I-STEM Animations

Purpose: Each animation promote I-STEM teaching techniques by showing their benefits from the students’ perspective.

Process of creation

The artistic concept for the animation was developed during the Student Mobility in Dublin. Students learned about design thinking and storytelling techniques. Working in groups, they carried out a creative process that resulted in monster designs and storyboards designed to create a 2D animation based on them. In addition, the students wrote and presented stories of their I-STEM experiences in front of the camera. The recordings complemented the animated stories.

Stories: The main character is a girl who goes to school and has various problems there. Her problems are illustrated as monsters, which she fights and overcomes (thanks to I-STEM solutions).

Story 1

Main thought: I usually feel a lot of stress at school because there is a lot of pressure on me. In I-STEM lessons, we are not expected to be perfect, so I don’t get so stressed.

Content of the storyboard: There was a girl who was very stressed about school because there was a lot of pressure on her. One day she entered the classroom for an important exam and saw the stress monster. The monster was already about to attack her when her teacher noticed and gave the girl the “No pressure potion” – a potion to take off the pressure. The girl splashed the potion on the monster and the monster disappeared.

Story 2

Main thought: I usually find it difficult to socialise at school. In I-STEM lessons we do a lot of teamwork, so it’s easier for me to socialise.

Content of the storyboard: There was a girl who was terrified of socializing with her peers. Every time, she saw monsters coming out of them. One day in class she asked a classmate to borrow a ruler and a monster came out of him too. She started to run away and cried out of fear. The boy hugged her and asked her what happened. She explained that every time she wants to talk to someone, she sees scary monsters coming out of these people. Then the monster that came out of the boy wanted to attack them, but the boy gave the girl the line she asked for and then the monster broke into pieces.

Story 3

Main thought: Usually at school I don’t understand much in lessons because the teacher explains poorly. In I-STEM lessons, we learn in a practical way and I understand a lot more.

Content of the storyboard: There was a girl who didn’t understand anything in class because the teacher explained poorly. One day the teacher turned into a monster with pencils instead of fingers and red eyes. She was sitting in her desk stressing about not understanding anything and suddenly discovered that her calculator had a button that fired a laser. She shot it at the monster and it disappeared. The teacher was a teacher again, only better now, and a pencil rolled across the floor.

Story 4

Main thought: Usually at school, teachers don’t listen to students and don’t understand their needs, they are judging. During I-STEM lessons we talk about our needs and are listened to.

Content of the storyboard: There was a girl who went to school every day, but she really disliked it. She imagined her class sitting under a microscope because the teacher only looked at the students and never listened to what they had to say. He looked like a dragon-monster. The whole class formed a sign out of their bodies saying ‘We need to talk’. The teacher saw this through the eyepiece of a microscope, began to communicate with the class and with each passing moment looked less like a dragon-monster and more like a human being.

Story 5

Main thought: Usually at school, students are overloaded with the amount of learning and homework. I-STEM offers less overwhelming lessons where it is fun and students are not exhausted afterwards.

Content of the storyboard: There was a girl who was overwhelmed by the enormity of her homework. She sat at her desk and did her homework. The papers piled up more and more until they turned into Paper Monster. The girl was terrified. Suddenly, the light of a lone light bulb fell on a sword with ISTEM written on it. The girl grabbed it, fought the monster and defeated it.

Story 6

Main thought: Usually at school, lessons are boring and each one looks the same. ISTEM lessons are much more interesting because they are more engaging and fun.

Content of the storyboard: There was a colourful girl in a dull grey classroom. Suddenly, the Shadow Monster appeared. The girl grabbed the only colourful thing in this grey classroom, which was a globe. She defeated the Shadow Monster with the globe. The monster exploded and splashed colours all around. The class regained its colours, other pupils appeared. Everyone is enjoying and learning through games.