Category: News

We were delighted to host education inspectors from the Northern District of the Special Education Administration and the Society and Youth Administration at our Smart BioEd Lab.

During the visit, we presented a variety of research projects conducted in our lab, including studies examining the epistemic emotions that arise during participation in the digital curation process, as well as studies investigating the development of scientific reasoning, statistical reasoning, and Nature of Science understanding among students participating in a citizen science sleep project.

We were delighted by the great interest shown by both groups and by their enthusiasm for promoting future collaborations that will enable many more students to visit the Smart BioEd Lab, participate in authentic scientific research, and experience science firsthand.

We thank our guests for their inspiring visit and look forward to continuing our collaboration.

At the recent annual conference of the TCSS center, held at the University of Haifa, our research group was pleased to present findings from our ongoing research on the Fly Sleep citizen science project.

Our presentation focused on how participation in the project supports students’ development of Nature of Science understanding, scientific reasoning, and statistical thinking through authentic citizen science experiences. It was a pleasure to share our work with teachers, scientists, and educational researchers, and to contribute to the ongoing conversation about the potential of citizen science to advance meaningful science education.

At the recent IHPST 2026 conference in Lisbon, our research group was delighted to present our work on how the Pedagogy of Practice framework can guide professional development to help science educators implement Nature of Science in their instruction.
Our presentation synthesized findings from two of our group’s complementary studies, examining in-service science teachers on the one hand and natural history museum guides on the other. Despite working in very different environments, both groups of educators benefited significantly from this practice-based approach. The framework helped them bridge the critical gap between understanding Nature of Science as an abstract concept and actively and meaningfully integrating it into their daily educational practice.
These joint findings suggest that the Pedagogy of Practice offers a highly transferable model for preparing educators to foster richer, more authentic scientific literacy in both formal and informal settings. It was a privilege for our team to share these insights and to engage in inspiring dialogues with international colleagues working at the vital intersection of the history, philosophy, and teaching of science.

Pshenichny-Mamo, A., Ben Simon. H, & Tsybulsky, D. From knowing to doing: professional development for science educators in nature of science through a ‘pedagogy of practice’ framework. IHPST2026. Lisbon, Portugal, July 2026. Oral presentation.

At the Azrieli Fellows End-of-Year Gathering, Ph.D. candidate Anna Pshenichny-Mamo marked the completion of her three-year Azrieli Graduate Studies Fellowship.

The fellowship has supported her doctoral research throughout the past three years. Anna expressed her gratitude to the Azrieli Foundation, the program team, and the fellows community for their continuous support and inspiring collaborations. She now joins the Azrieli Alumni community and looks forward to the next stage of her academic career.

We are pleased to share that Remah Haj presented her research at the Israeli Math, Computer and Natural Science Education Student Forum, held at the Weizmann Institute of Science in June 2026.

As part of a plenary session, Remah presented her doctoral research examining epistemic emotions in a Socio-Scientific Issues through Digital Curation (SSI-DC) learning pathway. Her presentation highlighted the dual role of epistemic emotions: both as indicators of uncertainty, cognitive conflict, and knowledge gaps, and as mechanisms that support students’ information exploration, evaluation of evidence, argumentation, and knowledge construction throughout the learning process.

The forum provided an excellent opportunity to share ongoing research with the science education community, engage in scholarly discussions, and receive valuable feedback from researchers and graduate students across mathematics, computer science, and natural science education.

Congratulations, Remah, on this important presentation and contribution to the field. 👏🎓

We are delighted to congratulate Remah Haj on receiving the Faculty Excellence Scholarship. This prestigious award recognizes her outstanding achievements, commitment to academic excellence, and promising contributions to educational research. We are proud to celebrate this well-deserved recognition and look forward to her future accomplishments 🎉

We are proud to congratulate Haya Ben-Simon on winning the 1st Place Award at the Faculty Research Day poster competition. Her award-winning poster, “Modeling in Citizen Science Contexts: Fostering the Co-Development of Statistical Reasoning, Scientific Reasoning, and Nature of Science Understanding,” presents findings from a study examining how participation in citizen science projects and engagement in modeling practices foster students’ statistical reasoning, scientific reasoning, and understanding of the Nature of Science. Congratulations, Haya, on this well-deserved achievement!

We are pleased to share that Remah Haj presented her research at the Annual International Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Education 2026:

Haj, R., Tsybulsky, D. Epistemic emotions as markers and mechanisms in the integration of scientific knowledge through the SSI-DC learning pathway. Annual International Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Education 2026. Western Galilee College, Israel, May 2026. Oral presentation.

Her presentation focused on the role of epistemic emotions in students’ learning processes within a Socio-Scientific Issues through Digital Curation (SSI-DC) learning pathway.
The study conceptualizes epistemic emotions as both markers of uncertainty, cognitive conflict, and knowledge gaps, and mechanisms that support exploration, evaluation of information, argumentation, and knowledge construction. By examining students’ experiences across different phases of SSI learning, the research highlights the dynamic ways in which emotions accompany and support the integration of scientific knowledge.
This work contributes to the growing body of research on emotions in science education and provides new insights into the role of epistemic emotions in technology-enhanced learning environments.

 

We are pleased to share the publication of a new article by our research group in Science & Education:

Ben Simon, H., Pshenichny-Mamo, A., & Tsybulsky, D. (2026). Teaching nature of science: A pedagogy of practice framework for teachers’ professional development. Science & Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-026-00750-8

The article presents a practice-based pedagogical framework for supporting science teachers’ professional development in teaching the Nature of Science (NOS).

The study explores how teachers incorporated NOS instruction into their classrooms through authentic, reflective, and context-based teaching practices. The findings demonstrate how teachers adopted and adapted new pedagogical strategies for NOS instruction, with storytelling-based approaches emerging as particularly meaningful and engaging for both teachers and students.

This work contributes to ongoing research and practice in science teacher education and offers new insights into effective approaches for supporting NOS teaching in schools.

Today, we were pleased to host a delegation from the Haifa District, led by representatives from the STEM supervision team and educational leadership, at our Smart BioEd Lab. During the visit, we presented our research focus on bridging between the culture of science and the worlds of learners and teachers through authentic and meaningful learning contexts. The delegation was introduced to our work on digital curation, and teacher professional development, as well as to our citizen science Sleep Project. The visit also highlighted our lab’s role in connecting research with practice through collaborations with schools, teacher communities, and pre-service teachers. We are grateful for this opportunity to share our work and look forward to future collaborations with the Haifa educational community.