UNIT 3: Using Animation in classroom

The animated image or animation is a hybrid art that encompasses techniques and knowledge from several areas. For your strong dissemination in contemporary culture, it emerges as an effective pedagogical tool in the development of learning in different areas of knowledge.

3.3.1 What is it?

Animation is popular with students of all ages and we can find different apps and online tools that allow students to create their own animated videos. In fact, video is a powerful tool for learning but, sometimes, it is not possible to find one that is suitable for a specific lesson and learning outcomes. Putting the students creating their own animated video may be a way to help teachers to overcome this challenge.

 

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Figure 5 – Animation example

3.3.2 Why use it?

The inclusion of animations in classroom teaching can improve the quality of education. In fact, any concept can be presented in a lively and visually engaging manner. A process dynamically illustrated can be retained in memory for longer duration compared to oral memorizing. Further, animated educational videos would take boredom away from learning and the limited attention span or lack of concentration from which most students suffer can be overcome.

Students take great delight in watching and sharing memes, videos on social sites, gifs, etc. This implies that animated content leaves a deep-rooted impression on the malleable intellect of students. In classrooms, animated learning material can be leveraged for a variety of purposes, like:

• explaining complex and challenging concepts in easy comprehend manner;
• making learning more enjoyable experience for even poorly performing students;
• presenting things in a completely new perspective.

Animated educational videos enhance creativity in learners and motivate them to explore complex dimensions of knowledge. In fact, complex topics of science, geography, mathematics and other subjects can be articulated easily. The skills set of students gets honed, in particular, the concentration of students becomes intense. Lessons can be narrated in a story which improves comprehension and the interest in learning in students.

3.3.3 Practical Activity

Purpose:

As an educational process, Citizenship Education vows to contribute to the development of responsible, autonomous and solidary people that know and exercise their rights and duties through dialogue. Thus, the students will create their own animation to express their point of view of the different dimensions of citizenship. The students will understand how to use animation tools and how to express themselves properly by means of animation stories. Also, they will acquire a positive attitude to school by providing them self-expression opportunities and strengthening their critical thinking about different issues and themes related to citizenship.

Task Overview:

The students will create their own characters, scenarios and stories to shape and express their point of view of the different dimensions of citizenship. So, they will be able to challenge existing assumptions and narratives, redefining both their own idea and the ideas around them. In this sense, the teacher will provide the context for the learning and exercise of citizenship through reflection of the different dimensions of Citizenship Education and then they will help the students both in the process of producing their stories creation and in the using animations tools.

Target students: from 10 – 14 years old

Time: 150’

Materials and Resources: tablets, digital tools: flipaclip, stop motion, toontastic, tellagami, animaker

Exploring the task in the classroom:

Students are presented with the purpose of the task, the results that must be achieved and how the task will be organized.

Students are divided into small groups (3 to 4 elements per group) and each group selects one of the following dimensions of citizenship education; for example: human rights education; environmental education/sustainable development; road safety education; financial education; consumer education; entrepreneurship education; education for gender equality; intercultural education; education for development; education for defense and security/peace education; volunteering; media literacy; European dimension of education; health and sex education.

Each group of students discuss situations related to the selected domain and for each of the chosen domains, students define a character, a setting, and a story that explores the topic of the domain. The teacher will support the students to help them to understand how they can create their stories to shape and express their personal and social identities.

Using padlets, students produce their animation, based on the storyboard made. To do this, the students can use different digital tools.

Supporting the students’ characters and stories creation for their cartoons using digital tools. The students will create their cartoons and stories.

At the end each group presents their animation and in class the teacher proposes a discussion about each animation trying to show that the exercise of citizenship implies, on the part of each individual and of those with whom they interact, an awareness whose evolution accompanies the dynamics of intervention and social transformation.

Assessment:

Peer assessment: at the end of the presentation of the different animations, the students evaluate the animation of each group, according to the following criteria: creativity, relevance of the content and structure of the animation.

3.3.4 Glossary

Peer assessment – to involve students in the assessment process by allowing them to assess the work of another student against a set of criteria

Toontastic – app to draw, animate and narrate cartoons.

Tellagami – app to create talking heads called “gamis” with a variety of backgrounds.

Flipaclip – app to draw on your screen and then animate your creations

Animaker – app to use animation templates