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Gordon College of Education Haifa Israel The Gordon College of Education in Haifa is one of the oldest teacher training institutions in Israel and has been training K-12 teachers for more than 55 years. The college offers courses of study leading to a teaching certificate, B.Ed., and M.Ed. degrees.  | Gordon College is a true microcosm of multi-cultural Haifa. The demographic make-up of both the academic staff and the student body reflects the range of ethnic groups living in the area, and in its multi-cultural context constitutes a model worthy of following in the field and research, as it promotes tolerance and supports a pluralistic approach. |
Established in 1953 and built as an urban campus, Gordon College is centrally located on Mt. Carmel and offers a breathtaking view of the Mediterranean. In its many years of existence, Gordon is proud to count among its generations of graduates researchers, school principals, and active educators who serve the educational system in Israel and abroad in many senior positions. The study program at Gordon College is geared to arm its student body with in-depth knowledge of their chosen major, understanding of the scientific and philosophical fundamentals of the educational process, and to nurture the teacher within each individual. Every student at Gordon College accrues practical teaching experience starting at the freshman year, thus allowing them to deal with real-time teaching situations where they can put their theoretical knowledge to the test. 
Approximately 2,000 students enjoy the pleasant, centrally located, and easily accessible campus. Gordon is proud of its comprehensive library containing 85,000 books and hundreds of education-related periodicals, a modern sports facility, learning centers, a pedagogical center for the preparation of didactic material, advanced computer laboratories, and a spacious cafeteria. In addition to their teaching duties, the 220 members of the academic staff at the College also engage in research, writing curricula, and developing innovative new educational concepts. Gordon counts among its academic staff some of the best educators in the country. B. Ed. and Teaching Diploma Study Options Pre-school and young learners (newborn-6) Early childhood education (ages 5-8) for Bible studies, literature and mathematics Special education teachers (ages 6-21) includes a special option for teaching the hearing-impaired Elementary and high school teachers for Bible studies, literature, English (EFL), math, science, media studies, education and Druze heritage. M.Ed. Programs The Gordon College of Education offers a graduate program leading to a Master’s Degree in Education (M.Ed.). Tree programs are presently running, approved by the Council for Higher Education. One hundred and eighty students are currently enrolled in this program. The senior program is "Teaching, learning and instruction" (accredited since October 2005). The program is geared to enable experienced teachers who see themselves as part of education’s active leadership, and trains teachers to serve as instruments of change within the school system. The second program is “Educational leadership and administration” (accredited since October, 2007). This program prepares teachers, principals and educators for senior administrative and top positions in the education system. “Inclusive education” (accredited since October, 2009). The Israeli Special Education Law from 1988 requires including students with special needs in regular classes (mainstreaming). The program focuses on inclusive education issues. The College offers on-going education options for teachers; a training course leading to school principal certificate; courses to retrain academics for the teaching profession; continuing education programs for teachers; diploma studies in a range of areas including didactic analysis in Hebrew and in English; training teachers to work with gifted and outstanding students; librarianship and information management studies; training and qualifying English teachers to teach translation; training for qualification in Logotherapy; and more. Pre-academic - Pedagogic Preparatory Course
Gordon College offers a pre-academic preparatory course which provides students with an additional opportunity to complete or improve their educational standing prior to beginning their course of study at the College. This course is aimed primarily at soldiers who have recently completed their compulsory military service, civilians who have completed national service, and students from the Druze and Arab community who lack the academic qualifications required for enrollment as a matriculated student. Research Activities Many of the senior academic staff at Gordon College is involved in extensive research projects. These include education system-related field studies that target specific needs in the field, while other projects study teaching processes and the affect of different courses on student perception and attitude. The results of these studies are published annually in a research report - Teacher Training Studies and Research- issued by the College. This report is also presented at the annual research conference hosted by the College, as well as at international conferences in Israel and abroad.
