Dr. Yael Feldman-Maggor
School of Education, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
My life before BGU:
I recently completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Sweden, funded by Digital Futures, a Swedish research institute, and a fellowship from the Israel Science Foundation. Prior to that, I was a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Science Teaching at the Weizmann Institute of Science, where I also obtained a teaching certificate in chemistry and a PhD. I was supported by the Zalman Aranne Scholarship for Outstanding Doctoral Students from the Ministry of Education Chief Scientist. During that time, for five years, I also taught a workshop on developing learning skills in chemistry at the Open University. This experience deepened my understanding of student learning processes.
I completed a master’s degree in education with a specialization in learning technologies at the Open University. During my master’s studies, I worked for about five years at Simultech Center for Medical Simulation. This position served as the practical foundation for my professional development in the field of technology and learning. I have a bachelor’s degree in nutritional sciences from the Hebrew University.
Why BGU?
The School of Education at Ben-Gurion University is characterized by multidisciplinary research, and its faculty members come from diverse disciplines, including science education, technology, pedagogy, sociology, psychology, anthropology, educational counseling, and more. This combination creates an open and rich academic environment that enables fruitful research collaborations alongside a collegial and supportive atmosphere.
My research:
My research focuses on learning, teaching, and assessment, particularly in science education, with an emphasis on chemistry instruction and the integration of technology and digitalization in education. In recent years, I have explored the integration of responsible artificial intelligence in education. Within these contexts, I examine learners’ skills and learning strategies, the development of personal responsibility in the learning process, and critical thinking. In addition, I study teaching methods and processes of teachers’ professional development. My research employs a wide range of methodologies, including quantitative approaches from psychometrics and learning analytics, as well as qualitative methods such as interviews.
An insight from my research:
The choices we make during the learning process have a direct impact on outcomes. Therefore, it is important to be able to plan our learning while remaining flexible in adapting to the changes that life brings. Learning is not always linear. Sometimes we encounter difficulties or problems understanding, and only later comes the “eureka” moment of discovery, when everything comes together. These insights are reflected in my research, in which I found that success in online courses can be predicted based on learners’ learning and time management patterns. I also identified an interesting pattern of “interval learning,” where learning does not necessarily occur weekly, but rather through the accumulation of several lessons and concentrated study sessions every few weeks.
With regards to artificial intelligence, I found that there is no substitute for deep knowledge of content alongside the acquisition of learning and technical skills. Content knowledge enables critical thinking and contributes to the informed use of technological tools, which are integrating into the world of education at an accelerating pace.
Something that doesn’t appear on my CV:
I am married to Erez, mother to Lavi and Tamar, and I love spending my free time with them. Family is a central value for me, so I make sure to also devote time to my mother, my brother, and our family in general.
A source of inspiration:
My children, and children in general, are a source of inspiration for me. Watching the development and understandings that emerge at a young age; their aspirations and curiosity; and the way they learn and explore the world - all these underscore how critical the field of educational research is, especially in applying research into practice in ways that can truly make an impact.
When I grow up…
As a child, I used to say that I would be an architect or work in design. Today, I’m happy to be a researcher and lecturer in technological and science education.
If I weren’t a researcher, I would be…
A designer or an instructor.
In brief:
- Careful planning or spontaneity? Careful planning, with an understanding that actual life constantly changes
- Pilates or spinning? Pilates and tennis
- Morning or night? Midday
- Summer or winter? Summer
- Shuk or shopping mall? Shuk
- Instant coffee or espresso? Espresso
- Trekking or the beach? First a hike, and then the beach
- Evening with friends or evening alone? Evening with friends
- Classical Europe or East Asia? Classical Europe
- Ocean or pool? Ocean
- City or country? City
- Movie at the theater or a Netflix binge? Movie theater
