educational system. Designed around a Project-Based Learning (PBL) model, students transition from “problem-spotters” to “solution-designers.” Throughout the semester, students conduct field research to diagnose real-world pedagogical challenges faced by school stakeholders. They then leverage evidence-based implementation frameworks to select off-the-shelf technologies, anticipate potential institutional obstacles, and design strategic solutions. The course culminates in a professional digital showcase (a poster, podcast, or multimedia presentation) that bridges the gap between educational theory and innovative classroom practice.
The course presents a theoretical and research-based foundation for giftedness and excellence education. It maps the characteristics of gifted learners across the developmental continuum from childhood to adulthood, including emotional, social, and gender-related aspects. We will examine educational settings and specialized programs and address the existing and needed provisions for gifted and high-achieving populations in rural areas. The course will also explore environmental frameworks for the gifted in peripheral and central regions, focusing on how contextual and systemic conditions shape opportunities, resources, and educational support. In teaching gifted and high-achieving learners, we will become familiar with pedagogical principles and differentiated assessment. In addition, the course will address the role of parents and the community in nurturing gifted learners, the characteristics and professional expertise of teachers of the gifted, and gifted individuals in adulthood in relation to identity, challenges, and the realization of potential.
The course focuses on developing essential teaching skills for teachers in the 21st century among students planning to teach in secondary schools and accompanies students’ practical experience in the first year. It offers tools for planning and implementing classroom instruction centered on the active, involved learner. Students will be exposed to pedagogical, managerial, and social skills required in the 21st century, will learn to diagnose students’ educational and social needs, and adapt diverse and effective teaching strategies. The course will combine reading articles, watching pedagogical videos, analyzing case studies, implementing digital tools, and planning customized lessons. The course is in a hybrid format. All study units appear online asynchronously on the model website. The course content will be covered in a workshop as part of the practical experience.
This course explores the relationship between educator well-being and effective language teaching through reflective engagement with research, key texts, and professional experience. Focusing on teacher well-being, burnout prevention, compassion and self-compassion, work-life balance, and resilience, the course invites language teachers to examine the emotional, relational, and professional demands of their work. Through reflective writing, self-assessment tools, practitioner interviews, and mini-research projects, students will connect theoretical concepts to real-life teaching situations and develop practical strategies for sustaining their well-being. By the end of the course, participants will create a personalized well-being framework and action plan that supports their ongoing professional growth, resilience, and ability to foster positive and supportive language-learning environments.
The teaching practicum is a central component of teacher education and preparation for the teaching profession. In the M.Teach program, the practicum takes place on Wednesdays during the first year of studies. As part of the practicum, students are exposed to teachers’ work and gain hands-on teaching experience. At the end of the practicum day, students return to the college to continue their studies.
At the beginning of the academic year, each student is assigned to a school and a mentor teacher who teaches English there. As part of the practicum, students observe classes, teach lessons, participate in staff meetings, and contribute to special activities such as one-to-one tutoring, grading exams, and related tasks. In addition, they meet with the academic coordinator, a college lecturer responsible for overseeing and managing the practicum.
This year-long course offers a comprehensive introduction to the principles and practices of secondary school EFL didactics. It focuses on effective teaching strategies, learning methodologies, curriculum design, and assessment practices. Throughout the course, participants will explore a range of instructional approaches aimed at strengthening their teaching skills and enhancing student learning outcomes. The course will also introduce participants to the principles of experiential learning and provide practical guidance on integrating digital tools and AI technologies into language teaching and learning.
At the beginning of the academic year, each student is assigned to a school and a mentor teacher who teaches English there. As part of the practicum, students observe classes, teach lessons, participate in staff meetings, and contribute to special activities such as one-to-one tutoring, grading exams, and related tasks. In addition, they meet with the academic coordinator, a college lecturer responsible for overseeing and managing the practicum.
This single-semester course aims to (re)acquaint students with forms and techniques of poetry, from figurative devices and lineation to inherited forms and musical patterns. Strategies for integrating poetry effectively into the EFL classroom will be discussed and developed. By the course’s end, students will recite, elucidate, and teach a chosen poem. The course also aims to restore to students an appreciation of poetry, an under-studied genre.
Every educational decision rests upon tacit assumptions that often remain unexamined. Philosophy of education is the field that articulates the more general of these assumptions — in particular, how our conceptions of the nature and needs of individuals and societies shape the direction of our educational convictions. This asynchronous introductory course offers a window into the historical debate over these assumptions, and into the multi-generational conversation over the purposes of education. It traces the debate from early hunter-gatherer societies, through the ancient distinction between vocational education for laborers and liberal education for a non-working elite, to enduring tensions between moral and civic education, and on to modern critical and alternative approaches. Engaging with thinkers across the history of Western thought — and some from beyond it — students are invited to revisit and interrogate their own assumptions about education, devising an informed personal stance. The course offers eleven self-paced online assignments, of which each student completes four. Students are warmly invited to schedule one-on-one conversations with the instructor — by video or in person — to explore the issues more broadly.
