Social Learning-A Leverage for Change and Transformations in the Arab Education System-Case Study
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Abstract
Different emotional, social and learning processes occur at school. Professional literature indicates a connection between social relationships and the learning process at school. The school and the classroom environment contribute greatly to shape students` behavior. A remarkable section of learning occurs through interrelated and mutual social activities and personal relationships. The social learning approach is highly constructive and dynamic. It emphasizes the development of the characteristics of emotional conduct, of involvement and of mutual cooperation. Particularly important is the fact that this approach is said to improve students` social and academic achievements. This initiative forms a symmetric communicative process between The Shari’a and Islamic Study College for training teachers and preparatory school. This project will last two years.
Professional Literature demonstrated a positive link between organizational culture and its renewal at the school (yin cheong, 1993; Hargreaves. D, 1995). However, other characteristics in the organizational culture in the framwork of Israeli Arab education system impede the professional development of the teacher (Essawi ; 2001).
This initiative’s objective of developing an organizational culture at school supports an open and constructive social technique, encouraging voluntary work, involvement and cooperation between the community and the school.
Similarly, another goal is raising the awareness of several variants among the students and fostering the relationship between the college and the supervising training school.
The social learning is conducted according to the empirical model and it includes the following subjects:
- Workshops about violence as a social phenomenon, workshops about interpersonal communication, moral thinking development, organizational culture and conflict resolution workshops.
- The preparation of learning units and centers, focusing upon violence and other relevant topics.
- “This is my student” project encourages and motivates learning among the population of students at school and the supervising student/teachers from the college. The school’s students participated in building learning centers such as conducting interviews, drawing pictures, writing drama and fetching newspapers and textbooks.
The resulting dynamics in the above-mentioned process supports the initial and central research hypothesis as to what would be the findings of the initiative and their impact on the process of training teachers and on the social (academic) achievements of students at the school.
The hypothesis is that remarkable change and transformation happened during and at the end of the initiative in terms of the involvement of teachers at school, reducing disciplinary problems, improvement of academic and social achievements of students and in the involvement of students in the learning process which occurs at the school.
Data processing based upon interviews` analysis, educators` diaries, files of teachers` sessions, the portfolio and the observation of students.