About

Background

Gordon Academic College is one of the oldest teacher training colleges in Israel. Over the years, the college has trained thousands of teachers, kindergarten teachers, school principals, and education system administrators, who currently comprise a considerable portion of the education system leadership in Israel. Our teaching faculty includes several of the country’s top academia, education, and research professionals. Many of our graduates hold key positions in the education system in addition to their educational work. Over 4000 students who come from all over the North study in the various academic programs. The college is a multicultural bridge between the various sectors in Israeli society, and Jews, Druze, Arabs, religious, secular, Haredi (ultra Orthodox Jews), new immigrants, and special needs students study at the college. The college is one of the most advanced teacher colleges in the State of Israel, and it is an innovation leader in teaching in special learning environments. As a top college, we try to give every student the opportunity to maximize his or her potential and to acquire academic knowledge and a recognized degree, and to encourage them to integrate and engage in Israeli society.

Mission

Mission
Our mission is to enable all our students to get the most out of their studies and educational experiences; encourage them to be leaders and groundbreakers, and to have a macro perspective that shapes one’s education and teaching work and educational worldview, in the spirit of the college’s values and to train teachers prepared to teach and lead in a multicultural environment and dynamic reality, while conducting research that contributes to the changing educational milieu.

Vision

Vision Gordon Academic College's core values include fostering multiculturalism and acceptance of others; aspiring to social justice, humanist education, and equality as a springboard for community activism; strengthening the connection to Jewish heritage and values. It also stresses international engagement and responsibility, as reflected by its many community programs all over the world. Integrity, dignity, and reliability, which are achieved through open communication; encouraging excellence, innovation, and creativity and creating a culture of responsibility and commitment. Gordon Academic College will be a place where lifelong learning and professional growth and development takes place in order to encourage community involvement - for all its graduates, employees, and education professionals in the community from a diverse ethnic, cultural, and social background. Our vision is to prepare pre-service students and in-service teachers for the challenges of teaching in the 21st century. Our aims are to promote excellence and train high-skilled teachers, integrating advanced technologies together with innovative teaching strategies into their classroom practice Our curriculum has been revised to include current educational issues rising from relevant experiences in the virtual and face-to-face environments. Subsequently, in the framework of teacher training programs, we hold a number of unique courses around these issues. As part of the learning process, the students meet experts and entrepreneurs, experience and create knowledge collaboratively as well as individually. Hereunder is a sample of the subjects and learning possesses in these courses:

Programs

Programs Gordon Academic College continues to be a leader and adapts itself to the changing requirements of the education system, modifying its educational programs for the education system while addressing the challenges of the 21st century. It offers 2 cycles: Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) Degree with teaching certificate in the following fields: English, Science, Mathematics, Bible, Literature, Communication, Language, Israel culture and heritage, Special Education and Early childhood (Child development); Informal Education; and Master of Education (M.Ed.), a graduate degree designed to provide professional advancement to current and aspiring teachers, educators and school professionals. Gordon Academic College provides five Graduate Studies programs, four M.Ed. (Master of Education) programs, and an M.Teach. (Master of Teaching) program, as follows: 1. Inclusive Education M.Ed. program provides research foundations and techniques in inclusive classrooms and kindergartens. The program is aimed at upgrading the educators' skills regarding the integration, involvement and well-being of students from a wide range of backgrounds, such as special needs, cultures and disabilities. The course on the gifted child is an integral part of this program. 2. Educational Leadership and Administration M.Ed. program (also referred to as, The Management of Educational Systems) provides academic foundations and techniques related to the myriad philosophies, characteristics and tasks of school leadership and management. It is aimed at educators who intend to lead and manage formal and informal educational systems, and to gain a systemic view of educational systems. The seminar on the development of excellence in education focuses on examining different initiatives and strategies which for promoting excellence from the point of view of school leaders. 3. Teaching, Learning and Mentoring M.Ed. program is aimed at educators who see themselves in positions of educational leadership, planning and teacher training design and implementation. The program provides theoretical and practical techniques in instructional methods, teacher mentoring and interactional skills, and is aimed at three groups: Teachers at the elementary and secondary levels; and kindergarten teachers in early education programs. 4. M.Teach program - provides a master degree with a high school teaching certificate. The program is aimed for individuals who already hold a Bachelor degree in Math and/or the Humanities, who seek to enter the education system. 5. Innovation in Education M.Ed. Program. A new program focusing on innovative teaching strategies incorporating technology in elementary and secondary school, accompanied by research.

