The Israeli partners of the Promentors project met on June 30, 2022 at Sakhnin College for an enlightening and productive meeting focusing on insights of the mentors courses and MITs of 2021-2022 and plans for the future. The day began with greetings and an overview, given by Dr. Waleed Dallashah, of Sakhnin’s induction program, including a description of the uniqueness of its program with a focus on the simulation center. It continued with a presentation given by Dr. Rivi Carmel and a discussion on the current data of the courses in each of the colleges and ideas of how to present this data in the most effective manner. Then, Dr. Dalia Emmanuel presented the current decisions and requirements for mentors’ courses and accreditation courses for 2022-2023 and the significance of the cooperation, involvement, and positive partnership of Ministry officials, especially Gali Nahari and Irit Sarig.
The next session of the day was roundtable discussion groups that focused on planning next year’s syllabi based on the insights and experiences of the courses given this year. The main points discussed in the groups included the importance of the principal’s involvement and her understanding of the role of the mentor and the importance of effective mentoring in successful absorption of new teachers, challenges of course facilitators, difficulties in recruiting mentors to join courses and the understanding that the passion of the mentor leads to successful mentoring.
After a delicious lunch, the final session was a panel from Ebleen, including the head of the Pisgah (pedagogical center), the head of assessment at the Pisgah, a mentor and mentee. The panel focused on the process and implementation of the MITs course in Ebleen. The partnership of the Pisgah and Sakhnin in the development of the dynamic syllabi allowed for pedagogical and other social- emotional (SEL) content to be incorporated in the course resulting in a more comprehensive and effective learning experience for the participants. It was also clear that the relationship, trust, support, sense of belonging and opportunities for autonomy and initiative that developed between the mentee and mentor allowed for positive and optimum absorption of the intern in school.
The meeting was welcoming, informative, and insightful. It allowed the partners opportunities to begin the process of the next stage of the project in a supportive and cooperative manner.
