Paula is delighted to be joining the team at High Tech Elementary, having long admired the school. She has been an educator for over 25 years and has a broad range of experience as an educator, from teaching assistant to class teacher, grade-level coordinator, chief academic officer and director of enrichment. She specializes in primary education, using a variety of teaching methods derived from her experience with multiple international curricula, emphasizing project-based learning/STEAM and design thinking. She was the founding Chair of the STEAM Special Interest Group at the European Collaborative of International Schools (ECIS). She has been a Design Thinking Coach with the Teachers’ Guild, and has co-led workshops at the Stanford d.School, Project Zero (Harvard University Graduate School of Education), NYSAIS and the Metropolitan Museum of New York. She has been a Critical Friend for Teach to Lead, was a breakout session leader for the 2016 Beating the Odds Summit at the White House, and has been a Studio facilitator at the Learning Environments for Tomorrow Institute (Harvard Graduate School of Education and the Harvard Graduate School of Design). She is also an educational consultant providing curriculum design, teacher training and teacher coaching with an emphasis on PBL in the USA and China; and is on the Advisory Council for Portfolio School in NY.
Paula is originally from Brazil, where she first trained as a teacher. She subsequently trained in the Montessori method in London, where she lived and taught for several years. She received an Advanced Diploma in Professional Development, Inclusive Education, from Queen’s University Belfast; and since coming to the U.S., has continued her professional development at Harvard Wide World (Harvard University Graduate School of Education), the Teacher Training Center in London, Global Online Academy, ICEP Europe and IDEOU. Paula is also an RSA Fellow. She lives in San Diego with her husband, Finbar.