GLOBAL BLACKBOARD PROVES THE WRITE THING FOR YOUNG AUTHORS
▶ Dubai pupils bond with youngsters across the world by sharing their stories on Pobble app
A social platform that allows teachers to share pupils’ creative writing with the world is motivating children to come up with more stories, while improving the standards of writing in Dubai.
Pupils in Dubai are using Pobble to connect with their schoolchildren in China, Europe, UK and the UAE, to read each other’s work and share feedback.
Educators in Dubai say pupils, especially young boys who were reluctant to write, now want to be read by their peers, parents and family in different parts of the world.
Pobble, which was started in 2013 by a group of teachers in North Yorkshire, England, allows teachers to plan lessons. Pupils can also research writing by others and leave comments.
Andi Price, an English teacher at Ranches Primary School in Dubai, said the level of writing among his pupils had “shot through the roof” since the school started using Pobble last year.
“When looking at biographies or autobiographies, the first thing we do is search the 100,000 pieces of work on Pobble,” Mr Price said.
“The children filter and find the good examples and immediately strike up a connection with the pupils who have written those pieces. The children also publish on Pobble and see the comments roll in.”
Parents are notified when their child’s work is published.
The platform has been a huge help in giving children an incentive to write, Mr Price said.
“I have been a teacher for 20 years and the motivation factor is number one,” he said. “The boys in my class now see the point in writing because they have got an audience. Earlier they were reluctant to write in their books but now they want to publish more and more.
The class will publish their first post in Arabic in a week, Mr Price said.
“When I told the children they will be publishing their work in Arabic, their eyes lit up,” he said.
Some expatriate children do not see the worth of learning Arabic but platforms such as Pobble give them a purpose, Mr Price said.
Pobble recently won public acclaim after a pupil’s piece about Anthony Horowitz’s book Stormbreaker was celebrated by the popular author on Twitter.
Russell Smart, assistant head teacher at Kings’ School Al Barsha in Dubai, said the school had been using Pobble for more than two years.
The platform has helped the school compare the writing level of their pupils to British children, he said.
“We do so much writing in books and its read by the class or by the teacher,” Mr Smart said. “However, publishing it on Pobble means it’s read by anyone, especially for our expat children.”
The school’s home page has received 7,000 views while 935 comments have been posted on the pupils’ work.
“We have published over 300 authors,” Mr Smart said. “I have been teaching for 15 years and historically it’s always the boys in upper primary children who have difficulty when it comes to writing.
“This has given their writing a real purpose, whether they are sharing it with their classmates or with the wider community.”
Pupils are encouraged to appreciate the pieces and leave positive remarks, and critique them.
The school posted writing in Arabic last week, Mr Smart said.
“We wanted to motivate those writers and to raise the profile of Arabic writing in the school,” he said.
Razan Shuqair, a Jordanian-British mother living in Dubai, said her daughter Sara Al Louzi, 10, a Year 5 pupil at Kings’ School Al Barsha, was very excited that her work had been published on Pobble.
“She loves the fact that her writing has been acknowledged and celebrated by the school,” Ms Shuqair said.
“It’s very encouraging and motivating. Now that her first piece was published, she wants to write more.
“She never had the confidence earlier but this has given it a boost. She believes in her writing a little bit more. Family members living abroad can also read her stories.”
Sara likes writing descriptive stories in Arabic and English, Ms Shuqair said.
“This is a great way to get students to write in Arabic,” she said. “Writing is something personal and getting acknowledgment makes a difference.”
Simon Blower, a former primary school deputy head teacher, is operations director and co-founder of Pobble.
“Pobble is an educational platform, designed by and for teachers to improve children’s writing,” Mr Blower said.
“Pobble is open for teachers to use in ways that best support the needs of their pupils.
“During our last visit, Kings’ School Al Barsha suggested the potential of sharing Arabic work as well, which we are delighted they have now taken up.”
When I told the children they will be publishing their work in Arabic, their eyes lit up
ANDI PRICE
English teacher at Ranches Primary School in Dubai