Chapters authored
Learning by Doing Active Social Learning
Project-based learning and future-based pedagogy are important and effective tools for teaching and learning in the twenty-first century. They are especially suited to instilling social activism among students, which is extremely valuable in today’s multicultural society. This study examined the impact of such learning among Arab and Jewish students and teachers in Israel. Following a collaborative program on social activism, in which students from different sectors worked together via digital platforms and face-to-face encounters, the impact of the program and its pedagogical tools were examined. The program, called Living in a Multicultural Society, reflects the mosaic of different people and communities, living side by side yet separated by religion, culture, and language. Through this program, students who may not have otherwise met worked together to learn, research, and create. This study was conducted using the mixed-method approach, whereby the qualitative data were gathered via interviews, and the quantitative data were collected through questionnaires. The findings show that this project-based learning program led to significant encounters, understandings, and co-operations between different sectors, and to meaningful end-products relating to social activism. This study enhances the concept that significant pedagogical processes increase students’ motivation, in-depth learning, and outcomes.
Part of the book: Active Learning
How Frustrating It Can Be? Raising up a Child with Learning Disabilities
Parenting a child with difficulties or disabilities is not a simple task—especially as parents often become frustrated with their children who differ from other children of the same age. This study documents how parents of children with learning disabilities or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder deal with their children’s difficulties and how they perceive the school system. Using qualitative methodology and semi-structured interviews, this study examines how parents cope with their children having learning disabilities or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and how they perceive the school’s intervention and assistance. This study is unique in that in addition to interviewing six parents who have had to cope with their children’s difficulties, it also interviews six young adults who have learning disabilities or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, to understand their perceptions of their parents’ coping mechanisms. The data analysis led to three central themes that were presented by the interviews: disappointment, lack of organized information about the children’s disabilities, and coping. This study contributes to the existing research and could assist schools in dealing with children with academic disabilities and in assisting their parents.
Part of the book: Intellectual and Learning Disabilities