Authors: Barak Bar-zohar and Liat Josefsberg Ben-Yehoshua
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Abstract:
On-the-job training (OJT) is the topic of this analytic literature review. OJT calls for short-term theoretical training (from intensive five-week programs to those lasting one and a half years), entering teaching almost immediately, completing one’s academic requirement within the school year, and being mentored. This review provides a comprehensive theoretical background of OJT in the general employment market, with a focus on teacher training, and a critical reflection upon the advantages and disadvantages. It outlines contemporary advancements in prominent OJT in Israel and worldwide, through an examination and mapping of the programs’ stages, rationale for developing the program, the agencies involved, evaluation methods, and challenges. Additionally, the OJT trainees are examined, and the review reports on their identity, status, perceptions, evaluation methods and their effect on the teaching profession. The OJT programs presented and examined here are conducted in Israel, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The American ones are Teach for America, New York City Teaching Fellows, Academy for Urban School Leadership, American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence, and Urban Teacher Residency; those from the United Kingdom are Teach First and School Direct, the Israeli programs are Avney Rosha (Keystones) and Teach First Israel (Hotam). The review ends with a discussion, conclusions and insights regarding the current state of OJT teacher training programs and their graduates, the effect of these programs on the field of education, their potential for success and the changes required.