Educate by Richmond: Green Apple School's new bilingual program

We spoke with the Educate by Richmond team to tell you the details of the new bilingual program at the Green Apple School, which integrates the school's humanized pedagogical proposal, creating effective strategies for the integral education of students.

“Through an additional language it is possible to confront worldviews different from ours and with other narratives that do not circulate in our immediate community”

Why is bilingual education so important?

With the aim of training students to be global citizens capable of understanding and valuing diversity in the world, the bilingual program Educate, together with the socio-interactionist pedagogical proposal of the Green Apple School, provides everyone with the opportunity to understand the cultural complexity of their surroundings, adapting to multiple forms of interaction. It also provides resources for students to communicate widely, in order to contribute to the formation of the society in which they are inserted. In this way, the program aligns with the premise that being bilingual goes beyond the concept of speaking two languages.

What makes the Educate by Richmond program different?

It is possible to say that Educate is characterized by being a complete program, with a variety of printed and digital components for students and teachers, with the aim of making the learning of the additional language and the content transmitted through this language meaningful and enjoyable. In addition, the program offers continuous and progressive pedagogical monitoring to teachers, teacher training, communication with the school community and teaching materials carefully developed by experts in the field, with the strength of the Richmond brand.

What are the pillars of the program Educate by Richmond?

Four teaching pillars support Educate, following the pedagogical proposal of the Green Apple School: The integrated learning of language and content such as Arts, Mathematics and Science; blended learning, fostered by the integration of face-to-face and virtual learning tools; learning through experiences and working with the skills of the 21st century, so that students can develop skills such as empathy, communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking.

What are the support materials of the Educate by Richmond program for students and teachers?

Printed and digital materials support the teaching journey so that the pillars on which Educate is based become visible. Among the printed materials for the early childhood education segment that make up Educate with 6 weekly classes, embraced by the Green Apple School, we can highlight not only the student's textbook, but also mini-flashcards, practice book (to consolidate learning), cricket tales (for storytelling). In elementary school, the student has access to the student book as well and the cross-curricular book (focused on interdisciplinary work). Teachers are equipped with Chromebooks to teach daily, making use of all resources in digital format. And the school receives, in addition to flashcards, storycards, puppetry, realia material, so that, through the manipulation of the items presented, students can have an experience in the training course closer to everyday reality.

What does the Educate by Richmond digital platform offer?

Regarding digital material, both the student and the teacher have a platform/LMS (Learning Management System) with a series of components such as the interactive digital book, posters and virtual flashcards, audios, videos, interactive activities and a digital library with more than 6000 books available for reading. All this allows the teacher not only to teach the classes but also to provide activities for the students so that they can complete them in their own time and space, according to the expectations of a hybrid teaching. It is therefore possible to say that the Educate Bilingual Program provides a full experience that goes beyond the walls of a conventional classroom, through an effective integrated solution in a bilingual learning context.

How does the international certification process work by Educate?

Composing the educational solution, there are international certifications for both the student and the teacher, as part of Educate. This means that at the end of the 5th year, students will be invited to take the international exam, in this case, Cambridge for the compatible age group and language level. Adequate material is offered through the LMS, through which the teacher can gradually prepare students throughout the 5th year. In this way, they can mobilize their knowledge when undergoing the international exam, obtaining desired results.

Interview by MOK agency for Green Apple School.

References:

Educate.global

Megale, A. For an inter/multicultural bilingual education, in Bilingual Education in Brazil. São Paulo: Fundação Santillana, 2019, p. 75-83.