Tools/Visualisation

Explain ideas using animation⁽ⁱ⁾

It is hard to imagine a really piece of communication that does not benefit from graphics. Numerous tools allow students to draw, photograph, and make video and animation. (SCRATCH; POWERPOINT). Some, if not many learners, adapt well to working with visuals and thus teachers can exploit this. For example

• Make a step-by-step visual guide⁽ⁱ⁾ to an experiment
• Make a puzzle where you must put a series of steps in the right order
• Animate⁽ⁱ⁾ a story to explain what happens in photosynthesis
• Animate⁽ⁱ⁾ the orbit of the earth to explain the phases of the moon or the reasons for seasons.
• Make a timelapse⁽ⁱ⁾ movie of a plant growing towards the light
• Write a dialogue⁽ⁱ⁾ where animated⁽ⁱ⁾ characters discuss⁽ⁱ⁾ two sides of an environmental issue

Animation⁽ⁱ⁾, models⁽ⁱ⁾ and simulations⁽ⁱ⁾

Many science ideas are perhaps best experienced and animation⁽ⁱ⁾ offers a way towards providing some experience. An Internet search easily finds free and commercial simulations of popular topics such as the heart cycle or kinetic theory. You may even have skills with animation tools (Adobe Edge; Sketch; PowerPoint; whiteboard⁽ⁱ⁾ software) that allows you to create an animation for a teaching need.

One side point is that you will find the terms ‘models⁽ⁱ⁾’ and ‘simulations⁽ⁱ⁾’ used with varying amounts of accuracy. Each term refers to a distinct type of experience although the distinction is blurred in practice. A model and a simulation of say, animated solids, liquids and gases can look very much the same on screen. The simulation allows you to explore but the model allows you explore more. To qualify as a model of kinetic theory, it needs to let you inside it to play with assumptions it uses to work.

But how do you imagine that animation⁽ⁱ⁾ might be used for teaching? Do you imagine that the teacher discusses the animation on the whiteboard⁽ⁱ⁾? Would it always be better that students use it for themselves? If so how would you structure that activity? Is there a space for students to makes their own animations? And does it always follow that learning with animation should entail some kind of inquiry⁽ⁱ⁾ learning?