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Pilot Project: Health Matters!

The project focused on how to present current scientific research on health-related topics to teachers and students, in an authentic and up-to-date manner that is relevant to their lives. Teachers and students were engaged with a research methodology and environment, and with researchers themselves.

Target age group
Pupils aged 9-14 years old, together with their teachers

Languages
Printed materials in Hebrew and English. The working languages were Hebrew and Arabic.

Methodology
A teacher training course that included:

• Professional tours, discussions on scientific and ethical topics, meetings with researchers about recent scientific research, state-of-the-art workshops.
• Developing innovative teaching tools that help to arouse in youngsters an awareness of, and interest in, science .
• Creating a network of schools in Jerusalem that cooperates with and receives support from health research institutions and other health-related organisations.
• Synchronous and asynchronous meetings on the Internet through a special website.    

Outputs

• Research report - survey and mapping
• Teacher training program  - a year-long course for teachers
• Website http://www.mada.org.il/pencil/english.html 
• Evaluation report        

Impact

• A teaching program on health including unique teaching methods and presenting health in a more authentic and up-to-date manner;
• A network of leading teachers that continues to cooperate with scientists and researchers and strengthens the links between their schools and research labs;
• A method for developing innovative teaching tools that can be used in other fields of interest.

Evaluation strategy
Questionnaires, interviews and observations will be carried out.

For further information see the PENCIL deliverables:

D10 Assessment of Pilot Projects:
Case studies illustrating the work of each of the Pencil pilot projects (pdf, in English).

D24 Pilot Project Outcomes:
The objectives, the learning activities used, the methodology employed and the results of the pilot projects (pdf, in English).

Pilot coordinator

Bloomfield Science Museum, Jerusalem, Israel

The Bloomfield Science Museum is an informal cultural and educational institution that presents exhibitions consisting of interactive exhibits on subjects of science and technology, and integrates these exhibits into a context through a wide range of educational activities.

Contact details
Bloomfield Science Museum,
Hebrew University,
Givat Ram,
Jerusalem,
91904,
Israel
www.mada.org.il

Project coordinator
Maya Halevy
TEL: 972-2-6544860
Mobile: 972-50-6234860
Fax: 972-2-5617837
Email: mayah@mada.org.il

Partners

Scientific partners

• Department of Medical Chemistry, Molecular Modeling and Drug Design at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
• Institute of Life Sciences, Department of Neurobiology and Interdisciplinary Center for Neural Computation at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
• TEVA Pharmaceutical Industries, Israel
• Chief Scientist’s Office, Ministry of Health, Israel

Educational partners

• The Pedagogical Secretariat, Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports, Israel
• Educational Institutions Administration, Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports, Israel
• Jerusalem Education Administration, Israel
• 10 elementary and junior-high schools in Israel