The Range Center views conferences and study days as an integral part of its research and educational activities. These events serve as a platform for sharing knowledge, presenting innovative research, and connecting researchers, educators, and field experts. Their goal is to advance the study of giftedness and excellence in Israel and worldwide, and to foster a fruitful dialogue among all relevant stakeholders – researchers, teachers, principals, and policymakers.
Below, you will find an archive of the conferences and events organized by us over the years. The list includes the names of the conferences and events, brief descriptions of the core topics they addressed, as well as links to dedicated websites and photos from the events, where available. We invite you to explore the scope and depth of the scientific and educational activities taking place at the center.
Year 2026
Seminar Day for Leading Teachers in Maor Program
Seminar Day for Leading Teachers in Maor Program
The Seminar Day focused on summarizing the annual activity in Maor Program and joint learning toward the future.
The meeting opened with greetings and a lecture by Prof. Roza Leikin on “Collaborative Learning,” presenting practical principles and models in the field. Later, the teachers took part in a group mathematics competition based on discretion and teamwork, and toured the Hecht Museum in the wing dedicated to German Jewry. The second part of the day was dedicated to a discussion from the world of Maor community facilitators, who shared challenges and experiences from the field, and concluded with a discussion on ways to deepen the importance of participation in communities and planning activities for the 2026–2027 school year.
Participants:
The Seminar Day was led by Prof. Roza Leikin, with the participation of middle school mathematics teachers who led Maor communities throughout the year.
Date: July 1, 2026
Location: University of Haifa
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Seminar Day for Mathematics Coordinators in Maor Program
Seminar Day for Mathematics Coordinators in Maor Program
The Seminar Day focused on summarizing the first year of activity of mathematics coordinators’ communities in Maor Program.
The meeting opened with greetings and a lecture by Prof. Roza Leikin on “Assessment,” presenting principles of assessment and its various types. Later, the participants engaged in group work building an assessment tool for a mathematical-literacy task, which concluded with a competition presenting unique questions. In the second part of the day, the coordinators participated in a “Consultation Circles” workshop for structured discussion on challenges characteristic of the coordinator role and for exchanging ideas and courses of action, and the day concluded with a discussion and reflection toward the 2026–2027 school year.
Participants:
The Seminar Day was led by Prof. Roza Leikin, with the participation of mathematics coordinators who led the coordinators’ communities of Maor Program throughout the year.
Date: June 29, 2026
Location: University of Haifa
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Year 2025
Seminar Day for Leading Teachers in Maor Program
Seminar Day for Leading Teachers in Maor Program
The Seminar Day focused on enriching professional knowledge and sharing experiences from the world of community leaders in Maor Program.
The meeting opened with greetings by Prof. Roza Leikin, followed by a guest lecture by Ms. Leah Weinreb on “Mathematical Difficulties and Their Impact on Learning Mechanism Functioning.” Later in the day, participants were exposed to a series of short TED-style lectures by Maor community leaders, experienced an activity called “From Environment to Literacy Task,” and participated in a roundtables competition. The day concluded with a summary discussion and feedback.
Participants:
Teachers from the leaders’ community in Maor Program participated in the Seminar Day.
The Seminar Day was led by Prof. Roza Leikin.
Date: July 1, 2025
Location: Crowne Plaza City Centre Hotel, Tel Aviv
Year 2024
Seminar Day for Leading Teachers in Maor Program
Seminar Day for Leading Teachers in Maor Program
The Seminar Day focused on deepening activity and instruction within Maor Program, bringing leading teachers together for joint learning and professional development.
The meeting opened with greetings by Prof. Roza Leikin, followed by roundtable work addressing program tasks. Later in the day, the teachers participated in a workshop on ways to deal with reading and text comprehension guided by Ms. Lilach Leizer Yavin, took part in the experiential activity “Around the World with Maor,” and experienced peer learning using video clips. The day concluded with a summary discussion and feedback.
Participants:
Leading teachers in Maor Program participated in the Seminar Day.
The meeting was facilitated and led by Prof. Roza Leikin, Dean of the Faculty of Education and Head of Range Center, alongside the Maor Program team.
Date: July 1, 2024
Location: Crowne Plaza City Centre Hotel, Tel Aviv
Year 2023
Curiosity Workshop
International research workshop of the Israel Science Foundation (ISF) on teaching mathematics through and by means of curiosity
The conference focused on the topic: “Mathematical curiosity as a means for developing mathematical competence in a wide range of students.”
It included discussions on the importance of mathematical curiosity in teaching, as well as the presentation of an agenda for international research in this field. The discussions touched upon theoretical and practical questions, as well as the roles of emotion and cognition in school mathematics studies.
