EdUHK Animated Series to Promote Pleasurable Learning
Since its launch of the ‘Animated Chinese History for Curious Minds’ project in 2018, The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) has produced a total of 190 animated videos and English songs to promote pleasurable learning, in collaboration with the Modern Educational Research Society Limited (MERS) and renowned local artist Mr Leung Chung-kei, more commonly known as Chao Yat. The response to these projects has been overwhelming. They saw a large increase in views during the pandemic, and have accumulated nearly 10 million so far. This reflects the education sector’s demand for high-quality e-learning resources.
EdUHK President Professor Stephen Cheung Yan-leung thanked all partners for their support. “A champion of pleasurable learning, EdUHK believes a lively and interactive pedagogical approach can not only enhance students’ learning motivation, but also immerse them in traditional Chinese culture and virtues, as well as other universal values, from a young age,” he said.
MERS President Mr Wong Sing said, “The great popularity of these projects has boosted our confidence in offering high-quality e-learning content and diversifying the learning experience of our students. Through these online learning platforms, they can explore new knowledge, whether they be at school or home. The content and illustrations are tailored in line with EdUHK’s commitment to ‘learning is fun’.”
In addition to four animation series, covering Chinese language and history, classical Chinese literature, renowned historical figures and life education, another four projects have also been scheduled for launch later this year. They will feature language learning, ancient Chinese poetry and culture, STEAM and values education. The following are the featured highlights of these projects:
• Student-centred: Rounds of focus group interviews were conducted to understand students’ learning interests. Inspired by the University logo made of luxuriant leaves and the sun, the project team has created ‘Little Leaf’ – a chubby-faced cartoon mascot with an iconic young leaf. It is the main character of the series and accompanies students in exploring a wide range of knowledge through the ancient and modern worlds. Deeply curious and keen to learn from mistakes, this adorable mascot is the ideal learning peer for primary students.
• Rigorous and detail-oriented: To ensure the accuracy and quality of the learning materials, each team has undergone a rigorous and meticulous process of topic selection and content verification. In the ‘Animated Chinese History for Curious Minds’ series, for example, a sword or spear was found to be the weapon used by military general Guan Yu, rather than the widely assumed Green Dragon Crescent Blade. In another video involving customs in the Ming dynasty, contrasts between the Emperor’s five-clawed dragon robe and top official Zheng He’s four-clawed python robe were particularly highlighted.
• Interdisciplinarity: Effort has been made to transgress the boundaries between different subject areas. For example, in the upcoming STEAM animation, stories of renowned scientists from both China and the western world will be told alongside Chinese language learning elements, such as sentence structures, radicals, and stroke order.
• Emphasis on Chinese Culture: In the latest ‘Animated Classical Chinese for Curious Minds Project’, the team has brought to life the Chinese classical texts recommended by the Education Bureau. They have also incorporated Hong Kong’s landmarks and salient features, such as the Shing Mun Reservoir, Sneaker Street and Hong Kong-style egg waffles, in the videos to enhance learning motivation among children.
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EdUHK Animated Series to Promote Pleasurable Learning
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