Science Education Research and Practice in Asia pp 539-552 | Cite as
From Schools to Nature: Bridging Learning Environments in Israel
Abstract
This chapter portrays the history of out-of-school education in Israel from the early 1900 to the 2000, and the changes from ideological natural history education to modern science-education. Historical documents are presented that show the unique blend of romantic views with progressive education thought and how this blend had an impact on Israeli outdoor education for decades. In 1960, the new science curriculum shifted at least part of the out-of-school learning into more inquiry-learning oriented. In parallel, teachers became less engaged in their students' out-of-school learning, while informal science and environmental organizations offer their services to the education system. This trend discourages teachers from being more involved and acting as mediators between their students and professional guides and between the school and the out-of-school learning environments. This historical interpretation of the place of out-of-school learning in Israel could be relevant to other places in which accountability considerations become more central now-a-days.
Keywords
Field Trip Meaningful Learning Science Museum Inquiry Project Informal ScienceReferences
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