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Orna Levin

Achva Academic College, Education, Faculty Member

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Orna Levin (Ph.D.) is the founding Chair of SITE (Simulation in Teacher Education), an International Research Network (IRN) under the auspices of WERA, and serves on the editorial boards of Simulation
Phone: +972552281982

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Papers by Orna Levin

Editorial: An analytical framework for understanding how models in simulation-based learning in education contribute to professional identity formation

Dapim, 83(1), 2026

This article proposes an analytical framework for understanding how different models of simulatio... more This article proposes an analytical framework for understanding how different models of simulation-based learning contribute to professional identity formation in teacher education. Against the backdrop of a persistent identity crisis among novice teachers, simulation is conceptualized not merely as a tool for skill acquisition but as a site of deep learning integrating cognitive, emotional, and social dimensions. The framework identifies three core mechanisms: encountering the other as a catalyst for disruption and meaning-making; reflective debriefing as a space for metacognitive processing; and emotional engagement as a driver of learning and identity work. A typological analysis demonstrates how distinct simulation models activate these mechanisms in different ways, enabling alignment between pedagogical aims and simulation design.

"No pain, no gain": Simulation-based learning in teacher education: The mediating role of simulation hindrances

by Rivi Frei Landau and Orna Levin

Research on educational simulations has attempted to decipher the simulation-based learning (SBL)... more Research on educational simulations has attempted to decipher the simulation-based learning (SBL) process by examining factors that facilitate and impede this process. In the current study, we examined the role of SBL participants' hindrances, in particular their experience of anxiety or fear, which we view using the framework of leaving one's comfort zone. Departure from one's comfort zone has never been studied in the context of SBL in teacher education. A quantitative analysis of data collected via a questionnaire on Simulation Learning Outcomes in Teacher Education (SLOTE) revealed a model in which the hindrance variable potentially mediated all of the relationships between the background variables and the simulation learning outcomes (i.e., communication skills and collaborative learning insights). These results improve the theoretical understanding of the SBL process in this field and indicate ways to optimally utilize potential hindrances to plan and apply SBL for the purpose of learning.

Simulation-based learning in teacher education: Using Maslow's Hierarchy of needs to conceptualize instructors' needs

by Orna Levin and Rivi Frei Landau

Research Article, 2023

Introduction: Simulation-based learning (SBL) has become an effective tool in the education field... more Introduction: Simulation-based learning (SBL) has become an effective tool in the education field, and instructors play a significant role in leading it. Although much is known about participants' needs, SBL instructors' needs have yet to be addressed. The study's goal was to explore SBL instructors' needs while guiding an SBL workshop using the psychological framework of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Methods: We employed a qualitative case-study design, consisting of 68 fourhour-long workshops, held at a teacher-education simulation center by the center's professional instructors. Data collection comprised 211 statements derived from instructors' open-ended reflections, the transcripts of two focus groups held with the instructors, and 98 interpersonal communication documents. Results: Data were analyzed using both deductive and inductive thematic analysis, which rendered 11 themes spanning Maslow's five levels, and revealing two possible simulation-based learning paths: a complete process, in which all needs are met and an incomplete process, in which needs remain unmet. Discussion: Theoretical insights and practical implications are provided for attending to instructors' needs (i.e., basic needs, security, belonging, self-esteem, self-actualization) to ensure optimal learning in teacher education when using SBL.

Simulation as a pedagogical model for deep learning in teacher education

Teaching and teacher education, Jun 1, 2024

Deep learning is a growing field, and although the connection between simulation-based learning (... more Deep learning is a growing field, and although the connection between simulation-based learning (SBL) and deep learning is evident, there is insufficient knowledge to explain how deep learning occurs in SBL. The current case-study examined SBL as a model for deep learning. Participants were 68 teachers who participated in an SBL workshop. Triangulation was achieved using reflections, interviews, and focus groups. Through open content analysis, findings indicated that deep learning using SBL occurs via three dimensions: the cognitive, the interpersonal, and the intrapersonal. These results enhance our understanding of deep learning and the factors that promote and inhibit such learning.

The Missing Piece in the CASEL Model: The Impact of Social–Emotional Learning on Online Literature Teaching and Learning

Education Sciences

The use of social–emotional learning (SEL) practices in online literature teaching has not yet be... more The use of social–emotional learning (SEL) practices in online literature teaching has not yet been sufficiently researched. This study addresses this lacuna by identifying SEL practices mentioned by lecturers and preservice teachers (PSTs) as they reported on their respective experiences of teaching and learning in online literature lessons. Data were collected using three research tools: questionnaires were completed by 28 lecturers from four different teacher education colleges and 90 PSTS; semi-structured interviews were held with 12 of the literature PSTs; and a focus group was held with six lecturers. A data analysis revealed six major SEL-related themes mentioned by lecturers and PSTs as essential practices of online learning and teaching: building relationships, working collaboratively, emotional involvement, effective communication, dealing with conflicting feelings, and techno-pedagogic skills. These findings contribute to our understanding of online learning and teaching ...

