Animated learning - the potential of stop animation in teaching

Dr Philip Howlett

What is stop animation?

Benefits of stop animation in science teaching Helps students to develop an understanding of

the content because they reflect upon it in multiple ways.

Each representation makes students think about the content in different ways, which contributes to building understanding.

As each representation raises particular questions about the concept, students are regularly “checking” the accuracy of what they are trying to represent.

Hoban & Nielsen, 2010

Key features of stop animation

Purpose Timing Materials Orientation Technology

Hoban & Nielsen, 2010

How easy?

iMotionHD

The challenge…

The BA Year 3 Primary Initial Teacher Educations students were asked to make a short animation on a topic of the Primary Science national curriculum

Year 2 Living things and their habitats

Year 3 Rocks

http://www.anglia.ac.uk/ruskin/en/home/faculties/fhsce/research/visual_science.html

My own version…

So now your turn…

Choose a concept you wish to demonstrate

Plan out what four or five images will illustrate the concept

Make the models and take four frames of each image

Show your results!

Some suggestions:

Water cycle Day and night Diffusion The seasons How a chemical reaction works How sound waves travel through air Thermal conduction

Choose the idea…plan out the images…make the models….take four frames of each

There are a number of text/resource

books which may be of some help!

Discussion & Questions

Further information:

Hoban, G. & Nielsen, W., 2010. The 5 Rs: A new teaching approach to encourage slowmations (student generated animations) of science concepts. Teaching Science, 56(3), 33-38.

Shulman, L.S., 1986. Those who understand: knowledge growth in teaching. Educational Researcher, 15(2), 4-14.

http://www.slowmation.com/ - Gary Hoban’s website with really helpful information about using animation in teaching

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/education/research/sites/animating-science/ - Jocelyn Wishart’s website with details of the Animating Science Research Project at Bristol

https://www.facebook.com/groups/298278806951965/ - gives some more examples of Jocelyn Wishart’s project