Ecuador

2019-2022: The first stage was to develop a specific diploma course at a University in Quito designed to develop computer-based teaching methods in all of the schools involved. The resource school is Rita’s and the Partner schools are X,Y&Z. To date 15 teachers have gained the Diploma, despite Covid restrictions in some of the cases.

Subsequently the project invested in upgrading the IT platforms in some of the schools to allow the teaching to be successfully applied.

In addition a robotics module was introduced in the all 4 schools, led by Pablo Martinez through his company Tinker Robots, designed to complement the new teaching methods and to build a higher level of competence in computer-based technologies. This covers design, programming, teamwork, simple engineering and the use of English.

2023 to date: During 2023 the robotics activities gained considerable momentum with 4 new schools added, backed up by enhanced physics teaching in some of the original schools.

The network established by the end of 2023 provides a stable and high-level resource that, with the additional training of teachers, should represent a self-sustaining educational platform much enhanced from that which existed at the outset of the project in 2019.