‘My Roots are in Two Different Landscapes’: A Bi-Rooted Mindset in Rachel Bluwstein's and Lea Goldberg's Oeuvre for Children and Adults

Journal of Intercultural Studies, May 4, 2018

ABSTRACT The biographical and poetic similarities between Rachel Bluwstein (1890–1931) and Lea Go... more ABSTRACT The biographical and poetic similarities between Rachel Bluwstein (1890–1931) and Lea Goldberg (1911–1970) call for a comparative study of the two poetesses. Viewed in the context of migrant literature, this study examines the anguish manifested in their poetry for children and adults, in light of the poetesses’ sense of bi-rootedness, that is, the simultaneous emotional attachment that Bluwstein and Goldberg had to Russia and to the Land of Israel. In the textual analysis, I observe both aspects of bi-rootedness: the memories of and yearnings for the old homeland alongside the reluctance to adapt to the new homeland. This intercultural gap is a relevant issue because through it I define a systematic pattern of ‘bi-rooted’ mindset in migrant literature.

From the past to the future through literature: the motif of secrecy in Holocaust literature for children

Holocaust Studies, Jan 15, 2021

ABSTRACT This paper examines children's Holocaust literature as a mechanism for dealing with ... more ABSTRACT This paper examines children's Holocaust literature as a mechanism for dealing with a traumatic past. The study's corpus includes 131 books, in which secrecy is a central motif. In 51 of these books, hiding is an essential part of the protagonist’s secret. The research approach was qualitative, employing both hermeneutic and content analysis of these texts. Three literary devices were revealed, each of which represents a principal component of the literary construct. These literary devices shape the secrecy-theme, and enable the processing to the traumatic past functions as a tool for distinguishing and distancing the present from the traumatic event.

Broken worlds in broken words: empty discourse on war in Israeli literature

Israel Affairs, Jul 24, 2019

ABSTRACT This article addresses an unstudied literary discourse pattern in Israeli literature, wh... more ABSTRACT This article addresses an unstudied literary discourse pattern in Israeli literature, which it terms an ‘empty discourse’ on Israeli wars, suggesting that they have become a simultaneously absent and present theme in Israeli literature. The analysis is based on Wittgenstein’s philosophy of language, which serves to explain the mutual influence between the reality of war and war literature. Based on the literary analysis presented, the article suggests a wider typology for examining this issue in contemporary Israeli literature published after the 2006 Lebanon War.

»This Large Jewish Mass Striding with Fatal Tranquility towards Its Doom«: The Poetic and Political Jewish Illusions in Naomi Frankel's Saul and Joanna

Jewish Studies Quarterly, 2019

The omitted title in ‘At the Outset of the Day’: Agnon’s perception of his role as a writer

Journal of Jewish Studies, Apr 1, 2018

The Online Study of Literature in Israeli Teacher-Education Colleges: Framework and Guidelines

L1-educational Studies in Language and Literature, Sep 30, 2022

Studying literature online has become common in teacher-education colleges since the increase of ... more Studying literature online has become common in teacher-education colleges since the increase of online learning in the higher education arena. The aim of this study was to identify the primary components of online literature lessons as perceived by preservice teachers (PSTs). Using a qualitative, multiple case study approach, data from a heterogeneous population of 90 PSTs attending three Israeli teacher-education colleges were retrieved, using discussions, questionnaires, and interviews. Thematic-cognitive data analysis yielded three major themes related to technological aspects, teachers' knowledge, and PSTs' subjective experiences of an online literature lesson. Based on these findings, a theoretical model was constructed for developing guidelines for teaching literature online. Given that there is no existing framework for conducting literature lessons online, this study contributes to the literature by extending the resources available for understanding and researching pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for teaching literature.

