Pobl Communications is the culmination of years of intensive research conducted by Cardiff University. This research has informed the development of a toolkit, set of expertise and transferable know-how, which positions Pobl as a sector leader within education. Pobl leads the way for improving attitudes, motivation and understanding of the value of global communication skills and intercultural competence through its unique approaches.
Our innovative approaches have garnered interest from other disciplines and organisations that struggle with low interest, entrenched inequalities and poor public engagement where certain skills are concerned. The methods we have developed are shown to improve learner attitudes and to inspire motivation and this can be applied in many areas.
History
Developing our practice since 2015.
2015-ongoing, MFL Mentoring.
This journey began in 2015, when Cardiff University was approached by the then Education Minister Huw Lewis, who wanted to establish a mentoring experience to support the uptake of languages in secondary schools across Wales.
Since 2015 MFL Mentoring has supported Welsh Government’s Global Futures strategy to increase the number of young learners taking languages in Wales. Using mentoring methodologies, MFL Mentoring improves motivation and resilience for language learning at GCSE and beyond. Our work has been extended to include the creation of learning resources and a post-16 project.
2018-ongoing, Physics Mentoring begins.
The methods and practices established were sought out as best practice for improving attitudes and motivations. HEFCW benefited from the support of MFL Mentoring in developmental stages of the Physics Mentoring project. This project is now funded by a consortium of Welsh Universities and aims to increase the number of girls studying Physics at A Level. The project has since evolved and now pioneers an approach based on the Science Capital Teaching framework.
2018-2020, a bilingual Spain.
From 2018 to 2020, MFL Mentoring partnered with the regional government of Castilla y León to deliver online and face-to-face mentoring with primary and secondary school learners in Valladolid, Spain. Mentors from Wales supported learners to consider a bilingual Spanish-English education pathway. The project was a collaboration with students engaged in a final year undergraduate module on teaching and learning.
2018-2020, England is calling.
The MFL Mentoring project inspired the creation of Language Horizons, a project funded by the Department for Education, England, and led by Cardiff University following successful bidding in two competitive tender rounds (2018 and 2019). With the core aim of increasing the number of learners taking languages for GCSE in England, the project was tasked with designing, implementing, and evaluating the success of a blended mentoring project for a new context.
2020-2021, Pobl Communications.
Pobl Communications is a spin-out venture of Cardiff University, designed to make accessible the expertise, knowledge and products developed through our research.
Pobl Communications has worked with a number of prestigious partners including the Department for Education and Welsh Government.
Become part of the future of Pobl Communications byfinding out how our services can support you.
Become part of the future of Pobl Communications byfinding out how our services can support you.