Participants:
The conference was attended by 24 researchers from 9 different countries: USA, Germany, Taiwan, Greece, Israel, Singapore, Chile, Canada, and Cyprus.
The conference was led by Prof. Roza Leikin, Dean of the Faculty of Education and Head of Range Center. The conference was funded by the Israel Science Foundation (ISF).
Date: July 23–25, 2023
Location: University of Haifa
Website Link: Curiosity Workshop
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46th PME Conference
The 46th Conference of PME – The International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education
The conference addressed the theme “Mathematics Education for Global Sustainability.” It included four plenary lectures by leading researchers, four research forums, seven working groups, a seminar, and a scientific discussion forum (Colloquium). Additionally, 310 research reports and 60 posters were presented at the conference.
Participants:
The conference was attended by approximately 450 researchers from 39 different countries around the world.
The conference chairs were Dr. Michal Ayalon and Prof. Roza Leikin from the Department of Mathematics Education at the University of Haifa.
Plenary speakers included: Abraham Arcavi (Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel), Alf Coles (University of Bristol, UK), Patricio Felmer (University of Chile, Chile), and Paola Valero (Stockholm University, Sweden)..
Date: July 16–21, 2023
Location: University of Haifa
Website Link: 46th PME Conference
Seminar Day for Leading Teachers in Maor Program
Seminar Day for Leading Teachers in Maor Program
The Seminar Day focused on strengthening and leading Maor Program (Mathematical Literacy in Middle School), learning from filmed lessons, literacy activities, and bringing together community facilitators and leading teachers.
Participants:
Leading teachers and Maor community facilitators participated in the Seminar Day.
The conference was led by the Maor Program team, headed by Prof. Roza Leikin.
Date: July 3, 2023
Location: University of Haifa
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Problem Solving Conference
Problem Solving Conference in honor of Prof. Avi Berman
The conference was held in honor of Professor Avi Berman’s 80th birthday and dealt with problem-solving related to the number 80. The problems covered various fields such as graph theory, number theory, life sciences, and matrices.
Participants:
Speakers at the conference were from various academic institutions in Israel: Pessia Tsamir and Dina Tirosh (Tel Aviv University), Boris Koichu (Weizmann Institute), Ron Aharoni (Technion), Einat Heyd-Metzuyanim and Danny Neftin (Technion), Roy Kishony and Shay Moran (Technion), Roza Leikin (University of Haifa), Naomi Shaked-Monderer (Yezreel Valley College), and Daniel Hershkowitz (Civil Service Commissioner).
Date: January 26, 2023
Location: University of Haifa
Launch Conference of Maor Program
Launch Conference of Maor Program
The conference focused on launching Maor Program (Mathematical Literacy in Middle School) and professional development for core teachers. The meeting opened with a lecture by Prof. Roza Leikin on creativity and literacy in mathematics, followed by a series of workshops and focused sessions on various teaching approaches (such as I-MAT, Practimatics, MathKey-MAOF, Mahalachim, and in the spirit of PISA). In addition, there was a brain research lecture by Dr. Meirav Yogev, social activities for relaxation, and a summary discussion dedicated to the continued implementation of the program in the field.
Participants:
The conference was coordinated and led by Ms. Nerit Katz (Chief Inspector for Post-Primary Mathematics), Prof. Roza Leikin (Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Haifa and Head of Maor Program), and Ms. Fatena Marjie (Program Coordinator). About 200 mathematics teachers participated in the event, including regional instructors, subject department heads, and leading teachers selected from all districts to lead the program in regional communities.
Date: January 18-19, 2023
Location: Ma’ale HaHamisha Hotel
Year 2022
European-American Summit on Talent Development
European-American Summit on Talent Development
The conference included lectures and discussions on topics related to talent development.
Participants:
Speakers included professors from various academic institutions in the USA, Europe, and Israel.
The list includes, among others: Prof. Susan Assouline (University of Iowa), Prof. Seokhee Cho (St. John’s University), Prof. Dante D. Dixson (Michigan State University), Prof. Roza Leikin (University of Haifa), Prof. Todd Lubart (Université Paris Cité), Prof. Albert Ziegler (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg), and Prof. Moshe Zeidner (University of Haifa).
Date: July 4-7, 2022
Location: University of Haifa
Website Link: Talent Development Conference
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Year 2021
Meeting of Core Community in Mathematical Maof Program
Meeting of Core Community in Mathematical Maof Program
The conference addressed advancing “Mathematical Maof” and “Mathematical Key (Math-Key)” programs from Range Center, supported by the Ministry of Education and the University of Haifa, aiming to develop mathematical thinking, literacy, and creativity. The meeting brought together the programs’ core community for collaborative work, a lecture by Prof. Roza Leikin, and an experiential activity combining mathematics at the Hecht Museum.
