Maple Bear is a place where students are able to stimulate an appetite for discovery, reasoning and experimentation. Each Maple Bear school around the world is a piece of Canada. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these pieces of Canada have had to be moved into the homes of our students. Our schools have been successfully using the Digital Learning Community for bilingual education. The platform is a complete at-home learning system and serves all school stages: early education, elementary and high school. Students, teachers and parents have at their disposal interactive digital tools, exclusive content and activities. Staff involved in the academic process receive the support they need to maintain quality instruction for the school year. In operation since March 2020, the Maple Bear Digital Learning Community is active in more than 100 schools. “Our objective is to keep the school community active and connected, making a different pedagogic experience possible, one which unites methodology, digital tools and constant supervision and advising”, states Cintia Sant’Anna, Maple Bear Academic Director.

The Digital Learning Community was established with three pillars: 1. Daily routines; 2. Educator’s materials and training; 3. Constant communication between schools and families. It’s important to remember that all the activities are guided by teachers and performed at home with the supportive management of the learning process. “One advantage we see is the engagement of parents, which can bring new perspectives to the learning process and greater family interaction”, states Cintia. A very good example of The Digital Learning Community in action occurred when Maple Bear schools in Brazil began connecting with schools in other countries such as Mexico and South Korea. In the context of the pandemic, where isolation is the norm, Maple Bear created a space where young people could exchange experiences, debate topics and come in contact with different cultures. The Maple Bear methodology has at its disposal several digital platforms. This is done to ensure that the online academic quality is assured for the whole network. “The Canadian teaching methodology encourages the student to search for knowledge, to research, to check different sources and to discuss his/her conclusions with the group. The teacher is a facilitator of these activities and mentors the students to build their knowledge”, says the Director. In this context, it is worth remembering that the students also get a range of eBooks and interactive readings suited for their age. More than a digital platform, the Digital Learning Community has become an extension of the school. After all, the search for knowledge is a never-ending endeavour.

“OUR OBJECTIVE IS TO KEEP THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY ACTIVE AND CONNECTED. THIS UNITES METHODOLOGY, DIGITAL TOOLS, CONSTANT SUPERVISION AND ADVISING”

Results

• 3,1MILLION CLASSES APPLIED
• 14,2 MILLION INTERACTIONS BETWEEN STUDENTS AND TEACHERS
• 2,9 MILLION DOCUMENTS CREATED
• 3,5 THOUSAND ACTIVE CLASSES, FROM CHILDHOOD EDUCATION TO HIGH SCHOOL
• PILLARS
• DAILY ROUTINES
• EDUCATOR’S MATERIALS AND TRAINING
• CONSTANT COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE FAMILY