Conferences
 | Every year, Gordon College holds five national conferences in five of its areas of expertise: "Giftedness and Excellence", "The Brain, the Learning Process and Learning Difficulties", "Discipline in Education", "Education in a Multi-Cultural Society", and "Pre-School Education". These conferences are held in high regard by researchers and educators throughout Israel. |
Development of Innovative CurriculaThe teaching staff at the College initiates and develops innovative projects for the education system. Using advanced technology, members of the staff developed the Teleprocessing Learning Simulation project, where trainee view initiated events that are staged and filmed. The student teachers view and analyze a series of short films that depict educational events, after which they use teleprocessing equipment to carry out exercises based on relevant tasks and study material. The staff of the science group developed a study unit; Children Research their Environment which develops their science and technology research skills in a user-friendly computerized laboratory.
Learning Centers
Special Education Center
In keeping with the humanistic outlook which is an integral part Gordon College’s creed, the Special Education Center initiates and develops unique programs for the special-needs community in order to help each individual realize his or her full potential. Partnering an Education Center in the Ukraine The special education unit at Gordon College has adopted and is upgrading an Educational Resource Center (ERC) for Special Education in the Ukrainian city of Dnepropetrovsk. Every year a delegation of Gordon College educators travels to the Ukraine to advise and train the teachers and staff at the ERC. The training process includes providing them with educational-therapeutic tools, preparation of study material in Russian, and the professional training of the teaching staff in the ERC. During the delegation's visit, lecturers sitting in the studio in the College in Haifa hold classes by Video Conference for the ERC staff in the Ukraine. This project is supported by the Boston Jewish Community. College for Special Needs Adults Gordon College actively promotes the integration into the community of adults with special needs and to this end offers special classes for this sector of the community. The goal of this special framework is to improve the quality of life for people with special needs. For many, their education stopped at the age of 21 but by making this framework available, the College can provide an opportunity for their ongoing education which in turn will help them to acquire a profession and earn a living. Puppet Theater - Joint Project with the Special Education Students  | Students in the Special Education department, together with pupils at the special education school, jointly operate a puppet theater. The goal of this project is to provide the students with a unique set of tools to use when working with this special sector of the community. Every year the group puts on a puppet show adapted jointly by the students and pupils. Together they design and draw the stage set, and make and operate the puppets and the music. The students are the tutors and the pupils with the special needs are the puppeteers. |
Center for the Promotion of Giftedness and Excellence
For the last ten years, Gordon College has operated a Center for the Promotion of Giftedness and Excellence. The staff at this Center train teachers to enable them to work with gifted and outstanding children. The Center also offers enrichment programs which are attended annually by more than 450 gifted and outstanding children from grades 4 to 6, from all sectors of Israeli society, including the secular and religious sectors and Arabs and Druze. The Multicultural Educational Resource Center (MERC)
The Multicultural Educational Resource Center that operates in the College is a direct result of the location of the Campus in Haifa, a city characterized by a broad cultural spectrum. The goal of this Center is to promote tolerance, patience and open-mindedness, and a pluralistic approach. Courses offered by the Center teach participants educational ways to deal with heterogonous groups and actively encourages them to develop relationships based on tolerance and mutual respect between the different sectors of the population. Participation in at least one course offered by The Multicultural Educational Resource Center is a prerequisite for every student attending the Gordon College of Education. The Center is held in high esteem and receives support from outside sources such as UJA Federation of New York, the Haifa - Boston Connection, Jewish Children and Family Services of Boston, The Abraham Fund and UNESCO. Religious - Secular Dialogue In light of the polarization between different sectors of Israeli society, and because of the important role played by teachers in promoting tolerance, Gordon College together with the religious Shaanan College offer a course on the Religious - Secular Dialogue. Both religious and secular Jews participate in this course which strives to prepare the students from both Colleges and from both sectors, to enter into a process of dialogue and discussion that will be based on mutual respect and tolerance. Developing Educational Material The Center has developed educational material for different topics including Israel the Multi-Cultural Society - Educating towards Tolerance and Human Dignity which was published as a series of books suitable for both teachers and pupils. The books were also translated to Arabic. The Multicultural Educational Resource Center also supports a program "Footsteps in the Grass" that promotes tolerance through the development of emotional intelligence. This program, which is an allegory for social issues typically found in a multi-cultural society, has been implemented in Jewish and Arab schools throughout Israel. The Parenting and Family Center
