ASSIMILATION OF 21ST CENTURY SKILLS IN TEACHER-EDUCATION COLLEGES IN ISRAEL’S PERIPHERAL ZONES

Since 2012, the Israeli Ministry of Education has administered a program to prepare the education system for the requirements of the 21st century, beginning in the state’s peripheral regions. The program aims to establish innovative pedagogy in schools by introducing the use of information technology. The program necessitates changes in pre-service teachers’ training in the teacher-education colleges. The article focuses on two teacher-education colleges in Israel’s peripheral regions, which are attempting to prepare their graduates for their future role by equipping them with skills for the dynamic 21st century digital culture. It appears that it is insufficient to train these teachers to use existing technology in school; they must also be equipped with appropriate skills for the use of new technologies that will enter the schools in coming decades. The article shows how these two colleges are coping with the training of future teachers for this digital era, developing innovative teaching-learning processes as an integral part of pre-service teachers’ training.