Abstracts - Earli

How can different mentoring styles promote reading and mathematical literacy of mentorstudents?Tova Michalsky, Bar-Ilan University, School of Education, IsraelBracha Kramarski, Bar-Ilan University, School of Education, IsraelItzhak Weiss, Bar-Ilan University, School of Education, IsraelThe purpose of this study is twofold: (a) to evaluate the effectiveness of training junior mentors indifferent mentoring styles on reading literacy in an immediate and delayed assessment; (b) toexamine the effects of mentoring styles in reading literacy on transfer ability of mathematicalliteracy in an immediate and delayed assessment. Participations were 205 tenth-grade studentsfrom ten Israeli high schools who participated in a mentoring program. Four mentoring styles wereimplemented based on the combination of two methods of metacognitive instruction: elaborated(MEI) vs. general instruction (MGI), and two techniques of teaching modeling: thinking aloud(TA) vs. transmission knowledge (TK). Three parallel versions of tests were administrated toassess reading and mathematical literacy: one at the beginning of the study, the secondimmediately after the end of the study, and the third at the end of the year (delayed test). The itemsfocused on PISA’s literacy theoretical framework (PISA, 2003). Results indicated differentialeffects of mentoring styles on reading and transfer ability of mathematical literacy. Themetacognitive elaborated instruction (MEI) was most effective on reading literacy, whereas thethinking aloud modeling technique (TA) was most effective on mathematical literacy. Studentswho were exposed to metacognitive elaborated instruction embedded with thinking aloudtechnique (MEI+TA) outperformed students of other learning styles on the immediate and delayedmathematical transfer assessment. The theoretical and practical aspects will be discussed at theconference.Long Life learning & training-: A new model of professional development for in-service teachersbased on the Andragogy theory.Anat Raviv, Ministry of Educatiion, IsraelThe changes in the 21st society enforce the teachers to become long life learners. The educationsystem in Israel is currently undergoing changes aimed the decentralization, modernization,upgrading and quality improvement of the teaching/learning system as a result of global andregional changes. Within this context, teachers are encouraged to view themselves as facing upnew challenges supported by innovative forms of in-service training based on Andragogy – thetheory of how adults learn. The paper critically explores the experience of the "long life learning"frames for in-service teachers in order to understand the new model that is offered’ it’s effectiveson teachers professional development. The paper reports initial findings from a study that tookplace in 10 deferent PISGA centers, 61 programs. The research was conducted during 2003-2005and assessed deferent training programs. In order to investigate and study more about theseprograms, a few research tools were used and analyzed by quantitative tools: closed questionnairesand qualitative tools: interviews and observations. The data that was collected was analyzed andpresented in a mix method including qualitative and quantitative findings (Pasig ,2002 ; Raviv2003), it presents teachers views and experience that participate in the training program and datathat was collected from close questioners. The author of the proposal and paper has identified anumber of principles of success long life learning models which have relevance not just for theIsraeli PISGA, but for teacher education elsewhere as well as offering suggestions for change.– 438 –