Animation as an Educational Tool

The New Year started out with a trip to the Boston area to teach at the Charles River School. Teaching in a school environment illuminated the possibilities of using animation as a powerful tool in the classroom.

My class included kids in grade 2nd to 5th who had never animated before. They were excited to help each other operate the cameras, computers, and programs. The stopmotion puppets they made inspired under the table battles and complex stories. They were learning problem solving tactics, communication skills, and basic cinematography all while having fun and making friends.

Animation does that naturally and beautifully. It can invigorate a lesson, inspire research, and build a community. There’s a whole network of online animation tools that help teach math, science, and language arts skills. But they don’t offer the tactile satisfaction that comes from traditional animation techniques or the tech skills to operate outside of the online platform. Imagine a traditional diorama becoming a stopmotion project. Or a chemical reaction explained with a flipbook. The possibilities!

In 2016, KXB Studio is researching and developing animation tools to be used in schools. There will be more info on this to come. If you, or someone you know, would like to learn more feel free to contact us at kxbstudio@gmail.


“Both video and writing are methods through which students are able to express themselves, and by doing so, share their ideas, thoughts, and are an essential component of learning and growth. The best way to foster creativity is to show students what the human mind is really capable of imagining.” –GoAnimate

“Animation is a brilliant and innovative new way to encourage children to communicate stories, ideas and concepts in a creative and original way. It can be particularly useful as a tool to encourage the creativity of students who find spelling and grammar a challenge, because it liberates them from the anxiety of always worrying about technicalities and enables them just to concentrate on the story instead.” -Laura Bates, Fractus Learning

“I think the beauty of animation is you are really not limited by the physical world around you” -Doug Cuthand, Blue Hill Productions

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