 | The Regional Center for Parents and Family in a Multi-Cultural Society is operated by Gordon College in conjunction with the Adult Education Division in the Ministry of Education. This Center serves as a meeting place for professionals working in the field with parents and families in a multi-cultural society. The Center runs one-day seminars, conferences, continuing education programs, courses and workshops, and offers a program with a range of activities suitable for professionals such as teachers, school counselors, school principals and supervisors, and parent and student group facilitators. |
Center for Teaching English
The Center for Teaching English provides resources and professional training in English for students and faculty members, and includes extensive didactic and theoretical material. A range of teaching methods are used in the Center including voice and video recordings, computers and appropriate software, pictures and games suitable for teaching English as a second language. Math Education Center
The Center offers a mathematical environment with a rich and varied array of study materials and teaching aids, and also serves the special didactic and pedagogic needs of the math instructors themselves. The Center is involved in developing special programs that provide creative mathematics teaching aids, such as The Mathematical Tour, and the Mathematical Journey in the Footsteps of Jules Verne. The faculty members together with the students hold special activity days where they demonstrate the unique methods for teaching math, developed at the College. The goal is to expose school pupils to these creative and non-standard activities that are used to teach different aspects of mathematics. Every year the Center arranges a mathematics teaching display and demonstrates the unique teaching methods that have been developed. Reading and Language Education Center
The Prof. Dina Feitelson Reading and Language Education Center focuses on increasing awareness and knowledge in different literacy-related areas. The Center provides guidance for student teachers taking their "first teaching steps" in schools and also has special research projects. Every year prizes donated by the Feitelson Family are awarded to the most outstanding projects. Pedagogic Center
 | The Pedagogic Center contains all the teaching resources that have been collected, acquired or created over the years by the College's teaching staff and are now available for both the students and the teaching staff to use. The Center also provides electronic audio and visual aids, and teaches and advises on the development of teaching aids. |
Maintaining the Memory of the Holocaust
Gordon College believes it is of the utmost importance to commemorate the Holocaust and to ensure that our future educators feel likewise. Every year, a group of students participates in an educational tour of Poland where they come face-to-face with the horrors of the concentration camps and ghettos and are exposed to the appalling events that overtook the Jewish People during World War II. The delegation to Poland is comprised of Jewish, Christian, Druze and Moslem students. Every year the participating students specifically note the intensely powerful effect of this experience. The College helps fund the students' trip together with different organizations, including a generous grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, Inc., which also donates funds for this important journey, as well as our other Holocaust Remembrance programs.
Contributing to the Community
Because of its humanistic world-view and its belief in the importance of teachers being involved and giving back to the community, Gordon College actively encourages students to participate in a range of volunteer activities. Every year, each student at the College is required to select one of a range of volunteer activities within the community such as: Mentoring Disadvantaged Pupils Students who choose to participate in this project work with children and teens from underprivileged neighborhoods to help them realize their potential, as the ultimate goal is to reduce the socio-economic gap in Israel. Student Involvement in Field Work for Women's Rights in Haifa In the context of Gender and Women's Studies and the connection between the two, female students can become involved in field work for Women's Rights in Haifa and in organizations working to improve the position of disadvantaged women. The project is partially funded by the Academic Partnership - Community for Social Change; and by the Faculty of Law at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Assistance for School Pupils Struggling with their Studies All students at the College volunteer in the schools where they are getting their practical teaching experience. The students help pupils who are struggling in certain academic areas and those who are having difficulties fitting in socially. New immigrant children and those with special needs also receive additional assistance. Gordon College of Education 73 Tchernichovsky Street. Haifa, Israel, 35705 Phone: 972-4-8590111 Fax: 972-4-8332040 Email :office@gordon.ac.il 
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