Stop- go! Science gets animated

University of Northampton students studying for a Foundation Degree in Learning and Teaching (FDLT), have been creating learning resources to bring science principles to life using stop-go animation.

The students, who are all working in schools across Northamptonshire as teaching assistants or classroom support staff, explored the use of digital technologies as teaching resources to enrich the curriculum.

Jean Edwards, Senior Lecturer in Education, said: “Stop-go animation is ideal for helping students learn about concepts that involve processes and progressions — anything which benefits from including an element of movement to explain how it works. We hope that students will go and use these skills in their support for learning in schools as teaching assistants, or in the future as they become teachers.

FDLT student, Fern, who also works at Ashby Fields School in Daventry, said: “This is a really creative way to teach. The insights to the technology and skills for animation I’ve learnt today will be really valuable to take back to the classroom. I can see real value in creating stop-go animations to teach students, it’s a fun, creative and engaging teaching tool.”

The session was supported by Sophie Burrows from IntoFilm, an organisation which supports teachers and educators to achieve a wide range of effective learning outcomes in their use of film.