There are three peak activity days in the TEC4Schools program – preparation days at Beit Yatziv, TEC International Day, and end-of-year encounters:
- Preparation days at Beit Yatziv: In the beginning of the school year (September-October), more than 100 teachers and instructors in the program meet for three intensive days of preparation at Beit Yatziv guest house in Beer Sheva. Besides receiving instruction on the content and technological tools required to operate the program, the teachers work together to prepare the detailed one-year program for their pupils, including assignments and dates for all the joint events. Teams of three teachers, one from each culture, are attached to the work clusters, and prepare the unique program and assignments for their pupils with guidance from the cluster instructors, who continue to accompany them throughout the year.
- TEC International Day: One of the stages in the TEC Model is synchronous sessions, which usually take place in February-March. The classes of pupils meet in a video session, and for the first time see and hear their partners in the asynchronous activities held from November to January. The pinnacle of the synchronous encounters is the TEC Online International Day, in which all the children in the program meet for a celebration of online games, presentations of the program’s activities, and videoed singing and dancing.
- Face-to-face encounters: According to the TEC Model, ties and mutual trust are gradually established between the pupils from the different cultures, in preparation for an experiential and exciting face-to-face encounter at the conclusion of the year-long learning process in the program. See image below:
