The organizers of the Transformative Teacher Award, jointly sponsored by Base2Edu, Bett Educar, and partners*, have announced the winners of the first edition. The final results were announced at the conclusion of the online event held on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 14 and 15, recognizing projects developed by educators at all levels of basic education: early childhood, elementary (I and II), and high school.

In the Early Childhood Education category, the winner was Teacher Raelen Gonçalves, from Mogi das Cruzes (SP), with the project “Extra, extra, extra, it’s time to play.” Together with her students, the teacher created a class newspaper to share with fellow students and families the games, experiences, and other activities carried out in the classroom. Second and third place in the category went, respectively, to Teacher Graziela Dalcastagner, from Brusque (SC), with the project “Friends of the Garden”; and Teacher Anderson Kubiaki, from Porto Alegre (RS), with the project “A Toy Called Nature.”

The winner in the Elementary School I category was Prof. Alberto Rodrigues, from Piraju (SP), with the project “Códigos da Cidade.” The educator took on the challenge of drawing students’ attention to the importance of initiatives that contribute to environmental preservation, using various existing forms of artistic expression to do so. The project resulted in the collection of signatures for a petition in support of building a solid waste treatment facility in the municipality. Second place in the category went to the project “Planting Knowledge,” developed by Prof. Edivanderson Lopes, from Santarém (PA). And in third place was the project “Adventure Factory,” by Prof. Janaína Fernandes, from Belo Horizonte (MG).

In the Middle School category, Professor Raquel Zandonadi, from Praia Grande (SP), was selected as the winner for her project “Fanfiqueiros de Papel.” The educator used the language of so-called “fanfics”—stories created by fans of TV shows, characters, and other content popular with young audiences—to make her Portuguese language classes more engaging. Coming in second and third place in the category, respectively, were: Teacher Francilda Machado, from São Bento (MA), with the project “Sarilho: A História vira cena”; and Teacher Mytse Nogueira, from Queimados (RJ), with the project “Operação Carne Forte: o estudo dos nutrientes a partir da carne.”

And in the High School category, the winner of the first edition of the Transformative Teacher Award was Teacher Flávia Arante, from São Paulo (SP), for her project “Clube da Luta.” During her classes, the educator realized that she needed to go beyond the prescribed curriculum and make room for her students, specifically, to do something seemingly simple: talk about their own lives and the challenges they face. Second place went to Teacher Márcia Ribeiro, from Palmas (TO), for her project “Science with Them: Girls Changing Their World to Change the World”; and in third place was Teacher Henrique Pereira, from Franca (SP), for his project “Priority: Life—Active Methodologies in the Study of the Human Body.”

The winners in each category will receive cash prizes, as well as an international trip to attend Bett Educar 2021 in London, England. The runners-up and third-place finishers will also receive cash prizes.  

In all, more than 1,200 projects were submitted for the first edition of the Transformative Teacher Award, which stands out for recognizing initiatives by educators who are helping to promote transformation in education, in line with the guidelines of the BNCC (National Common Core Curriculum). At the conclusion of the online meeting, registration opened for the second edition of the Award, and entries can now be submitted via the website: www.significare.org.br/premio

*In addition to Base2Edu and Bett Educar, the following organizations are partners in organizing the Transformative Teacher Award: Instituto Significare, the State Government of São Paulo, Educação Magazine, Direcional Escolas Magazine, Canvas, Instituto Rodrigo Mendes, and Fique Bem.