DVORA BOHAK
Student ownership and agency lies at the heart of what we hope 21st century education will achieve for all its learners. This year’s conference just gave us a taste of what it looks like when students express their beliefs and interests and take the lead. Applications flew in fast, fresh ideas were expressed and implemented, and original contributions created. In short, the students, in cooperation with the lecturers, played a vital role in the rich design of this year’s event which included a plenary lecture by Dr. Karen Omry, parallel sessions with student presentations, an exhibition of the language learning materials created by the students in their Practicum and an unforgettable and inspiring session on “Building Bridges.”
Special thanks go to Sarah Steege, our exchange student from Ludwigsburg, Germany; Dr. Li Shir and the students of her Poetry and Fiction class; and Michał Wachuła from the Pedagogical University of Cracow. Together they organized the session around the theme of “Building Bridges.” I also would like to mention Tamar Klein who created a version of the Hippocratic Oath for us teachers to live up to, and Lisa Mousai who recited her poem “I See You” about the need for “human visibility” for all learners.
Finally, thank you Orly for being such a dedicated, creative and loving Head of the Department and my best wishes to our new Head, Dr. Susie Russak.
Special thanks go to Sarah Steege, our exchange student from Ludwigsburg, Germany; Dr. Li Shir and the students of her Poetry and Fiction class; and Michał Wachuła from the Pedagogical University of Cracow. Together they organized the session around the theme of “Building Bridges.” I also would like to mention Tamar Klein who created a version of the Hippocratic Oath for us teachers to live up to, and Lisa Mousai who recited her poem “I See You” about the need for “human visibility” for all learners.
Finally, thank you Orly for being such a dedicated, creative and loving Head of the Department and my best wishes to our new Head, Dr. Susie Russak.