Bar-Ilan University School of Education Teach and Study Program (TASP)
TASP is a two-year M.A. program in Curriculum Studies with a specialization in teaching English as a foreign language. This non-thesis program offered by the School of Education presents a unique opportunity for native English speakers to study in Israel, contribute to Israeli education through a practicum in Israeli schools, and come away with a Bar-Ilan Master’s degree.
Program Background and Description
The Teach and Study Program (TASP) began in 1997 as a joint initiative of the Municipality of Tel Aviv, the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and the Jewish Agency for Israel. It was understood that many young adults were seeking international experiences after college. Many of them sought programs in Japan, Korea, China and parts of Europe through which they could experience a foreign culture while ‘teaching English’. No such option existed in English in Israel that might attract these young people to come and live in Israel for an extended period of time. Thus it was decided to create a teach and study program that would enable young adults whose mother tongue is English to work with learners in Tel Aviv and at the same time study for an MA in Education with a concentration in language teaching and language learning. This balanced academic program was designed to provide an opportunity for participants to help in the public schools and gain a comprehensive understanding of Israeli schools and society.
The program has been very successful academically, training approximately 20 participants every year as English teachers, offering young adults the chance to live in and contribute to Israel. Under a special arrangement with schools in Tel Aviv and Rishon LeTzion, program participants do an extensive practicum (supervised by Dr. Marion Dank, one of the program organizers), gaining practical experience, applying their theoretical learning and contributing to Israeli students’ learning of English.
The program is presented under the auspices of the Curriculum Studies department at Bar Bar-Ilan’s School of Education, and students study the core courses in the regular Curriculum Studies M.A. program as well as a special concentration of courses in teaching English, offered in cooperation with the English department. This is a creative blend of fields of knowledge. Curriculum Studies faculty provide courses in curriculum planning and evaluation, the context of schools in general and Israeli schools in particular, and methods and philosophies of teaching that every teacher should know. The English department provides expert lecturers in linguistics, language development and foreign language teaching.
The program includes 22 course hours over two academic years of study and a final bibliography examination. Each of the two years of study includes 6 hours of core courses in curriculum studies offered by the School of Education, and 5 hours of coursework in the specialty area of teaching English as a foreign language. A practicum in Tel Aviv or Rishon LeTzion schools, the bibliography examination and two courses in Judaism are required but not included in students’ final grade average.
Acceptance Criteria
This program does not require a teaching certificate as a prerequisite, and does not supply one. This is an academic program in teaching English. Acceptance criteria are:
· Completion of B.A. with an 80 (3.0) average minimum from an accredited academic institution · Meaningful experiences leading children or youth in informal or formal settings – i.e. summer camp, youth group, coaching or teaching · Breadth of life experiences which suggest the likelihood of success in a rigorous two year academic experience in a foreign country/culture · An in-depth personal interview, either in person (with an interviewer in North America) or via Skype.
For further details and information please refer to the program website: www.tasp.org.il, or contact:
Program Director Dr. Zvi Dank: zdank@netvision.net.il
Bar-Ilan Program Academic Coordinator Dr. Nurit Kirsh kirshn@mail.biu.ac.il
Bar-Ilan Program Administrative Coordinator Ms. Tzilla Pollak pollakt@mail.biu.ac.il
