Thoughts on Wow: The power of objects in object-based learning and teaching objects

Before my microteaching session “Paper,” I read Kirsten Hardie’s HEA report “Innovative pedagogies series: Wow: The power of objects in object-based learning and teaching objects.” The report shows how objects facilitate deep learning through surprise, intrigue, and engagement, creating rich learning experiences through learners’ wonder and pleasure in objects.

As someone who learns best through tangible examples, I found myself strongly connecting with the report.

I’d like to use Hardie’s report to discuss a bookbinding workshop I recently taught to Sculpture BA students. Before the workshop, I arranged a viewing in Camberwell Library’s special collection, selecting artists’ books from the former MA Book Arts collection. This introduction proved valuable, demonstrating how my teaching style creates multiple entry points for student inspiration and continued learning.

The report concludes with 19 suggestions for educators using objects in their pedagogical practice. Here’s how some of the points relate to the bookbinding workshop:

1. The use of objects in small group work at the start of a course can offer a valuable ice-breaker activity as learners focus on items while developing their social interactions with their peers
   • I observed how the group gradually warmed up, sharing their findings and discoveries
     
2. Opportunities for learners to engage physically with celebrated design classics can provide important and memorable opportunities for them to study key designs and important aspects of their discipline
   • Students were intrigued by sculpture in book form – a novel concept for those who typically associate sculpture with larger objects
     
3. Surprise students in their learning; surpass learners’ expectations of using objects by creating innovative activities and using unusual items
   • Students were unaware of both the special collection and artists’ books as sculptural forms – opening new perspectives
     
4. Fun and provocative objects can engender learners’ curiosity and sustained interest in their studies. Objects can be used to explain and illustrate complex theories in an enjoyable and memorable way
   
5. Engage and stimulate learners’ senses through a variety of objects; maximize the opportunity for learners to touch items
   
6. The use of prosaic objects can offer surprising focus as students reframe their engagement with items in the context of the classroom
   • The special collection tour encouraged students to consider bookbinding as a technique within their sculptural practice, beyond mere notebook-making
     
7. Use museum and university collections to inspire learning; work with museum colleagues
   • The librarians were enthusiastic and expressed interest in creating similar future sessions
     
8. Ensure a mix of objects which are representative of a range of cultures, contexts and issues
   
9. Enjoy!
   • I observed students photographing artist books and excitedly sharing discoveries in hushed tones (perhaps a natural response to the library environment)

Reflecting through Hardie’s framework of object-based learning has helped me understand why this teaching approach was particularly effective. The students’ engagement , their excited whispers, and their subsequent exploration of bookbinding techniques all exemplify the power of objects to create meaningful learning experiences. The report not only validates this pedagogical approach but also provides a structured way to think about developing future object-based teaching sessions.

Reference

Hardie, K. (n.d.). Innovative pedagogies series: Wow: The power of objects in object-based learning and teaching objects.

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