Participants:
Teachers from core community of Mathematical Maof Program.
The conference was led by the team of “Mathematical Maof” and “Mathematical Key (Math-Key)” programs and Prof. Roza Leikin.
Date: December 1, 2021
Location: University of Haifa
Year 2020
The PISA Conceptual Framework as an Approach to Mathematics Teaching and Learning
International Conference: The PISA Conceptual Framework as an Approach to Mathematics Teaching and Learning
The goal of the conference was to discuss the implications of the PISA conceptual framework in mathematics on teaching mathematics in middle schools, and to learn from the experience of other countries that have implemented similar changes in their education systems. The discussions addressed concepts such as ‘mathematical literacy’ and ‘mathematical thinking,’ as well as the transition from theoretical learning to applied and relevant learning.
Participants:
The conference was attended by researchers, curriculum developers, and leading teachers from Israel and abroad.
International speakers included: Zbigniew Marciniak (mathematician from the University of Warsaw, Poland, and former Minister of National Education and Science of Poland); Hui-Yu Hsu (mathematics education researcher from National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan); and Merrilyn Goos (mathematics education researcher from the University of Limerick, Ireland).
Date: September 6, 2020
Location: University of Haifa
Website Link: Home Page , Round Tables
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Instructor Training in Math-Key and Maof Programs
Instructor Training in Math-Key and Maof Programs
The course focused on training instructors in “Mathematical Key (Math-Key)” and “Mathematical Maof” programs, focusing on developing and realizing high mathematical potential, collaborative learning, PISA thinking levels and creativity, tiered tasks, and the use of applets.
Participants:
Instructors and teachers in Mathematical Key (Math-Key) and Mathematical Maof programs participated in the course. The course was led by Prof. Roza Leikin and the Math-Key and Maof teams.
Date: July 5, 2020 – July 29, 2020 (series of meetings)
Location: Online
Year 2019
Challenging Mathematical Tasks for Heterogeneous Classrooms
International Conference: Challenging Mathematical Tasks for Heterogeneous Classrooms
The conference dealt with the use of challenging mathematical tasks that allow for multiple solutions, and its goal was to investigate ways of using them in heterogeneous classrooms.
Participants:
Keynote speakers: Prof. Jinfa Cai (University of Delaware, USA), Prof. Alexander Karp (Teachers College, Columbia University, USA), and Prof. Rina Zazkis (Simon Fraser University, Canada).
The panel also included Prof. Abraham Arcavi (Weizmann Institute), Prof. Michal Yerushalmy (University of Haifa), and others.
Date: September 24, 2019
Location: University of Haifa
Website Link: Challenging Mathematical Tasks for Heterogeneous Classrooms Conference
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Summer School for Mathematical Key (Math-Key) Program
Building Mathematical Key (Math-Key) Community
The conference focused on building the “Math-Key” (Open Tasks for Mathematical Thinking) community – Phase B training for leading teachers, developing mathematical potential and creativity in teaching, mentoring and leadership skills for teacher groups, as well as workshops on multiple-solution tasks, inquiry tasks, sorting tasks, and multiple-answer tasks.
Participants:
Mathematics teachers and instructors (veteran and new) participated in the conference.
The conference was led by Prof. Roza Leikin, Head of the Department of Mathematics Education, alongside the Range center team.
Date: July 4–5, 2019
Location: ANA Hostel, Haifa
Year 2012
Exploring and Advancing Mathematical Abilities in Secondary School High Achievers
International Research Workshop: Exploring and Advancing Mathematical Abilities in Secondary School High Achievers
The international workshop was dedicated to examining challenges and opportunities in mathematics education for students with high potential and exceptional talent in secondary schools. During the meetings, global models for fostering abstract thinking, strategies for solving complex problems, and ways to enrich the curriculum were presented, alongside research collaboration and discussion of international standards of excellence.
Participants:
The workshop, organized under the leadership of Prof. Roza Leikin, Dr. Boris Koichu, and Prof. Abraham Berman, hosted a select community of leading researchers from around the world specializing in giftedness and mathematics education. Alongside experts from Israel and renowned academics in the fields of education and mathematics, the organizers created a unique platform that brought together researchers from complementary disciplines. The presence of participants, who came from leading academic institutions in various countries, allowed for the exchange of cross-cultural perspectives on the cognitive and emotional characteristics of high-achieving students, and promoted an in-depth professional discourse on the ways to identify and foster high mathematical abilities in diverse educational systems.
