RSA Animate - Bringing Discourse to Life

I love the breadth and ambition of the many talks available for viewing online by the Royal Society for the Arts (RSA) - their web site is here. These are exciting times for the social sciences and the programme of public lectures made viable by the support of the global network of Fellows at the RSA is breathtaking. I have been to several RSA events this year and value greatly it’s role in championing creative thinking and emphasising the vital role of innovation in supporting and sustaining competitiveness in the world economy.

One of the terrific innovations on their web site is the use of animations to accompany some of their presentations and discussions and here is a stunning example with the help of the amazingly talented creative media company Cognitive Media

This week and next I am teaching a short course in behavioural economics to my Year 12 students as we move on from AS studies. having looked at a range of cognitive biases in behaviour we have moved onto issues connected to human motivations / drives and the role that penalties and incentives play in shaping decisions and actions.

Dan Pink’s talk at the RSA a little while back is worth viewing on its own - it is engaging, dynamic, funny and revealing and there are several brilliant examples to draw on for students interested in the management of organisations in a digital age. But with RSA animate a forty minute lecture is condensed into just over ten minutes - perfect for use in the classroom!

I showed the first section of Dan’s talk in standard format (perhaps 6-8 minutes) and then switched over to RSA animate - it worked and there was a great response from students. Wouldn’t it be great if we could have a print out of the animation! Or perhaps a limited edition could be made available for purchase? They would be fantastic as a wall display! Try the current range of RSA animations by clicking on this link