In October, Bett Brasil held the traveling event “3rd Bett Recife Conference.” Among the panels and new offerings, Árvore presented “Sentir,” its digital social-emotional learning program. The Bett Blog spoke with Tathiana Reis, Árvore’s educational director, who outlined solutions for managing private schools, based on the premise that schools want not only to implement innovative initiatives but also to truly foster a culture of innovation within the school community.

Read the interview with Tathiana Reis, educational director at Árvore:

When it comes to managing private schools, how does Árvore help administrators and school operators? How can schools maintain open communication with families starting from the enrollment process, and how does the company support the faculty in their professional development?

Árvore partners with schools in academic planning and the organization of the entire school year. Our digital reading solution provides a comprehensive collection for all students and teachers at the school, which—in addition to more than 40,000 books and audiobooks—also includes teaching materials and reading projects that can be adapted to fit each school’s curriculum and specific context. All of this work is driven by data. Thus, we partner with schools in their reading initiatives and help streamline the organization of the school year, ensuring books and content are available to all students and providing projects and materials that make life easier for educational administrators and teachers. In addition, we offer training throughout the school year to equip teachers to use our solutions and learn about reading instruction, through webinars, conferences, and resources on our blog and in our newsletter.

We are also partners in the school’s enrollment campaign, adding value to the education provided by the institution, since reading is a central theme related to students’ learning and academic development—something that is highly valued and recognized by families. In addition, the school has shown interest in innovative practices.
With our solution, families also get involved in this reading education through the platform itself or through our literary projects and contests.

Why did Árvore decide to participate in the Bett Conference in Recife? What is your perspective on the educational landscape in the Northeast region of the country?

The Bett Conference in Recife was an incredible experience for Árvore. By attending in person, we were able to expand our network with various school administrators, talk, and exchange ideas about the education and reading markets. It was important because we value the opportunity to learn from local best practices; after all, the Northeast is rich in excellent examples of both public and private education.

Árvore has already reached more than 1.9 million students in schools across Brazil, which is why we believe it’s important to participate in events in different regions so we can have this close contact with school administrators.

In addition, the Bett Conference in Recife was special because we launched our new digital social-emotional learning program, called Sentir, in partnership with Educa.

What are the 21st-century competencies and skills that school leaders and administrators need to encourage so that they are practiced more in schools, particularly among elementary school students?

We believe that reading has the potential to transform people’s lives, and our goal is to develop critical, competent, and proficient readers who can understand what they read while also being able to engage with society in a more humane way, viewing their own lives and the lives of others with greater empathy.

For this to happen, we need to work on all the social-emotional competencies outlined in the BNCC, including Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, and Responsible Decision-Making. All of these stem from other competencies that will fully prepare students for the future.

For us, reading is the starting point for all areas of knowledge, which is why we consider it a powerful ally in developing these skills. And now, our digital social-emotional learning program, Sentir, uses reading as the guiding thread of the learning process.

What kind of management approach should be implemented to foster a school with innovative initiatives? What would you highlight as the most important steps?

We have increasingly come to realize that schools want not only to implement innovative initiatives, but also to truly foster a culture of innovation within the school community. This requires administrators and teachers to take a close look at their context and data, set priorities for action, and begin to bring about the desired changes in collaboration with families and students.

Innovation is a process, and just as important as the end result is the way in which everything is built and sustained together with the team. Choosing committed partners who can provide solutions tailored to the school’s reality is key to this process, as they can contribute new knowledge and help raise awareness and train educators.

Technology has also played an important role. In the post-pandemic era, we have seen a process of rebalancing, with the recognition that technology is here to stay—we cannot imagine our society today without technology, which is so prevalent and so appealing to students.

The challenge for administrators is to select solutions that add value and support the educational initiatives prioritized by the school, while communicating with and engaging families in conversations about the role and importance of these tools in education.

Looking ahead, what are Árvore’s next steps to contribute to the country’s educational landscape with new solutions and services? Can you give us a sneak peek at any upcoming developments?

Árvore launched the “Sentir” digital social-emotional learning program in partnership with Educa. Next year, we plan to invest in promoting the various modules that Árvore offers to schools. Today, we are the most comprehensive reading solution in the country. We offer a variety of modules, such as books, a digital library (which has already delighted more than 1.9 million children across the country), and current events, with access to newspapers and magazines from more than 80 countries. In addition to these, we also offer English modules for bilingual education and the “Sentir” program for social-emotional learning.