University of New Orleans counselor education professor Christopher Belser served as an educational consultant on the new animated series “Skillsville,” which premiered earlier this month on PBS Kids.
Skillsville is intended for kids ages 4 to 8. The series focuses on three kids who immerse themselves in a video game world to try out different careers, learning helpful strategies along the way. As a content expert in career development and child development, Belser and other experts consulted with the writing team to ensure that episode scripts accurately represented careers in a developmentally appropriate manner and that social-emotional strategies were presented effectively.
Belser is an associate professor in the School of Education, coordinator of the counselor education graduate programs, and a former school counselor.
“For each episode, the writing team first sent a ‘scene-by-scene,’ which was a synopsis of each scene with minimal to no dialogue,” Belser said. “From there, the writing team developed the full scripts, which went through two rounds of reviews. At each stage, I or another consultant would read through the scene-by-scene or script and make recommendations.”
The series was developed by Twin Cities Public Television in Minnesota through a U.S. Department of Education Ready to Learn Grant for distribution through PBS. For more information on Skillsville, click here.