Strange Genre-related Loops in a Novel-Short Story: The Tension between the Genres and their Cultural Context

CLCWeb, Oct 11, 2021

Part of the Comparative Literature Commons, Jewish Studies Commons, and the Modern Literature Com... more Part of the Comparative Literature Commons, Jewish Studies Commons, and the Modern Literature Commons Dedicated to the dissemination of scholarly and professional information, Purdue University Press selects, develops, and distributes quality resources in several key subject areas for which its parent university is famous, including business, technology, health, veterinary medicine, and other selected disciplines in the humanities and sciences. CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture, the peer-reviewed, full-text, and open-access learned journal in the humanities and social sciences, publishes new scholarship following tenets of the discipline of comparative literature and the field of cultural studies designated as "comparative cultural studies." Publications in the journal are indexed in the Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature (Chadwyck-Healey), the Arts and Humanities Citation Index (Thomson Reuters ISI), the Humanities Index (Wilson), Humanities International Complete (EBSCO), the International Bibliography of the Modern Language Association of America, and Scopus (Elsevier). The journal is affiliated with the Purdue University Press monograph series of Books in Comparative Cultural Studies.

Techno-poetics in micro-stories of the digital age: The case of Alex Epstein

Digital Scholarship in the Humanities, Jun 3, 2019

In this study, I frame the concept of techno-poetics by analyzing Alex Epstein’s micro-stories an... more In this study, I frame the concept of techno-poetics by analyzing Alex Epstein’s micro-stories and by examining the development of the micro-fiction genre throughout the world. Epstein is a contemporary Israeli author whose universal micro-stories have been translated into several languages (English, Spanish, French, and Russian). Epstein uses a dual language: given his career as a computer programmer in a high-tech company, the language of his thoughts is conveyed through the logic of technology, whereas, as an artist, he is loyal to the language of poetics. Is Epstein a “programmer” of micro-stories? Within the framework of this study, I analyze the dynamic relationship between the polar opposites of technology and poetics, as it is revealed in Epstein’s micro-stories, taking into account the genre’s characteristics as well as the unique features with which Epstein—as a contemporary author—imbues his works. More specifically, I analyze six categories that describe the relationship between digital technology and the world of art, a relationship that informs Epstein's micro-stories. Epstein's work was not created in a void; nevertheless, his micro-stories differ not only from the works of previous authors of the genre, but also from those of his contemporaries, whose work, likewise, deals with the tension between technology and poetics. A major difference is the methods of publication that Epstein uses, which form part of the techno-poetical process. In this sense, the themes, the conception of art, and the method of publication are all indications of a unique artistic phenomenon.

Nano-poetics and a nano-representation of the Israeli milieu in Yossel Birstein’s short-short bus-stories

Israel Affairs, Jan 31, 2021

ABSTRACT This article discusses the unique nano-poetics and its nano-representation of the Israel... more ABSTRACT This article discusses the unique nano-poetics and its nano-representation of the Israeli milieu, as found in Yossel Birstein’s short-short bus-stories. While these stories demonstrate the author’s poetics, they also constitute a miniature replica of Israeli society, emphasising the following four major aspects of this society: (1) the tension between the Jewish past and the Israeli present; (2) the complex dynamics between private and public life; (3) the gap between newcomers and veteran immigrants; and (4) a mentality dominated by nervous tension combined with the unique form of audacity known as chutzpah. Birstein presents the bus both as the inspiration for and as the object of his writing, and this narrative framework showcases the many variants in Israeli culture.

Reflective processes in clinical simulations from the perspective of the simulation actors

Reflective Practice, Jul 25, 2022

Simulation-based learning (SBL) relies on reflective practices presented from the perspectives of... more Simulation-based learning (SBL) relies on reflective practices presented from the perspectives of the participants, instructors, and actors. To date, most research in SBL has examined the reflectivity of the simulation participants and simulation instructors; only a few have considered the professional actors’ perspectives, and these did not explore their reflective activity in depth. This study is the first attempt to focus specifically on the reflective practices of the professional simulation actors in the SBL process. Fifteen professional simulation actors participated in this case study. Triangulation was achieved by using three data collection tools: reflections, interviews, and focus groups. An inductive analysis of the data revealed the professional actors’ efforts to establish a reflexive relationship with the simulation participants and its significance in the SBL process. The adoption of the clinical model, originating from the medical field, in the field of teacher education, as well as the study's focus on the practice of reflectivity rather than on specific content, suggests that the findings regarding the simulation actors’ reflective processes may be applied to other fields.