Date: March 12–15, 2012
Location: University of Haifa
Workshop Book:
Leikin, R., B. Koichu & A. Berman (Eds.) (2012). Proceedings of the International Research Workshop of the Israel Science Foundation: Exploring and advancing mathematical abilities in secondary school high achievers. University of Haifa. Available in electronic version, Grant #12.
Year 2011
Geometry Teaching in Israel: A Discussion by Mathematicians and Mathematics Teacher Educators
Geometry Day: Discussion Meeting of Mathematicians and Mathematics Teacher Educators on Geometry Teaching in Israel
The discussion day was dedicated to formulating a position paper presenting research findings, opinions, and recommendations regarding content, pedagogy, and the professional development of geometry teachers. The work was conducted in five different discussion groups, which addressed the following topics: deductive and inductive reasoning in geometry; integrating technology into geometry teaching; teacher training for geometry in primary and secondary schools; and teaching geometry to students with varying abilities.
Participants:
The day was coordinated by: Michal Yerushalmy, Roza Leikin, and Varda Talmon.
Group discussion leaders: Marita Barabash, David Blanc, Rina Hershkowitz, Nurit Hadas, Atara Shriki, Dorit Patkin, Ruhama Even, Zemira Mevarech, Boris Koichu, and Roni Karsenty.
Date: October 26, 2011
Location: University of Haifa
Year 2008
Cross-Cultural Aspects of Creativity: Challenges and Barriers
International Workshop and Research Project on Cross-Cultural Aspects of Creativity: Challenges and Barriers
The workshop and research project focused on analyzing the factors that encourage or hinder creativity in different cultural and social contexts. The workshop, held at the University of Haifa, served as a meeting point to summarize findings collected during an ongoing Joint Research Project between researchers from the University of Haifa and researchers from Germany. The activity was funded by the GIF (German-Israeli Foundation for Scientific Research and Development), and was dedicated to identifying barriers that prevent the realization of creative potential and to examining the ways in which worldviews and educational traditions shape the ability to think outside the box.
Participants:
The workshop was attended by researchers and academics from diverse disciplines, including cognitive psychology and education, from leading research institutions in Germany and Israel.
Participants shared the findings of the joint research conducted under the auspices of the GIF foundation, which allowed for a multi-layered discourse on the influence of the cultural environment on individual and group creativity and on a cross-cultural comparison of creativity metrics.
Date: July 1–2, 2008
Location: University of Haifa
5th International Conference on Creativity in Mathematics and the Education of Gifted Students
5th International Conference on Creativity in Mathematics and the Education of Gifted Students
The 5th International Conference on Creativity in Mathematics and the Education of Gifted Students (MCG) focused on the intersections between creative thinking, problem solving, and fostering excellence. The conference was held in collaboration between the University of Haifa and Oranim Academic College of Education, serving as a central stage for presenting groundbreaking research in the field of integrating creativity with high mathematical abilities.
During the meetings, teaching approaches that emphasize original thinking were presented, while examining the pedagogical tools that enable gifted students to realize their creative potential.
Participants:
The conference was attended by leading researchers and academics from all over the world specializing in mathematics education, the psychology of creativity, and the study of giftedness. Alongside them, expert teachers and leaders of programs for high-achievers took part, which created a rich discourse combining research theories with applied practices. The international diversity of the participants allowed for a comparison between different models for fostering creativity and provided a broad view of the ways in which different cultures perceive and promote exceptional mathematical talent.
Date: February 24–28, 2008
Location: University of Haifa
Using Connectivity Tasks to Develop Mathematical Understanding
International Research Workshop of the Israel Science Foundation (ISF) on the Use of Connection Tasks for Developing Mathematical Understanding
The workshop dealt with examining the role of connectivity tasks as a tool for promoting meaningful learning of mathematics. During the workshop, theoretical approaches and empirical studies were presented that examined how creating links between different representations, concepts, and content areas helps students develop deep conceptual understanding.
The discussions focused on the pedagogical design of tasks that encourage higher-order thinking and the identification of mathematical structures, while sharing knowledge and practices from mathematics teaching around the world.
Participants:
The workshop hosted a select group of leading researchers in the field of mathematics education from Israel and abroad, alongside academics specializing in cognitive psychology and learning environment design.
Participants shared expertise in analyzing thinking processes and mathematics teaching, with the goal of creating an interdisciplinary discourse that combines theoretical research with practical applications in the field.
The presence of researchers from different countries allowed for the exchange of knowledge on diverse teaching methods and the examination of the influence of connectivity tasks on different student populations around the world.
Date: February 2008
Location: University of Haifa