Springboard to life for middle school and high school students, in small classes, and for differential students

What is the essence of the program?

A unique and novel program which, aided by accessible tools and experiential lesson plans, helps students to identify their personal goals and take steps to achieve them.

Why is this important?

When the students have a clear goal, they feel they are in control of what they are doing at school. They begin perceiving the educational staff as significant figures in their lives, who can and want to help them achieve their aspirations. As a result, the students become more aware of themselves, their motivation and personal engagement increase, and they take on more and more responsibility for their learning and development processes.

Who is the program intended for?

The program is intended for middle school and high school students in special education classes, combined classes and students in special education schools, with basic reading and communication capabilities.

What will we learn in the program?

• Why it is worthwhile for us to attend school, and how our school can help shape our personal and professional future.
• We will learn about the various areas of life and observe how we cope with life tasks in each area.
• We will acknowledge the unique capabilities and skills of each student, and focus on areas recognized as personally important, to improve and advance oneself.
• We will learn the difference between 'I feel like…' and 'I want…', or 'it's important for me to…', and how to formulate a meaningful and achievable personal goal.
• We will support the process throughout the year in a journal documenting our journey, and follow inspiring and motivating lesson plans.

What is special about the program?

• The program encourages action and provides the students with the opportunity to choose, manage and lead their personal program, for their own benefit.
• The program's structure and content intensify the students' awareness of themselves, and create meaningful opportunities to strengthen the teacher-student bond.
• The tools for identifying the goals were developed based on the International Classification of Functioning (ICF). They are accessible physically and digitally, in easy-to-understand language, for optimal adaptation to the learning needs and preferences of each student.
• The tools and lesson plans were developed together with the team of counselors in the Kfar Saba regional support center, in an academia-based knowledge extraction and inquiry process, accompanied with a guided pilot in the field.

Who are our partners in this process?

Kfar Saba regional support center, and its director Mrs. Pazit Yaffe.