A21SC TIMELINE


2019

2019

In 2019, CTJ continued advancing the mission goals and sharing the earning path and the social programs with the network, but we also invested in becoming a self-sustainable Innovation Hub. The year started with our nomination to become a MIT Lemann Foundation fellow. Our role was clear:share our pedagogy and become a reference for public school educators in Brazil.

BETT Educar

CTJ Makerspace was present in the biggest educational faire in Brazil - BETT educar. Our pedagogy and innovative practices were showcased during the faire and brought the network to the limelight.

International Recognition

CTJ Makerspace went through a thorough selection process in 2019 and has recently been granted the right to be part of the international network of FabLabs [https://www.fablabs.io/labs/thomasmaker] CTJ Innovation Hub runs sound strategic programs on the topics of entrepreneurship, and STEAM programs to build workforce capacity, and leadership through expanded people-to-people relationships. Casa Thomas Jefferson has been delivering makeathons that brings together young engineers, designers, programers, educators, and students to use Design Thinking to find solutions for real challenges people with visual disabilities face.

Thomas Maker | FabLabsCasa Thomas Jefferson is a non profitable Binational Center (BNC), founded in 1963 to teach the english language and promote the American culture in Brazil. It was selected among several other institutions to receive a grant from the U.S. Department of State in 2014 to pilot an education initiative aimed at mastering critical multiple literacies that youth need to succeed in life. By embracing the notion that information is everywhere, and therefore, learning opportunities are everywhere, CTJ, in close coordination with the U.S. Embassy, is working on a new educational approach. The idea is to create a maker culture in the institution as a whole and share our learning path with the Brazilian BNCs network, and other educators in our community. Besides English, students should understand also the concepts of entrepreneurship, leadership, digital literacy (21st Century skills). With the main goal of offering a different way of learning what is seen in theory, putting into practice what is in the world of ideas and encouraging everyone to explore new technologies, Thomas Maker, located at our Asa Norte Branch in Brasília (DF) makes its space available to the community of doers and offers workshops and courses organized by the CTJ team and partners. Opened in August 2016, the project offers a broad, vibrant and inclusive learning environment. It is a space designed to stimulate collaboration, systemic thinking, innovation and entrepreneurship in its community.

Fostering a new teaching method

CTJ counted with 6 hired staff members in place at the Makerspace to provide the community of educators in Brazil a vivid space to experiment with new possibilities from an advantage point. CTJ successfully delivered two teacher educational programs - Certificação de Educador Maker and had people coming from all over Brazil.

The network

In July 2019, the American Spaces Office sent an email to participating BNCs acknowledging that since the beginning of the Achieving 21 Century Skills Project (A21CS) in 2015, a collaborative effort between the US Mission in Brazil, Casa Thomas Jefferson and American Spaces, amazing programs and initiatives had been delivered, strengthening the network of U.S. - Brazil Binational Centers and American Corners. The post also communicated in the mail that the five-year grant was closing out in June 2019. The Embassy compiled the following mandatory criteria in order to consider applying for an extension of the project:

  • Each participating BNC should share at least three (3) programs/activities delivered since 2015 to the A21CS Google site, created in order to share best practices. Please, use this template (we have granted partners only viewing permission). Make a copy or download it, fill it out, and put it in your institution's folder in the Google Drive Folder.
  • In order to understand the scope of our collaborative effort, each participating BNC should add the information about their programs on the A21CS Google maps
  • Update the P.O.C. list;

The metrics

Metrics were sent and by some of the participating BNCs. CTJ assisted the post to write rubrics to assess the data sent.

American Spaces Mindset

The space embraces the maker movement as an essential education approach for achieving 21st century information literacy and digital skills and conveys the relevance of STEM and maker activities as established by the IIP-Smithsonian partnership for advancing U.S. foreign policy goals.

The space has showed awareness and willingness to improve strategic programming.

The space has embraced the maker movement as an essential education approach for achieving 21st century information literacy and digital skills to some extent. And, the space somewhat conveys the relevance of STEM and maker activities as established by the IIP-Smithsonian partnership for advancing U.S. foreign policy goals.


AC21CS Maturity

The space runs and shares timely STEAM/maker activities* aligned with ICS objectives to promote education, innovation, entrepreneurship and social inclusion--with an emphasis on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and design, and math) areas. The programs aims at varied target audiences and serves several mission goals.

The space runs and shares at least 3 STEAM/maker activities* aligned with ICS objectives to promote education, innovation, entrepreneurship and social inclusion--with an emphasis on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and design, and math) areas. The programs aims at varied target audiences, but mostly reach BNCs students.

Space runs drop in / beginner level STEM/MAKER programs mostly for students between their classes.


Potential to become a multiplier

The space is already a strong candidate for future partners of the Achieving 21st Century Skills Project as multipliers, for it has hired staff, grown internal expertise, created partnerships, and developed new services as a result of the AC21CS project.

IT IS likely that the space could serve as future partners of the Achieving 21st Century Skills Project as multipliers, for it has hired staff and grown some internal expertise as a result of the AC21CS project.

The project has not showed any significancy change in the BNC

Based on the rubrics and data sent to the post 10 BNCs were became eligible to participate in the project's phasing out.

Our challenges

CTJ makerspace is a strong innovation hub that might work well with other BNCs to keep pushing innovative practices into BNCs. Thomas Maker has today a team of 7 professionals and paid consultancy to become a sustainable initiative. The advantages of having the space is clear to the leaders, but bringing innovative practices to our teaching schedule is still a gray area. For many of the BNCs, the project is still in early years because of lack of personnel and financial challenges.