Certification program for teachers of gifted and able students. Gordon College offers a two-year certification program for teachers of gifted and able student approved by the Division of Gifted and Outstanding Students at the Ministry of education. The program is taught by college lecturers and invited guests. Graduates get a certificate which allows them to teach in different programs for gifted (gifted classes, pullout programs, program for excellent students at regular school, after school enrichment programs).

Facilities

Facilities at Gordon College: One (1) auditorium seating 200 persons Two (2) lecture halls each seating 100 persons + big screens Ten (10) rooms seating each between 40-50 students, equipped with computer, overhead projector, and broadband internet connection. Future classroom, immersive classroom, and escape room. Innovative learning spaces equipped with latest technology (entire floor)

International Center

International Center Gordon Academic College of Education has been engaged in global issues and running international community programs since the turn of this century. Some examples include the professional training of para-professionals in the field of special education in the city of Dnipro, Ukraine (running from 2002); student exchange program with a Swiss Teaching College in Kreuzlingen (since 2010); coordination and/or participation in 11 different capacity building programs of the European Commission and faculty; student and staff exchange programs with 18 difference institutes located in 9 different EU countries through ERASMUS+. Gordon Academic College of Education is the only teaching college in Israel to have coordinated two major capacity building programs of the European Commission. The first TEMPUS program, Development of an International Model for Curriculum Reform in Multicultural Education and Cultural Diversity training (DOIT) ran from 2012-2015, uniting 21 difference academic institutions from 7 difference countries. The program ended with a successful international conference: Education for the 21st Century: Multiculturalism, Children’s Rights and Global Citizenship which was hosted by Gordon Academic College of Education and had the participation of 350 people from 25 different countries from all over the world. Recognized as one of the leading academic institutions for teacher-training, the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs often includes bringing for our training to GACE educational missions of representatives from developing countries. Through this network we have formed additional connection with universities in Asia and have been providing online courses and training to these institutes. The International Center’s new unit for Spanish Speaking countries (launched in 2018) has programs that have had the participation of educational leaders from 11 different countries and provides courses and workshops to hundreds of participants. This training is given at the college, and also, due to the pandemic, through virtual classes. Taking a leadership role in promoting international ties, GACE has initiated an international virtual forum group discussing relevant issues for teaching and learning in higher education made up of 4 different institutes that include participants from the EU and the United Arab Emirates. This group has had its first meeting in January 2021 and will be meeting once a month to continue discussions. The present director of the International Center is Dr. Rhonda Sofer who is on the planning committee for this present conference that is being hosted at Gordon College

The Division for Gifted and Outstanding Students, Ministry of Education, Israel The division for gifted and Outstanding Students in Israel The Division identifies and nurtures gifted and outstanding students in Israel. Our mission is to nurture the country most precious resource - the top 20% of students: gifted (up to 3%) talented and outstanding (next 5%) and the excellent students in their school and communities (top 20%) who can realize their extraordinary potential and contribute to our society in all content areas. The Division for Gifted and Outstanding Students aspires to lead an educational culture in which excellence is a central value. In our vision, personal excellence, human commitment and sensitivity to the community exist side by side. In 2021, the division is leading the implementation of the special programs for about 20,000 gifted students and over 150,000 outstanding & excellent students throughout Israel. The main tasks of the division: •Lead a multi-year move to assimilate a culture of excellence throughout the education system •Annually nationwide identification process involving over 120,00 students in second and third grade, and thousands of highly able students in the transition to middle school and high school •Providing cognitive, emotional, and social responses to our identified students in a variety of programs within schools and in special programs and frameworks •Promote the gifted education and special needs issue in the regular classroom and in the heterogeneous class •Develop cognitive responses for gifted and outstanding students in all areas of knowledge: Science, Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts •Promote research and evaluation studies in the area of education for gifted and outstanding students •Ensure equal opportunities and reduce gaps in identification and programs participation in the periphery areas and within special sectors of society. •Development of tools for identifying gifted students in specific areas of talent such as music, dance and sports and implementing a unique nurturing system for them •Budgeting and operation of an annually professional development system for hundreds of teachers and principals in the programs for the gifted and outstanding students. This program is focused on fostering creativity and innovation in the learning process, special pedagogies for teaching the gifted, specialization in gifted counseling and addressing the emotional and social aspects. •Building international collaborations to promote research and nurture gifted and outstanding students.