Creative Tech

How RSA animation inspired a teacher

Drive higher-order thinking with animation

Sometimes we are inspired by what we see. I have watched Ken Robinson's Changing Educational Paradigm video several times. I take away something new each time. When Catlin Tucker saw it, she saw an opportunity to adapt the methods to her English class.

Start lessons with inquiry

The RSA animation uses what appear to be real time drawing on white board to illustrate key points. It is quite effective. Tucker said, "While teaching Ray Bradbury’s futuristic novel Fahrenheit 451, I wanted my students to examine why society shifted from reading books and valuing literature to burning books." She wanted to use the same techniques as RSA.

It's the pedagogy that counts, not the tools

In small groups she had students build flowcharts on how society came to burn books. She had her students draw on old-school white boards and chart paper. They filmed with iPads. Used iMovie They posted their projects to YouTube. The teacher kept track using Google Forms.

You really ought to check out how she and students did it. She provides detailed step-by-step.

Twitter Follow Catlin Tucker @catlin_tucker on Twitter.
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