In a room equipped with long tables and colourful chairs, some 15 children between 8 and 9 years old listen to the teacher "Tincho" explain how a projector works and what is required to put it together. The first component needed is a box, which they have to assemble themselves by fitting each of the sides together. Then, using a laser cutter, they will engrave their names to project them.
After School is the first academy focused on science and technology for children, not only in Uruguay, but in all of Latin America. It is a programme created by Sinergia Tech Academy and FabLab Montevideo for children between the ages of 8 and 14 that operates outside of formal education. Classes began on 17 April at the SinergiaTech technology centre facilities.
The purpose of After School
"The project stems from the experience we had last year when we opened the educational part of SinergiaTech," said Juan Manuel Petrissans, the project's director, in an interview with Cromo. "We decided to see where the concrete and real needs that Uruguay has in terms of technological training lie," he added.
Petrissans explained that once the SinergiaTech space was opened, it started to become apparent that there was no community of tech-savvy entrepreneurs in Uruguay. "With the Ceibal programme we assumed that there were a lot of things that were solved, but we realised that this was not the case. Education spaces often have infrastructure but they don't have the content," he said.
In this day and age, children are digital natives and use technology on a daily basis. For the SinergiaTech Academy team, After School is the opportunity for the youngest users to become protagonists of technological change.
"There are children who have different interests, such as robotics, computer science and design," Martín Leis, a teacher at After School, told Cromo. "Sometimes at school, creativity is a bit stifled, while in this space it is developed," he added.
Innovative dynamics
With its labyrinthine facilities and laboratories equipped with 3D printers, laser cutters and fabrication tools, After School breaks with the educational tradition of sitting students at a desk.
The After School programme fuses three streams, the first being the project-based methodology. When children arrive in class, they are challenged to go through the whole space. These are meaningful projects in which their choices and preferences are weighed up.
Secondly, the course takes elements from the educational movement known as hackschooling. This dynamic of "hacking school" seeks to turn homework into exciting activities that spark children's interest.
Finally, another element that distinguishes this academy is the "inverted school" format. Traditionally, theoretical learning takes place in the classroom and practical work is done at home. For the project director, this does not make sense. "The person who can help you the most with homework is the tutor in the classroom," Petrissans said. "You send the child home to get frustrated and he or she loses interest," Petrissans said. That's why in After School, children do research at home and come to class to "get down to work".
Inclusive programme
After School is a private institution, but it has a system of godparents designed to include children from critical backgrounds who would otherwise not be able to access the course.
The sponsorship programme includes activities designed to allow supporters to meet their godchildren and witness their achievements. "We want to put a face to the opportunity," said Petrissans, who said that help is often not valued because it is institutionalised. "The idea is that tomorrow, if you took part in After School because someone else did something for you and you have the chance to do the same for another child, do it," he added.
Source: The Observer "Chrome".
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