Object Based Learning often plays a part in the way I teach in the Stitch workshop. Most of the workshops or inductions include machinery or a technique that is explained through samples. However, I don’t feel that I facilitate enough opportunity for students to reflect and think about why they are interested in using techniques other than their aesthetical value. In this blog post, I will reflect on the feedback I received from my micro-teaching session and think about how I can utilise OBL practices to enhance my teaching and allow for deeper student engagement.
Some feedback from my peers was: “more likely to remember because I handled the samples”. This demonstrates that the haptic learning element of Object Based Learning is an important practice in developing knowledge. ‘Three case studies on OBL were conducted and showed that the haptic exploration of the objects led to a more intense learning experience. Students reported that touching sculptures feels more reliable than just seeing them, that it can enhance the understanding of the objects, and help to correct misconceptions.’ Tam (2015, cited in Novak & Schwan 2021, p.640)
I also received feedback that whilst the session was well structured, “it could have had a more practical element to it but that’s just because I wanted to have a go at it.”. However, my microteach session was intended to be the introductory activity of which a practical workshop would follow, where students would learn the techniques previously discussed and observed. The fact my peer expressed interest in the practical activity meant that he was engaged in the activity and that led me to reflect on the importance of seizing and influencing the engagement of students, as well as the structure of the workshop and how information is presented. “…after the individual’s curiosity is aroused, the exhibit must engage sustained interest in order for learning to take place” Csikszentmihalyi and Hermanson (1999, cited in Hooper-Greenhill, E. 1999, p.153)
I have found when teaching inductions, especially when there isn’t time allocated for introductory activities, students appear less interested by the end of the workshop. Some students aren’t motivated to revisit techniques or processes when working independently and often need refreshers in operating machinery and techniques. I think allowing for haptic learning activities where students are tasked with handling samples, followed by discussion and reflection, whilst also being presented with contextual information regarding the history of the techniques, could work well to pique interest and maintain engagement for the technical information presented when teaching the practical parts of the workshop.
Another aspect I received feedback on was the ‘reflection’ part of the session. There were two allocated times where I tasked my peers to reflect, when handling and looking at the samples in pairs and at the end when making notes and discussing the session. I received conflicting feedback from peers, ‘Enjoyed discussing more than making notes and would have liked more time to discuss’ and, ‘Not sure if discussion was necessary’- These highlight the importance of finding a balance in the way I conduct these parts of the workshop, as students often like to reflect or evaluate in a variety of ways. One idea I had was to give more prompts for the discussion to aid the students interest.
References
Novak, M., Schwan, S. (2021). Does Touching Real Objects Affect Learning? Education Psychology Review 33, 637–665. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-020-09551-z
Hooper-Greenhill, E. (1999) The Educational Role of the Museum. Available at: https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/_/-3_9K-TcPiwC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA153&dq=%C2%A0“after+the+individual’s+curiosity+is+aroused,+the+exhibit+must+engage+sustained+interest+in+order+for+learning+to+take+place”%C2%A0