The course offers a framework for expanding knowledge of the unique characteristics of adolescence and their experiences in the classroom. This knowledge will help our students (pre-service teachers and future teachers) maintain empathetic relationships with adolescent students and conduct themselves in the school system in ways that promote mental well-being and an optimal classroom climate. During the course, we will examine physiological, emotional, cognitive, and social processes that occur during adolescence, and we will deal with typical phenomena such as physiological and neurophysiological development, the development of thinking capability, motivation for learning, and changes in identity and self-image and moral development; adolescents’ relationships with their friends and teachers; and risk-taking.
Over the past twenty years, there has been a significant shift in the linguistic policy of the Israeli education system, moving from a cultural-linguistic “melting pot” approach to one that supports multiculturalism and multilingualism. This approach legitimizes educational staff encouraging children to communicate among themselves in a mother tongue other than Hebrew. In addition to the linguistic aspect, the Ministry of Education’s new approach encourages teachers to develop a sensitivity to the cultural uniqueness of children coming from diverse cultural backgrounds.
This course will focus on:
Assessment is an integral part of teaching and learning processes and constitutes a central component in shaping a school culture that promotes meaningful learning. Educational institutions today are required to develop an innovative assessment culture that views assessment as a tool for advancing learning, rather than merely measuring it, and regards it as an integral part of diverse modes of teaching and learning.
In recent years, digital technologies, and particularly artificial intelligence technologies, have become part of this culture, offering teachers and students advanced tools for monitoring progress, providing personalized feedback, predicting learning difficulties, and supporting pedagogical decision-making.
During the course, we will examine the role of these technologies in the context of assessment and explore the tension between formative and summative assessment. We will discuss the changing roles of the teacher/facilitator and students in technology-based assessment processes, as well as ethical questions arising from the use of artificial intelligence in educational contexts. In addition, students will become familiar with a range of innovative tools for developing contemporary assessment skills that support learning.
The primary objective of this course is to introduce students to the fundamental principles, core concepts, and essential tools of quantitative research. The curriculum is designed to equip graduate students with the foundational skills necessary to conduct basic quantitative studies, while simultaneously developing the critical thinking skills required to read, evaluate, and interpret academic literature that employs quantitative methodologies. Throughout the semester, students will engage in hands-on practice to develop a comprehensive suite of practical research skills. This includes learning how to formulate clear research questions and testable hypotheses, design robust research methodologies, analyze empirical data, and write structured, basic research reports. To achieve this, the course will expose students to a wide range of foundational concepts, including independent and dependent variables, operational definitions, types of research designs, population and sampling methodologies, and research instruments. Finally, students will gain practical experience in data analysis, covering the basics of both descriptive and inferential statistics to successfully interpret and present research findings.
The aim of this seminar is to provide students with a theoretical and practical understanding of executive function challenges, based on Barkley’s model, and to examine their implications for English language learning. The course connects brain-based knowledge with Universal Design for Learning and inclusive teaching strategies that promote student’s agency , academic success, emotional regulation, motivation, self-efficacy, and social belonging.
This seminar focuses on teaching English to learners who experience challenges in executive functions, using Russell Barkley’s model as a central theoretical framework and Universal Design for Learning as a pedagogical framework for inclusive practice. The course begins with an introduction to brain-based perspectives on executive functions, including inhibition, working memory, self-regulation, planning, time management, motivation, and emotional control. It then examines how these challenges may influence English language learning, including reading, writing, vocabulary acquisition, classroom participation, task completion, and assessment.
Building on this theoretical foundation, the seminar explores how UDL can support English teachers in designing learning environments that reduce barriers and provide multiple ways for students to engage with learning, access information, and demonstrate understanding. Practical strategies will include explicit instruction, scaffolding, visual supports, structured routines, task breakdown, metacognitive tools, organizational supports, choice, collaborative learning, differentiated tasks, and alternative forms of assessment. Alongside academic strategies, the course emphasizes the social-emotional dimensions of learning, including students’ motivation, self-efficacy, emotional regulation, sense of competence, and belonging.
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Address: Oranim Academic College of Education,
Tivon 3600600, Israel
Tel: 972+4+9838801 | Fax: 972+4+9532430
