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This study was carried out in the framework of continuous professional development (CPD) programmes following a CPD model aimed at promoting "accomplished practice" involving: pedagogical knowledge, content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge and scholarship of teaching. Teachers were asked to bring evidence about their practice. The context was related to the "Learning Skills for Science" (LSS) programme, which advocates the explicit incorporation of high-order learning skills into science school curricula. The main goal of the study was to test the evidence-based LSS CPD model by investigating the impact of its related CPD programmes on participating teachers. The impact relates to teachers' perceptions about teaching learning skills, teachers' LSS practice, and their professional influence in the educational system. As part of the evaluation method, we developed a criterion-based diagnostic tool and a visual representation, designed to assess a teacher's professional profile and progression according to dimensions of "accomplished practice". The diagnostic tool can be adjusted and tailored to different CPD domains. Results indicated that requiring teachers to bring evidence from practice and students' learning enabled us to follow teachers' progress and succeeded to improve their performances towards accomplished LSS practice. The results exemplify a synergy between CPD designed activities and the ongoing evaluation of its impact. (Contains 4 tables and 5 figures.)

The study in this paper was carried out in the framework of an evidence-based continuous professional development (CPD) programme in which teachers documented evidence about their practice in a portfolio. The context of the CPD was related to the "Learning Skills for Science" (LSS) programme, which advocates the incorporation of high-order learning skills and capabilities into science school curricula, in addition to content knowledge. The LSS comprises high-order scientific communication skills such as information retrieval, scientific reading, scientific writing, listening and observing, information representation, and knowledge presentation. The main goal was to study what can be learned from evidence-based portfolios about teachers' LSS practice. More specifically we studied the dimensions and levels of teachers' practice, the profiles of teachers' accomplishment, and their ability to present evidence about their practice. We analysed 12 teachers' portfolios (34 pieces of evidence) using a diagnostic tool that reflected the various dimensions of teachers' accomplishment in LSS practice: P: Perceptions of LSS instruction; M: Model of instruction; T: Using learning materials; A: Assessment; I: Influence in the school system; E: Evidence preparation. For each of these dimensions we identified a hierarchy of levels on a scale of 1-5. The diagnostic tool revealed diverse LSS multidimensional professional profiles which demonstrated strong and weak aspects in teachers' performance. We concluded that evidence-based portfolios about teachers' practice can serve as tools for assessment of teachers' accomplishment (for example, for accreditation purposes) and as an authentic resource for customising professional development programmes to the needs of individual teachers. (Contains 2 figures and 6 tables.)

Describes students' perceptions of their studies in the Preacademic School at the Hebrew University and discusses their attitudes, expectations, and opinions with regard to a desirable preacademic preparatory program. Students expressed concern about deficiencies in learning skills. (ML)

Describes a Hebrew University program for academically disadvantaged students, focusing on a workshop component which emphasizes learning skills and study strategies. An evaluation of the workshop indicates that it leads to improved achievement in several academic fields (including the natural sciences). (DH)

For the last ten years the concept of abstract data types (ADTs) has been introduced to Israeli high school students who take the courses "Logic Programming" and "Introduction to Artificial Intelligence" as part of their Computer Science (CS) curriculum. We developed an instructional model designed to introduce ADT as a formal CS concept and as a tool for developing computer programs. To implement the abstract data types, we used "black boxes." Here we describe our research whose aim was to assess the cognitive aspects of using ADTs as tools for knowledge representation and problem solving by different student populations. Our research findings indicated that many students' perceptions of the ADT concept were compatible to its formal CS definition, and they used black boxes transparently to develop Prolog programs. However, there were also students who adopted their own strategies for using ADTs: a) using ADTs only as a graphical description to organize data and knowledge; and b) using "ADT black boxes" in alternative ways, while violating the principle of information hiding—duplication, rewriting, and externalization. The findings also indicated that "ADT black boxes" were beneficial in helping beginners to develop correctly written Prolog programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]