Professional Development in Israel: Fostering multicultural dialogue among Jewish and Arab Israeli teachers

Can teacher-educators and teachers work together in community, to make a difference in society? The aim of this article is to describe a set of strategies the implementation of which will contribute towards the elaboration of a new ‘culture of teaching’. By promoting practices that lead to the development, in students and educators alike, of communication across cultural, ethnic, religious and national boundaries, of mutual tolerance and acceptance, the program we propose is dedicated to the evolution of a ‘culture for peace’. The program will be implemented and ongoing formative evaluation carried out, in the northern region of Israel, by a team of researchers with the participation of teacher educators and junior high school teachers from various cultural backgrounds. The rationale for the work derives from research literature on the nature of teaching and school change, the foundations of hostility and misunderstanding among people of diverse cultural backgrounds, and the potential of personal narrative for bringing people together. Our purpose in this article is to elaborate this rationale and to engage in critical reflection on the prospects and difficulties that lie ahead.