As we all know, President Barack Obama just signed a mammoth economic package into law.
Following the lengthy negotiations and listening to the controversy about this bill has made me a bit dizzy. But all this stimulating talk about the stimulus package got me thinking about my introduction to how the political process works: Schoolhouse Rock's I'm Just a Bill.
Do you remember counting in 3's like a pro by singing, Three is the Magic Number, or rockin' out to Conjunction Junction, What's your Function? Schoolhouse Rock made learning fun, and the lessons presented to us children of the 80's endure still today. Further, it is a great example of effective instructional design that e-learning developers should strive to imitate:
- Instructional Media: School House Rock used television as an educational vehicle, blurring the lines between entertainment and education. Airing between cartoons on Saturday mornings, information was readily accessible its young target audience. Also, schools were supplied with VHS copies of SHR so kids' favorite schoolhouse could be incorporated into traditional classrooms. VHS was easily transported and duplicated, allowing the taped programs to reach an even wider audience than the weekend installments alone.
- Instructional Strategy: The cartoon illustrations put serious and important content directly in front of learners. Its animations were friendly, familiar and visually stimulated the audience's imagination. The lessons were fun, concise and accessible. Just imagine if you could pack that much learning into 3 minutes every day!
- Learning Styles: Retention is the ultimate goal of any learning experience. In addition to SHR's visual delights, a collection of catchy, brilliantly written songs made it simple for children to memorize essential information such as the process of a bill becoming a law. Who knew that studying could be so easy and fun to repeat?
Each episode of SHR was introduced with a short theme song in which children's voices proclaim, It's great to learn, 'cause knowledge is power! Aside from direct lessons in grammar, civics, and science, SHR taught children that learning itself is important, and that might be the most crucial lesson of all. Now that I've got you singing, "Yes, I'm only a bill and I got as far as Capitol Hill . . . " please share your earliest memories of instructional design in the comments section below.
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Learn more about Laura, and the rest of the LearningChange team, by visiting The Team page.
Comments
Many theatre patrons would
Many theatre patrons would agree that seeing a really good show is like having a religious experience. What they don’t know, though, is the actors in those shows have, in fact, often gone through a religious catharsis to bring their vision to the stage.
Saturday’s rehearsals for Schoolhouse Rock Live Junior began like any other. The cast descended into the RMTC Cabaret Theatre like army ants burrowing their way into the earth. After roll call, the music director, Cynthia Burke, began teaching the cast the music to "Interplanet Janet" and "Interjections." As she banged out notes and assigned parts, it was quite evident to us both that something was askew. The stage was filled with kids who resembled those horrifying British tykes in that horror movie where they take over the local village and wreak havoc upon its inhabitants. Blank stares and glassy eyes peered back at us as we attempted to piece together the final moments of the show. To accomplish our task we had to get the cast to stand up and demonstrate that they all had visible signs of life. I even scanned the room to see if a defibrillator was nearby … just in case.
Once our musical rehearsal was over, choreographer Valerie Lemmons, began putting "Interplanet Janet" and "Interjections" on its feet … pun intended. Again, the kids acted if they’d been hypnotized by a radioactive meteorite smoldering in the back alley behind the Cabaret. Their minds were obviously elsewhere.
Three is the Magic Number
"Three is the Magic Number..." - ah those words remind of Jack Johnson jamming that song up on his guitar. Good memories.
Nice work!
Thanks for the post, when I watched a cartoon much understood!!
i hope this helps our
i hope this helps our economy. I really believe in this but only time will tell.
I enjoyed the play school
I enjoyed the play school hosue rock, so thats why i want lines, to do it myself, and act it out! fun.
Fantastic post. Bookmarked
Fantastic post. Bookmarked this site and emailed it to a few friends, your post was that great, keep it up.
School House ROCKS!!!
School House Rock was a great learning tool for kids. Another favorite learning show of ours was Reading Rainbow. These shows made learning fun and hooked us with their visual and musical creativity. Learning programs today should use this style of teaching to keep kids and adults entertained while learning.
Ah, the memories!
School House Rock was genius! The fact that I can remember the lyrics 30 years later is a testament to its ability to both entertain and foster learning. Electric Company was also a favorite, and I had an LP to sing to when the show wasn't on TV. For me, the story lines, visuals and catchy music added context and turned mundane facts into knowledge. I still learn best this way, and try to fill in the blanks from history classes past with books like Irving Stone's "The Depths of Glory" and movies such as HBO's "John Adams" miniseries. Now...if only someone would write more SHR!
Loved these mini cartoons as a kid!
I remember waking up on Saturday mornings to watch my favorite Looney Tunes and of course, singing to these catchy fun tunes. Thanks for the memory and excellent example of the association of what instructional design and e-learning is all about. Good job!
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