THE CHALLENGE OF IMPLEMENTING INTERDISCIPLINARY, PROJECT-BASED LEARNING IN ISRAEL

The main goal of education is to prepare students for future job opportunities and civic responsibilities, which are some of the biggest challenges in the 21st century. Project-Based Learning (PBL) prepares students to master their new role as global citizens with greater responsibilities. This paper refers to a unique and pioneering PBL program that is carried out in seven high schools in Israel by the Ministry of Education. This interdisciplinary PBL program involves three disciplines: product design, electronic engineering, and software engineering. The program is designed for students in the 11th to 12th grades who are selected according to specific criteria. It aims to achieve goals such as promoting teaching and learning based on projects and multi-disciplinary learning in technological education; developing students' technological skills; and nurturing the values of collaboration, openness, creativity, innovation, and responsibility. In addition, the program promotes development of pedagogical and environmental methods for teachers and students. This article focuses on the theoretical rationale and principles of PBL, its uniqueness compared to other traditional programs, and the contribution to participants according to previous research. In future, this program will be accompanied by detailed research to explore the contribution of this "PBL Pioneering Program" on teachers' attitudes and perceptions, and the school framework and environment. (c) 2019 Published by Future Academy www.FutureAcademy.org.UK