Possibilities Limited, an education-technology provider based in the United Kingdom, recently launched Learning Islands, a platform designed to help Filipino children develop critical English literacy and skills.
The Learning Islands app features one hundred of Disney’s most-loved stories, including popular titles inspired by Frozen, the Lion King, Toy Story, Moana, and more.
Learning Possibilities is a social enterprise working with schools and governments across the United Kingdom, Southeast Asia, Middle East, and Africa, leveraging technology to help the education sector deliver critical digital skills to learners.
Learning Islands featuring Disney Pixar characters is powered by Microsoft Azure. The application will be first launched in the Philippines, with other markets in the Asia-Pacific to follow shortly.
“We are thrilled to be launching our new app Learning Islands, which features Disney-themed stories. Our aim is to inspire all children to discover their love of reading, developing new English language and literacy skills through gameplay,” said Dr. Mehool Sanghrajka, founder and chief executive of Learning Possibilities Limited.
“What better way to encourage this than with some of the world’s most loved stories from Disney. These timeless stories and characters continue to resonate with people of all ages today, making children’s learning adventures engaging, entertaining and magical.”
He added: “We understand the importance of English reading and speaking skills and how it opens education and employment opportunities. With this app, we hope to inspire young children to develop those skills.”
The application is purposefully built to encourage children to read and practice English through its interactive and creative content, making learning engaging, rewarding, and fun.
The learning journey consists of five islands where children will discover Disney-themed stories, play games, discover artifacts, and collect treasure. Each story is supported by audio and follow-along words, making it suitable for children ages 3-10-years.
The reading and comprehension-focused games (Snap Matching, Drag & Drop Matching, and Multi-Matching) give children a chance to practice what they have read in the stories and award them with certificates once completed.
As the player journeys through the islands, the game activity levels increase, thereby broadening their vocabulary and resulting in 2,000+ words practiced on the completion of the games.
In addition, the application has a ‘Grown Up Portal,’ which allows adults to view and track their children’s learning progression. To make the application accessible, Learning Possibilities designed it to work on simple phones and basic connectivity and in an offline mode.
“I am delighted that British company Learning Possibilities has partnered with Microsoft to develop an innovative EdTech solution for young English language learners in the Philippines,” said British ambassador to the Philippines Laure Beaufils.
“Learning Islands is a great tool. Through harnessing Microsoft’s cloud technology and Disney-themed stories, it is making top quality educational content accessible to all Filipino children. I am confident that it will contribute to enhancing English skills and literacy in the country. very much hope this paves the way for more UK EdTech innovations in the Philippines – the sky is the limit in terms of what we can achieve together.”
Learning Islands is available to download through the iOS and Google App Stores, and users will be entitled to a free 7-day trial.
