Resumen de High school programme in electro-optics: a case study on interdisciplinary learning and systems thinking
An interdisciplinary electro-optics programme was recently established at a leading high school in Israel. This unique programmecombines physics with electronics and spans over a three-year period. The programme was meant to increase students’ interest inphysics and engineering, and develop their systems thinking skills. A central part of the programme is the final project done overthe last school year (12th grade), in which the students design and implement an electro-optical system. The study described in thispaper characterized by qualitative tools the change that had occurred during the academic year in the attitudes of fourteen 12thgrade students toward the programme, and the change in their systems thinking skills. The results of this study indicate thatbeyond the students’ increasing interest in the programme, they thought of it as leading to a deeper study of the disciplinarycomponents. Further it was discovered that over the year there was an improvement in the students’ systems thinking skills.
