Claymation

This is a compilation of the "Claymation" project my Grade 2 students made. I showed them a video of clay animation of animals as we talked about life cycles during the third term. To assess what they learned in class, I instructed them to produce some clay animation to show the life cycle of the animal of their choosing. They worked in groups, most of them dividing the work among each other according to the stages of a particular animal's life cycle. I took photos of each of the group's outputs and flashed them one after the other during the next class for the "animation effect".

As what I have mentioned, a teacher has to consider the learner's motivation to make the most out of learning, as well as their abilities and interest. From the moment I showed the clay animation video, they were already hooked (they all thought it was so cool, their eyes were glued to the screen) and I knew I had a promising classroom activity at hand. Admittedly, I chose to show the video just because it was very cute and it was initially a supplement to my lesson. Preparation and quick thinking indeed paid off, and this goes to show that a teacher should always be on the lookout for the best avenue for learning. It doesn't come naturally, but with experience.

Not only were they very responsive and inquisitive during our class discussions, they were all engrossed in making their clay figures as accurate as possible. Everybody was busy, nobody was unruly, and they seldom asked for my help because the task was very well within their capabilities. At the time that I showed them the "animation", everyone looked so proud of themselves. It made me feel good, too, that I somehow contributed positively to their self-esteem.

These are just one of the many highlights of my first year of teaching these children. More than their shower of affection for me, it's seeing them enjoy and bask in their learning that is most rewarding for me. At such a young age, school should never be a burden to these children, because they still have several years of school ahead of them and they should find it worthwhile going through it.