‘In the Heart of a Great Foreigh Homeland': Bi-Rooted Mind-Set in the Poems of Rachel Bluwstein and Leas Goldberg

DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), May 1, 2016

The biographical and poetic similarity between Rachel Bluwstein (1890-1931) and Lea Goldberg (191... more The biographical and poetic similarity between Rachel Bluwstein (1890-1931) and Lea Goldberg (1911-1970) calls for a comparative study of the two poetesses, which were undertaken in the specific context of migrant literature, in light of the term "bi-rootedness". Both Bluwstein and Goldberg had "double roots", in Russia and in the Land of Israel, and this can be clearly seen in a "bi-rooted" mind-set manifest in their poems, which will be examinedin this paper. In my analysis two manifestations of this "bi-rooted pain"will be observed: European memories and a yearning for the old homeland on the one hand, and the rejection of adapting to the new homeland on the other.

Multiple aspects of simulation facilitators’ role in higher education: protecting and challenging the learners

Teaching in Higher Education

Simulation-based learning (SBL) has been the focus of higher-education literature, especially in ... more Simulation-based learning (SBL) has been the focus of higher-education literature, especially in teacher education and training. Led by a professional facilitator, the SBL process requires learners to step out of their comfort zone. This multiple case-study examines the roles of SBL facilitators to better understand the conditions for creating an optimal learning setting. Triangulation was accomplished using three data-collection methods: 218 facilitators' written reflections were collected; a focus group was held with eight SBL facilitators; and interviews were held with 21 SBL participants. Data analysis revealed six themes describing the facilitator’s multiple roles: removing barriers to promote participants’ openness to learn; reducing stress; counterbalancing harsh criticism; gauging the intensity of the scenario; pacing the learning process; linking the learned lesson to practice. Conceptualizing the SBL facilitator’s role as the combination of these opposing poles suggests that the facilitator's goal is to create a ‘stretch zone’ that promotes effective learning.

Using simulation-based learning to inform preservice teachers’ professional development

Teaching Education

Teacher-education programmes around the world face the challenge of preparing professionals capab... more Teacher-education programmes around the world face the challenge of preparing professionals capable of adapting their teaching processes to rapidly accumulating empirical knowledge, while remaining relevant in an era of constant change. In this case study, we propose that integrating Simulation-Based Learning (SBL) into teacher-education programmes can help prepare teachers to remain relevant, proficient, and effective educators in the dynamic and ever-changing realm of education. Thirty preservice teachers (PSTs) participated in 26 weekly SBL workshops, integrating a variety of experiences that may occur during teaching processes. Throughout their written reflections and interviews, participants referred to the SBL processes and to the peer feedback they received as the most significant components promoting their understanding of their professional-identity as teachers in a changing era. This study's findings indicate that SBL allows teachers to develop their professionalism as educators in a dynamic and changing educational environment, as they become increasingly aware of the multitude of options they have to cope with future educational situations.

Emotional, behavioural, and conceptual dimensions of teacher-parent simulations

Teachers and Teaching

Conducting conversations with students’ parents is an important and constant part of teachers’ pr... more Conducting conversations with students’ parents is an important and constant part of teachers’ professional practice. Teacher education programmes are responsible for preparing the foundations for teacher-parent cooperation; however, throughout the training, there are few opportunities for preservice teachers (PSTs) to practice interacting with parents and it is evident that at the beginning of their career, teachers are insufficiently prepared to manage this aspect of the professional requirements. The current study examined the issue of preparing PSTs to handle parent-teacher relationships, using simulations that involve the participation of a professional actor. Applying a qualitative approach and a case-study methodology, data were collected from 52 PSTs using three tools: written reflections, interviews, and focus groups, in order to learn about PSTs’ perceptions about the simulation experience and its effectiveness in preparing them to handle parent-teacher conversations. Analysis of the findings revealed that the PSTs mentioned three principles that guided their understanding of how to cope with this task, namely, the emotional, behavioural, and conceptual dimensions that came into play through the simulation. This study contributes to our theoretical understanding of the issue by expanding the concept of “parental awareness in education” and by focusing on empathic abilities.

Learning-Teaching Processes in Online Clinical Simulation within Disciplinary Training of Literature

L1-Educational Studies in Language and Literature

Clinical simulations have been developed as a tool for coping with complex professional situation... more Clinical simulations have been developed as a tool for coping with complex professional situations. In recent decades, clinical simulation has been integrated into teacher education for pedagogical training. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, an online clinical simulation model was developed, given the need to adapt the human-based clinical simulations to an online platform. This study examined the learning and teaching processes experienced during online clinical simulations applied in the context of discipline-specific training. Specifically, these processes were investigated by collecting data representing the perceptions of 98 preservice literature teachers. The analyzed data yielded three themes, describing the participants’ perceived gains from the online teaching-learning processes: (1) The strengthening of preservice teachers’ discipline-specific involvement (2) The formulation of a professional understanding of discipline-specific teaching processes (3) Ways to promote meaningfu...