At a primary school in soccer-mad Brazil, pupils are spurred to academic greatness in classrooms resembling soccer pitches — with a virtual avatar inspired by star forward Vinicius Junior cheering on every correct answer.
Perched on soccer-patterned cushions on classroom floors of artificial grass, they learn on tablets and smartphones using an app created by the Vini Jr Institute, started by the Real Madrid player to improve public education in disadvantaged communities.
“I learn better when I use the app. It’s easier. It looks like a game,” 11-year-old Ana Clara da Silva said in Sao Goncalo, Vinicius’ birthplace on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro.
Photo: AFP
Da Silva attends the Visconde de Sepetiba municipal school, one of 10 in four Brazilian states to have received educational aid from the institute. About 4,500 students and 500 teachers have benefited from the project, launched in 2021. By the end of this year, it hopes to have reached 30 schools.
With no intention to replace human teachers, the app was designed as an aid.
Each pupil has a personal account, where their progress is logged as they answer questions presented in a playful, soccer-inspired way on subjects including mathematics, Portuguese or science.
In typical gaming format, each school year is presented as a “season” and each subject as a “match,” while the avatar “Vinizinho Jr” celebrates each correct answer as if it were a goal.
“We use the power of football, its playful character” to inspire the kids to learn, Vini Jr Institute executive manager Victor Oliveira said.
“Everything we learn, we put into practice on the app. It helps us learn because we are connected to our phones, but not disconnected from our studies,” 11-year-old Yuri Rodrigues said.
The institute, initially funded exclusively by Vinicius, but now counting other sponsors, also aims to tackle the scourge of racism in a country where more than half the population is black or of mixed race.
It has launched an anti-racism training manual and has provided instruction on the subject to about 80 teachers in the past year.
It is a subject dear to the Brazilian attacker, who has himself experienced several incidents of discrimination in Spain.
“He is very important to all of us,” 11-year-old Ana Clara said.
“I’m glad he never gives up, and because his voice reaches a wide audience, he can fight for us,” she said.
In October last year, Vinicius received the Socrates Award for charitable work at the Ballon d’Or annual soccer awards.
Last month, the 23-year-old was appointed as a UNESCO goodwill ambassador, only the second Brazilian soccer player to receive the honor after Pele.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Marcus Rashford’s first goals for Aston Villa on Sunday inspired a 3-0 win against Preston North End that sent his side into the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 10 years. Rashford struck twice in the second half at Deepdale to end Preston’s stubborn resistance before Jacob Ramsey wrapped up Villa’s long-awaited return to the last four. Villa are to face Crystal Palace — 3-0 winners at Fulham on Saturday — in the semi-finals at Wembley Stadium in London. Revitalized since joining Villa on loan from Manchester United during the January transfer window, Rashford is beginning to show the form that
RSS