Meet our Concept Cartoon Learners!
Concept cartoons are a visual representation of science ideas. Created by Brenda Keogh and Stuart Naylor in 1991, the simple cartoon style drawings put forward a range of viewpoints about science ideas in situations that are designed to motivate and engage students and stimulate discussion of their ideas.
They take into account constructivist views of learning and have human characters putting forward various alternatives, which invites students to justify their own ideas and clarify their scientific thinking as well as to consider others’ ideas. The purpose of the alternative ideas is for learners to experience uncertainty and cognitive conflict.
Example of a concept cartoon about weather created by the Association for Science Education (ASE)
In our educational materials, Learners take centre stage, representing the diverse group of individuals who benefit from Newton's STEM education. While the Bots may guide and assist, our Learners are the true protagonists, engaging in real-world examples, actions, and assignments.
Designed for high legibility according to the Newton Identity Guidelines and Newton Learning Design Guidelines, they are purposefully vague in their physical characteristics (lack of skin tone, body type, age and gender markers), embodying the universal spirit of curiosity, critical thinking, and collaboration.
Same concept cartoon about weather featuring the Learners and designed based on Newton’s Learning Design Principles
When discussing the characters, instead of using physical descriptions (body type, gender, hair type, ethnicity, body type...) they can be simply called Red, Yellow and Blue. Physical details of these characters are not important for the scientific concept discussed and are therefore omitted. To put it simply, all three characters could be of any gender, age, ethnicity, or ability.
As we continue to evolve and innovate, the introduction of our Concept Cartoon Learners marks a new chapter in our journey. Whether it's sparking interest on social media or inspiring minds in the classroom, they are poised to make a lasting impact on the way we approach STEM education.
For more information about our Concept Cartoon Learners you can have a look at our freshly updated Newton Identity Guidelines and join us in shaping the future of education with Newton Concept.
Education Team:
Ingvill Berg, Caroline Cormier, Kjersti Gylseth, Lindsey Hendricks-Franco, Ørjan Snoen, Pedrikke Johansdotter Votvik
Ingvill Berg, Caroline Cormier, Kjersti Gylseth, Lindsey Hendricks-Franco, Ørjan Snoen, Pedrikke Johansdotter Votvik
Creative Team:
Rigmor Angler, Marte Antonsen, Linda Brunstad, Niko Crnčević, Sebastian Siggerud
Rigmor Angler, Marte Antonsen, Linda Brunstad, Niko Crnčević, Sebastian Siggerud
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Additional creative assets: Adobe Stock, Streamline