“object-based learning is a mode of education which involves the active integration of objects into the learning environment […] objects can inspire, inform, engage and motivate learners at all stages of their education” (Chatterjee, 2015).
My position as an Archivist, working with archives and collections, means that inherently my teaching practice is object-based.
Object-based learning (OBL) is seen as a valuable and significant pedagogical tool in HE – especially art and design education. Research around this places emphasis on the physicality of engaging with objects, using them “to inspire discussion, group work and lateral thinking – all essential key, transferable, skills in higher education” (Chatterjee 2010, p.179).
The benefits of OBL are seen as:
- providing a direct link with a topic or ‘the past’ and enhancing people’s interest in and understanding of a topic/subject
- encouraging learners to use all their senses – especially touch, sight and smell
- helping to develop the important skill of drawing conclusions based on an examination of evidence, together with an understanding of the limitations and reliability of evidence.
- generating group and class discussion
- promoting the value of archives/collections and encouraging learners to engage with these
(University College London, 2021)
- Nurturing an appreciation for cultural differences.
- Enhancing observation skills.
- Cultivating focused attention through slow looking.
- Fostering communication skills and teamwork.
- Promoting dialogue and collaboration among students.
- Encouraging creative problem-solving.
- Creating respect for different points of view.
- Building connections between the academic course and material culture.
- Increasing students’ self-awareness as learners.
(University of Miami, 2021)
Foundational to my research project, my enquiry accepts the benefits and value of OBL. Some further reading that substantiates and supports the practice of OBL can be found in my references – such as Chatterjee (2010, 2015), Willcocks (2015, 2017), Prown (1982) and Hardie (2015).
Beyond this, an idea that I have been drawn to in my reading is around whether the ‘objects’ in OBL are actually central to learning, or if these should be decentered in favour of focussing on the emotion and engagement of the students interacting with them. This approach challenges Western ideas of permanence, and questions the value of the object over an engagement with ideas and spiritual values, seeing that emotions also have a social and cultural history (Meecham 2016, p.79).
This led me to exploring the idea of social objects, where one “[looks] at an object not for its artistic or historical significance but for its ability to spark conversation […] Social objects are transactional, facilitating exchanges among those who encounter them” (Simon, 2010). In this “the artefact becomes a medium of exchange, a familiar point of contact that links the diversity of experiences and lives” (Crooke, 2016).
Meecham argues that “those charged with teaching within institutions committed to widening global participation recognise that there is more to do than merely re-present objects in museums in ways that tell other more inclusive stories” (2016 pp. 67-68). As my research question is concerned with using objects critically and inclusively, Meecham’s idea is especially pertinent and represents a key aim in my research of trying to uncover new ways of using objects.
References
Barton, G. and Willcocks, J. (2017) ‘Object-based self-enquiry: a multi-and trans-disciplinary pedagogy for transformational learning’, Spark: UAL Creative Teaching and Learning Journal, 2(3), pp.229–245. Available at: https://sparkjournal.arts.ac.uk/index.php/spark/article/view/75 (accessed 16 November 2021).
Chatterjee, H. J. (2010). ‘Object-Based Learning in Higher Education: The pedagogical power of museums.’ University Museums and Collections Journal, 3: 179-181. Available at: https://edoc.hu-berlin.de/bitstream/handle/18452/9349/chatterjee.pdf (accessed 16 November 2021).
Chatterjee, H., Hannah, L., and Thomson, L. (2015) ‘An introduction to object-based learning and multisensory engagement’ in Chatterjee, H. J. and Hannan, L. (eds.) Engaging the senses: object-based learning in higher education. Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate Publishing, pp.1-19.
Crooke, E (2016) ‘Artefacts as Agents for Change: Commemoration and Exchange via Material Culture’, Irish Political Studies 31(1), pp.86-100.
Daniels, R. et al (2014) Academic uses of archives, museum and special collections 2009-2013, University of the Arts London. Available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/15227/ArchivesSpecialCollectionsReport_Interactive.pdf (accessed 18 December 2021).
Hardie, K. (2015) Innovative pedagogies series: Wow: The power of objects in object-based learning and teaching. Available at: https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets.creode.advancehe-document-manager/documents/hea/private/kirsten_hardie_final_1568037367.pdf (accessed 16 November 2021).
Lelkes, J. (2019) ‘How inclusive is object-based learning?’, Spark: UAL Creative Teaching and Learning Journal, 4(1), (2019) pp. 76-82. Available at: https://sparkjournal.arts.ac.uk/index.php/spark/article/view/110/215 (accessed 16 November 2021).
Meecham, P. (2015) ‘Talking about things: internationalisation of the curriculum through object-based learning’ in Chatterjee, H. J. and Hannan, L. (eds.) Engaging the senses: object-based learning in higher education. Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate Publishing, pp.57–74.
Prown, J.D. (1982) ‘Mind in Matter: An Introduction to Material Culture Theory and Method’, Winterthur Portfolio, 17 (1), pp. 1-19. Available at: https://blogs.ubc.ca/qualresearch/files/2010/09/Mind-in-Matter.pdf (accessed 16 November 2021).
Simon, N. (2010) The participatory museum. Available at: http://www.participatorymuseum.org/read/ (accessed 16 November 2021).
University College London (2021) Teaching & Object-Based Learning. Available at: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/culture/schools/teaching-object-based-learning (accessed 16 November 2021).
University of Miami (2021) Object-Based Learning. Available at: https://academictechnologies.it.miami.edu/explore-technologies/technology-summaries/object-based-learning/index.html (accessed 16 November 2021).
Winston-Silk, J. (2019) ‘Deaccessioning and reimagining: a novel approach to object-based learning’ Spark: UAL Creative Teaching and Learning Journal, 4:1 pp.51-57. Available at: https://sparkjournal.arts.ac.uk/index.php/spark/article/view/130 (accessed 16 November 2021).
Willcocks, J. (2015) ‘The power of concrete experience: museum collections, touch and meaning making in art and design pedagogy’ in Chatterjee, H.J. and Hannan, L. (eds.) (2015) Engaging the senses: object-based learning in higher education. Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate Publishing, pp.43–56