Thousands of pupils across the UAE are swapping textbooks for technology to take part in a fast-growing schools competition helping to break down the barriers to learning.
Youngsters will try their hand at everything from robot building and 3D printing to projects involving drones and web design during the Artificial Intelligence and Robotics competition.
The annual event has enjoyed a surge in popularity in recent years, with just 35 pupils in 2015 to an estimated entry field of up to 5,000 in the next installment, to be held from February 23 to 25 of next year at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.
Teachers believe the rise of education technology can help inspire pupils unenthused by traditional teaching methods.
Amna Al Shamsi, assistant undersecretary of the activities sector at the Ministry of Education, said the gamification of lesson time can be a useful tool to help pupils get the most out of science and other subjects.
“If pupils feel like there is a barrier between them and the subject then they will not have the passion learn about it. But, if you change the way it is presented, it will get them interested in the subject,” said Ms Al Shamsi.
Pupils said they would rather learn through creating projects than by burying their noses in books in a classroom.
Sultan Nasser, a 12-year-old Emirati pupil at Rashid Bin Humaid School in Ajman, was part of a team who built a robot for the competition last year.
“I loved building the robot because it reminded me of playing on my Playstation,” said Sultan.
“I loved playing with it and my professor helped me programme it.
“My robot picks things up, drags them and can carries weight.”
Reema Humaid, 16, an Emirati pupil at Al Mawaheb School in Abu Dhabi, won awards for a dancing robot she co-created.
“We wanted to do something fun for the audience and we so we made three robots that could perform with us,” said Reema.
The pupils performed and danced with the robots.
The teenager said she is considering studying robotics after she graduates from school.
“These competitions are getting more Emirati women interested in robotics. When we compete, we have noticed that there are more Emirati women than men in the competitions.
“When I got back to school after the competition, I noticed a lot of girls were interested in science and I offered to train them.”
She said working in robotics has changed her way of thinking.
“I used to think robotics is difficult and boring but when I tried to do it , it was really fun.”
Abdullah Jasem, who studies at Rashidiya Secondary School in Ajman, helped create robots that can play football, with one being an attacker and the other a goalkeeper.
“We love football and it’s cool to make a robot that plays the game. I like robotics more than being in the class as this is more interesting than learning theory,” the 16-year-old said.
Safwa Khalid Marouf, a lab specialist and teacher at Dibba Fujairah School, said many of her pupils have taken up science and engineering after leaving school.
Ms Marouf believes games and competitions are playing a crucial role in this trend.
Schools in UAE are increasingly adopting games and technology as a means to enhance lesson plans.
Gamification and the Future of Education, a report by Oxford Analytica, a global analysis and advisory firm, found technology will play an important role in how curriculums are structured.
“The future of gamification, and its role in the future of education, is ripe with possibility. Gamification presents opportunities to improve the stock of technological skills of future generations of students,” the report stated.
© The National
Twitter