Special and Distinctive Units in the College

The Challenge Center operates under the Office of the Dean of Students and provides ongoing support for students with special learning needs. The Center serves students with learning disabilities and/or attention disorders, physical, sensory, and cognitive disabilities, and also supports students of Ethiopian origin.

Committed to equal opportunity and an inclusive campus environment, the Center offers academic, personal, and professional support to help students realize their full potential.

Following referral and a personal consultation, each student receives an individualized support plan tailored to their needs. The plan is reviewed annually and accompanies the student throughout their studies.

Areas of Support include:

• Academic support: study-skills courses, workshops, tutoring, technological accommodations, and learning assessments

• Personal empowerment: individual consultations and workshops focused on confidence, coping skills, and academic adjustment

• Educational leadership: workshops addressing personal development, exam anxiety, and job-search skills

• Financial assistance: grants and support for evaluations, study equipment, and learning resources, subject to committee approval

The Netaim Unit was established to provide a comprehensive support framework for beginning teachers who have completed their academic studies.

The faculty includes experts in mentoring and personal coaching, alongside senior lecturers in various subject areas.

Internship
Beginning teachers need meaningful guidance and support to ensure a smooth entry into the education system and the development of a positive professional identity.

The Unit offers training courses for mentors of interns, including:

• Support during the first year of teaching

• Peer learning

• Developing skills and tools for successful integration into the education system

Professional Development

• Courses on a variety of topics for beginning teachers in their first and second years

• Training for mentor teachers supporting educators and kindergarten teachers with at least four years of experience

The Center for Innovation in Teaching is a welcoming space for the college’s teaching staff. Within the center, faculty members can hold meetings with the instructional team in the field of techno pedagogy, meet with colleagues, work with 3D printers and other technologies, and host hybrid sessions.

The Simulation CenterThe Simulation Center is an integral part of the Center for Certificate Studies and Professional Development at the college. It operates to advance teachers’ academic excellence through the integration of innovative teaching methods and learning technologies tailored to the 21st century.

Simulation-based learning is a teaching method incorporated into teachers’ professional development and a variety of academic courses. It enables participants to engage in authentic simulated (modeled) educational situations that are carefully designed in advance according to defined learning objectives. The simulations take place in dedicated rooms and are documented using high-quality audio and video recording technology from multiple angles, allowing for structured group debriefing based on models developed specifically for simulation training.

At David Yellin College, we have developed a unique simulation workshop model that incorporates double loop learning. In this model, participants first engage in a structured debrief and derive insights from the initial recording. The same scenario is then filmed a second time, allowing participants to examine how their conclusions and reflections influenced their subsequent performance.

The workshops are designed for practicing teachers, interns, and student teachers. They are conducted in small groups of 12–15 participants and last approximately four hours.

The Social Engagement Unit works to develop and implement values and skills of social involvement and pluralism as part of the college’s culture and as an integral component of teacher education. This is in the spirit of the vision of the founder of the “Hebrew Teachers’ Seminary,” David Yellin (1864–1941), as presented to the graduates of the first cohort:

The very title “teacher” already indicates the important role one plays in public life. A teacher must not only care for themselves and their own soul, but also for others; they must show the way that should be followed.

Our students take part in social initiatives, volunteer work, and educational projects in collaboration with organizations and schools—strengthening the connection between academia and the community and fostering socially engaged educators.

The College Library, established in 1929, is located in the College’s original building after years of growth and relocation. It serves students, faculty, and staff as both a lending and reference library.

The Library houses approximately 250,000 volumes across a wide range of disciplines, as well as periodicals in Hebrew, English, and Arabic. It also provides access to an expanding collection of full-text electronic books and journals, and includes a dedicated section for didactic and teaching-related materials.

In addition to its academic role, the Library promotes reading as a central cultural and educational value. It hosts seminars, conferences, and exhibitions on literature, authors, and related topics. Its exhibitions and art collection are designed to engage visitors, encourage exploration, and inspire reading through direct and meaningful encounters with books and ideas.

The Center for Children’s and Youth Literature promotes awareness and study of children’s and youth literature within the College and among educators, parents, librarians, and researchers.

The Center maintains a rich collection of children’s and youth literature in Hebrew, including a historical collection spanning from the 1930s to the present, as well as a dedicated Arabic children’s literature section.

Its computerized library includes catalogs by author, title, illustrator, and subject, along with writer and poet files containing articles, interviews, and critical materials. The Center also publishes bibliographic reading lists ahead of holidays.

Center activities include:

• Seminars on literary, linguistic, educational, and artistic aspects of children’s literature

• Reading instruction and encouragement for junior-school pupils at the College

• Training students to use children’s literature as a teaching tool across disciplines

• Serving as an information and resource center for faculty, students, and educators

• Use of the reading room for classes and workshops

The Authority for Research and Evaluation promotes the research activity of the academic faculty and fosters a research-oriented environment at David Yellin Academic College of Education. In addition, the Authority advances evaluation processes aimed at improving teaching at the college and enhancing the other services provided within it.

The Center for Attentive Teaching is an education and research institute dedicated to true educational excellence. Based in the David Yellin College of Education, the institute aims to conduct research and educational initiatives on ‘Attentive Teaching,’ (AT) a novel cognitive and experiential approach to teaching and learning developed by Prof. Yaron Schur. Prof. Schur, a renowned and innovative educational scholar, is the founding head and director of the center.

The Center for Attentive Teaching

ExtrAbility is an additional ability or skill that an individual with disabilities develops because of her/his adaptation to living with their disability. Because they inhabit a world designed for their bodies, nondisabled individuals do not need or use extrabilities. For people with disabilities, extrabilities may dramatically improve the quality of life. Extrabilities may serve as disabled people’s competitive advantages. The use and development of extrabilities in professional domains allow people with disabilities to succeed in integrated workplace environments.

The ExtrAbility center