Match Learning

Connecting university and school students to provide high-quality, personalized, and human tutoring to all.

Imagine a 5th grader. His father has abandoned him, he has no financial conditions and his classroom has over 40 students to only one teacher. He fails to understand fractions but there is nothing he can do about it; somehow he gets passing grades.

Two years later, he is at 7th grade - supposed to be learning ratios. However, he is struggling to absorb the content and it does not make much sense to him; again there are not any resources available to him, so he decides to cheat.

Years later, he will be saying he "hates mathematics" and joke about majoring something that does not require it, if he had not already dropped out of school.

The example above is fictional and the story of most brazillian students. Researches show that 75% of the students who finish middle school do not know how to properly read, write and do basic mathematics operations. Prospects about their performance during the following grades and drop-out rates show the problems only escalate. Bottom line: just one doubt, a topic a student could not understand can create harmful gaps with long-lasting impacts.

To give unprivileged students the chance of solving their doubts before they become a problem, we present you “Match Learning”: the mobile application to share knowledge. Through an easy layout we will provide free, personalized tutoring to unprivileged students who, otherwise, would not be able to afford a private tutor. The app will offer flexible forms of classes (e.g. via text messages and video chat) to fit into their schedules and meet their needs. Our tutors will be college students as they have the knowledge about school-level content but share the same generation, so that the student-tutor relation is less hierarchical and more friendly and millennial comprehensive – engaging the students and offering better learning results.

Match Learning will shorten the distance between social classes and regions, as we bring privileged and unprivileged people together to share their knowledge and life experiences.

It will change the world because a 15 years old living in a Brazilian slum will not have to accept he “just don’t get physics”, he can have people from all around the world - an Angolan MIT student for example - as a tutor, not only solving his doubts, but also promoting culture exchange.

On the long term, we hope to change the vision unprivileged students have about education in general, empowering them to pursue a broad range of life goals. This mindset change will breed a new generation of teachers meanwhile ease the work of the existing ones by incentive students. In that way breeding a capable, open-minded society where all can have access to an excellent education.

It is common to think about tutors as neighbors since it is an activity usually limited by social and physical barriers - with Match Learning, those do not matter. We will use the existing technologies to connect students from diverse backgrounds to exchange knowledge about subjects, and their lives and cultures. By prioritizing the human aspect of the tutoring (as we also offer in-person classes) we will empower the students to believe in their potential and dream bigger at the same time that we inspire young adults to teach – and possibly become teachers.

Technology is what makes inter-regional and flexible connections possible in our project, since it is a mobile application. As neither the group members nor do the tutors and students with whom we are currently working with live in the same city, without internet and technological devices Match Learning would not even exist or be prototyped. 

Our goal is that, in twelve months, we will have partnered with other 3 schools and arranged at least 200 classes with tutors. We also intend to expand our team, professionalize our process and have created social media accounts.

We will reach the unprivileged students via school partnerships; with that access we will use dialogue circles to understand their needs, reality and incentive studying – thus turning them into customers. To retain our customers, we will make them the protagonists of their own learning: listen and give feedback, and give them study-autonomy. If a student’s school is not a partner, he/she will be able to suggest it as a prospect partner. Paying customers will follow a similar approach. Both groups will access our service through a mobile application; students without internet connection can do so by contacting school representatives.

With our MVP (Minimum Viable Product) we worked with 16 school students and 13 volunteer tutors – which were manually matched through WhatsApp groups. 

The classes happened: 

• In person (at UNICAMP’s campus) 
• Via WhatsApp

12 months: 

• 40 students
• 50 tutors

3 years:

• 500 students
• 600 tutors

Initially, we expect a modest growth since we have to ensure the safety of the involved parties and do internal activities within the limitations of a three-member group. Also, we need to gain the confidence of parents and schools in order to reach the students (which takes time).

Over three years, considering a bigger number of managers but not an app, we expect to have at least a 12 times growth of users, for being recognized in the market and have a better knowhow.

Our group is made of strong, young women with rather different backgrounds – engineering, business and public policy.

For that reason, our project has at its disposal a well-rounded set of theoretical and practical skills that can be used to connect with target clients (school and university students), investors, employees and partners; as well as manage our resources.

           Match Learning will mix different revenue models in order to become a self-sustainable, social business.

            On one side, we will use the one-for-one revenue model, in which we will sell classes to wealthier students (giving a part of it to the tutor) and give free classes to unprivileged students; thus for every paid class another one will be given for free. Of course, if the tutor wants to give only free classes, those will be offered for free to unprivileged students.

            On the other hand, we will also sell advertising spaces in our platforms and charge for the mail of advertising material to our clients (similar to what UCAS, the British’s university application platform, use).

We are applying to Solve because our solution could aid children around the world, however we lack investments, networking and technological knowledge – and Solve would help us with that. Also, receiving feedback and being a part of an inspiring, critical group would provide us with insights to keep improving our work and boost its efficacy. 

The technological is the main barrier Solve would help us with, as programming an app can be challenging. However, the credibility among schools – especially as we are starting – is too a key barrier. For that, being connected to MIT as a part of Solve and being mentored (thus becoming more professional) would give us a better advantage in that sector.