The 3rd Bett Conference, held on October 5 and 6 in Recife (PE) and organized and promoted by Bett Brasil—Latin America’s largest education and technology event—focused its discussions on “School Management and Innovation in Learning: How to Tackle the Challenges?” To discuss the main theme, the event brought together educators, administrators, school operators, and educational leaders from the private sector’s K-12 system in Brazil’s Northeast Region for eight panel discussions, featuring 30 speakers who are leading figures in the educational community.

The Bett Blog spoke with Douglas Silva of STEP, one of the event’s sponsors. The executive shared his views on educational management and how STEP promotes Educational Robotics as a unique selling point for schools, featuring 100% Brazilian technology and the development of skills, attitudes, and values to solve real-world challenges and problems through projects. Check out the interview with STEP’s CMO.

Bett Blog - How Can You Maintain Good Communication with Families Starting from the Time of Enrollment?

Douglas Silva, CMO of STEP - We can say that our solution gives managers an ace up their sleeve. Thanks to the flexibility of our projects, they have a competitive edge in terms of quality, time, and alignment with the curriculum. The conversation in the enrollment office is driven primarily by these aspects, when families learn about the possibilities that STEP robotics offers for children’s development—such as playfulness, computational and technical thinking, attitudinal and emotional competencies, as well as many other skills developed through the practice of robotics. As a result, families feel more confident about continuing or starting a relationship with the school.

Our solution also includes pedagogical training to help teachers get the most out of their robotics classes. Teachers don’t need to be experts; all that’s required is a desire to innovate in their classrooms, engage their students, and enjoy learning and teaching.
Bett Blog - What 21st-century competencies and skills do school leaders and administrators need to inspire elementary and middle school students?

Douglas Silva, CMO of STEP — What students definitely need to develop is the ability to cope with frustration, think outside the box, generate possibilities, and cultivate empathy. Focusing on these three areas helps shape citizens who are more well-rounded, resilient, prepared for real-life challenges, and respectful of others.

Bett Blog – How can school leadership help develop a school through innovative initiatives?

Douglas Silva, CMO of STEP — Management based on conversation and listening! If a manager opens the door to conversations—with parents, students, teachers, staff, and suppliers—and knows how to listen to each person’s perspective, it will be an excellent way to understand the school’s true nature from diverse viewpoints. And that will enable them to develop innovative initiatives and make the best decisions. Of course, it’s always important for the school and its leadership to stay up to date and seek out best practices. A good tip is to step outside your bubble, look for examples beyond your niche, and broaden your horizons. These actions often lead to great opportunities.

Bett Blog – Looking ahead, what are STEP’s next steps to contribute to the country’s educational landscape?

Douglas Silva, CMO of STEP — STEP’s next steps are sure to be ambitious. We want to expand our operations across all regions of the country and, in doing so, reach at least 50% of Brazil’s states by 2025. We are an educational technology company with a highly creative team that is always developing new projects, always with a focus on the student. The news we can share is that we are finalizing an international partnership to provide a solution for early childhood education and to produce all of our materials in English. 

Douglas Silva, CMO of STEP

Bett Blog - Why did STEP decide to participate in the Bett Conference in Recife?

Douglas Silva, CMO of STEP— We decided to participate in the Bett Conference in Recife for two reasons: first, because we were already interested in expanding our operations in the Northeast region; second, because according to our research, the region has not yet made significant progress in terms of maker culture and robotics, and this intrigued us greatly, as it is a region with great potential. In our view, the educational landscape in the Northeast—outside the state capitals—needs more attention, especially after this devastating pandemic, which has severely impacted education throughout Brazil, including in the Northeast.