What caused the French Revolution? by T. Mullaney

Abstract

Mullaney, Tom. “What caused the French Revolution? - Tom Mullaney ”, edited by Kasia Zabavko. TED-Ed, 27 Oct. 2016, ed.ted.com/lessons/what-caused-the-french-revolution-tom-mullaney#watch. Accessed 12 Feb. 2017.In this Ted-Ed Lesson Tom Mullaney presents a six minute animated film of the causes behind the French Revolution (Watch), an 8 question quiz (Think), additional information in order to foster critical discussions (Dig Deeper), and a forum to discuss the topic (Discuss). All of these sections can be accessed easily by a pinned menu along the right hand side of the page which follows an intuitive sequence. The animated film covers the situation in France from the ideologies that contributed to the start of the revolution to the First French Republic. The film concerns itself in large part with the questions and ideals that the revolution raised over two hundred years ago. While the interactive quiz, which requires a free account, focuses five questions on factual recall and has three short answer questions. Depending on the answer given, the quiz allows the audience to move on to the next question or directs them to try again or to view the film again. The design of the lesson page is minimalistic allowing for easy navigation and makes use of bright colours and obvious hyperlinks to inform the audience of additional available information held offsite. The synopsis of the French Revolution in the film is simplified in order to fit into a six minute film and should therefore be used as a supporting educational tool for students studying the French Revolution between grades 6 and 11. The age range is based on an advisor to teachers as the ‘Dig Deeper’ section may be unsuitable for younger audiences due to the level of critical thinking skills it requires, which enables it to be better suited to audiences in grades 10 and up. This Ted-Ed Lesson should be included in a list of study aids for use by social studies teachers. Highly Recommended: 3 stars out of 4Reviewer: Jessica BreslerJessica Bresler is a University of Alberta graduate student who is finishing her Master of Library and Information Studies degree in 2017.