BLUE ZOO ANIMATION STUDIO AND ALPHABLOCKS LTD
Case study: University of Winchester Research and Development Team
CASE STUDY
How the University of Winchester has provided expertise in computational thinking for new CBeebies educational television programme, Wonderblocks.
Providing the educational and learning perspective to a new children’s computational thinking programme for CBeebies, the University of Winchester has been working closely with Blue Zoo Animation Studio and Alphablocks Ltd to support an innovative new learning resource for children.
Project: Educational animation series Wonderblocks
Collaborating Organisations: Blue Zoo Animation Studio and Alphablocks Ltd Project Timescales: 2021-2025
University of Winchester Research and Development Team
Emma Goto is Senior Lecturer in Primary Education at the University of Winchester. Prior to joining the University in 2013, Emma was a primary school teacher and as an Advanced Skills Teacher she has worked extensively in supporting schools in Hampshire with their development of ICT and computing.
Emma’s research interest is in computational thinking, particularly for young children in Key Stage One and the Early Years Foundation Stage. As a highly regarded expert in this field, Emma has been involved in the writing of the BBC Bitesize guides for Key Stage One computing and was most recently commissioned to provide her expertise for a new educational animation series for CBeebies.
Project Overview
As an expert in teaching computational thinking, particularly for pre-school age children, Emma Goto from the University of Winchester was recommended to Alphablocks Ltd and Blue Zoo Animation Studio in 2021 when they were in the early stages of planning a new television programme to support children’s computational thinking.
Emma was invited to be the education consultant for the new series which builds upon the success of the CBeebies children’s television programmes Numberblocks, Alphablocks and Colourblocks.
The new series, Wonderblocks, is a programme designed to develop children’s thinking and problem-solving in the early stages, supporting them to ignite the skills and knowledge that are aligned with programming computers.
Computational thinking concepts include breaking a problem up into its smallest parts, planning each step, and spotting where there are patterns and repetition. Wonderblocks will introduce some of these ideas in a fun and relaxed way through its engaging animations, taking young viewers through problemsolving adventures.
Partnerships
Alphablocks Ltd and Blue Zoo Animation Studio already have three established and highly regarded educational children’s television programmes: Alphablocks, Numberblocks, and Colourblocks. The shows are aired regularly on BBC children’s channel CBeebies, collectively have over 14 million
subscribers on YouTube, and have been launched in several different languages. Renowned for their high-quality educational programmes, the shows’ creators work closely with educators to ensure exceptional educational content.
As the education consultant to the Wonderblocks project, Emma Goto from the University of Winchester has been involved since the early stages of the programme development, advising to help develop the scripts and animations.
Emma brought to the project her perspectives, based on experience as a teacher of young children, giving consideration to how children will interpret and understand the programmes to progress their learning. As somebody with a keen interest in computational thinking, Emma gave guidance on how concepts are expressed in the programme and provided a perspective on how children would be able to develop their skills through watching the series.
This is quite revolutionary. We teach computing in England from the age of five, but this will introduce computational thinking at an earlier stage, in an engaging and entertaining way that’s really motivational for children. It’s a delight to be involved.
Emma Goto, University of Winchester
What we did
Project Impact
Alongside the series, there will also be web resources, and much like its programme predecessors, the intention is that Wonderblocks will be a learning resource within schools as well as at home. The hope is that engagement with the programme, will start to get computational thinking, more embedded in early years practice.
Emma explains “The reach of something like this is huge, it’s going to encourage children to solve interesting problems and think differently. It should be a driver of curriculum, as well as being influenced by curriculum, which is really exciting.”
Challenges
With a Knowledge Exchange programme such as this, the differences between the way in which the University and its commercial partners operate is a factor of consideration.
Communication was a key part of this. It was essential to be clear from the outset, so that everybody knew the expectations and what was achievable.
To establish the contractual and business requirements, Emma received support from the University’s Director of Faculty Operations as well as the Knowledge Exchange Officer and the Centre of Professional Learning in Education.
Best Practices
The partnership between the University of Winchester, Alphablocks Ltd and Blue Zoo Animation Studio has had mutual benefits.
The programme has been enhanced by the input of the University and Emma as an expert in computational thinking and education, and Emma and the University have in turn learned from applying her expertise in a new industry.
Wonderblocks will be going out on CBeebies from 20 January 2025 with five new episodes a week available on the BBC iPlayer. There will be 30 episodes in series one.
For my own learning, it’s been interesting to see a little of how a very different industry works. It has been wonderful to be involved because I feel really passionate about supporting children with this kind of thinking and problem-solving; it gives them a different set of skills to draw upon.
Emma Goto, University of Winchester
For further information please contact the Research and Innovation team on collaborate@winchester.ac.uk
RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
For further information about computing in early years and primary education at the University of Winchester. please contact Emma.Goto@winchester.ac.uk .
University of Winchester, Sparkford Road, Winchester, Hampshire, SO22 4NR
winchester.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 1962 841515