Lucy Jenkins and Tallulah Holley break down object-based learning, the method used to create the SHAPE in Schools learning resources which can be accessed for free on our website.
Object-based learning (OBL) is traditionally used in cultural forums such as museums or art galleries. OBL has been used to describe ‘multisensory engagement with museum collections for the acquisition and dissemination of subject specific and cross disciplinary knowledge, observational, practical and other transferable skills’ (Chaterjee and Hannan, 2015).
In simple terms, OBL is about taking an object and interrogating it, looking at it from all perspectives, with all senses, and exploring all the potential ways that object interacts with our world.
For the purposes of creating the SHAPE learning resources, we expanded the term to refer to material objects that can be seen, touched or experienced by the learner, that is: trains, masks, sugar and shoes.
For some learners, museums or art galleries seem like daunting spaces, so we wanted to bring them closer to these spaces by using methods connected to these spaces, bridging the gap between the learner and public cultural spaces.
We actively chose objects that are everyday and within the lived ecosystems of the learners’ life experiences. We do this in order to encourage an understanding that no object is neutral and that we need to interrogate the everyday, every day, as a way to better understand the world.
SHAPE aims to show how SHAPE subjects help us develop a toolkit which allows us to undertake this interrogation in ways that create meaning, express understanding, and continually challenge us to make sense of our ever-evolving world. OBL is a key tool we can use to achieve this.
There are many reasons why using OBL is beneficial for teachers and learners when promoting a SHAPE mindset. SHAPE encourages users to look across the spectrum of their experiences and to draw out a wide range of modes and methods to understand their own and others mindsets regarding the world in which we live: past, present and future.
“Using objects in teaching not only helps students to understand their subject but also develops academic and transferable skills such as team work and communication, analytical skills practical observation and drawing skills.” (UCL)
Objects allow us to do this in a way that is both accessible and disorientating. By using familiar objects to challenge narratives we aim to stimulate independent and original thinking by embedding a disorientating experience within what feels ‘known’ to learners.
That is to say that by exploring challenging concepts through known objects, we manage to make these topics feel more accessible to all learners. This makes the disorientation one that is relevant and therefore has the potential to generate longer-term resonance.
In OBL, while the teacher facilitates the session, the students construct meaning for themselves through their interactions with each other and the teacher, centred on the object. Therefore, it represents a social constructivist approach in which the students develop their knowledge and understanding through interaction with objects based on a prior understanding (Chatterjee and Hannan, 2015). This approach enables the student to explore ideas, processes and events related to the object and further link their observations to complex abstract ideas and concepts.
We believe that our OBL approach does the following:
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Allows learners to participate in meaningful discussions that are accessible and relevant.
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Allows learners to understand where SHAPE tools are useful and relevant.
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Provides tools that encourage learners to challenge and question the everyday in constructive ways and with resonance.
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Facilitates the exploration of a set of modes, methods and mindsets that flow across the SHAPE disciplines, promoting an exploration of the multiple intersections of different experiences.
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Encourages learners to challenge their own frames of reference in a way that will provoke long lasting change.
The SHAPE in School resources are available to download for free on our website and on TES.