סדנת סטאז': מעורבת או ייעודית?

The goal of this study was to examine the differences in attitude between two groups of student teachers participating in the compulsory induction workshop as part of their internship. The first group studied in a “targeted" induction workshop oriented to a specific discipline. The second group studied in a “mixed-group" induction workshop involving students from a variety of disciplines. The research tools included questionnaires administered to 266 intern teachers, and interviews conducted with eight pedagogical instructors. The findings reveal that targeted workshops are more likely to provide their participants with the appropriate skills and tools required to handle the first year of teaching than the mixed workshops. Targeted workshops were found to create a continuum in the training process. These workshops were also found to increase the confidence of new teachers and help them cope with pupils. On the other hand, the mixed workshops generated a theoretical dialogue on general educational dilemmas on the macro-social level. Thus, their contribution to the professional development of new teachers is limited during the first years of teaching. However, mixed workshops may be beneficial to teachers once they become more secure in their teaching. Our findings highlight the importance of directing the focus of the induction workshops at the practical issues of teaching a particular discipline. By doing so, the induction workshops provide a more suitable response to the specific and immediate needs of the new teacher in his first year of teaching.