Learning & Loans

Conclusion: The main learning points that seem to come out of handling in 12 observations include: a greater understanding of the physical properties and design of an object; the ability to make physical connections between separate parts of objects; a heightened emotional response and an opportunity to apply further analysis and thinking skills.

Key: A "user" is a school that already uses the loan service. A "non-user" is a school that does not currently use the loan service.

The following descriptions are 12 instances of learning related directly to handling (46%) during the 26 observations:

1. School A: User: Primary
There was an opportunity to learn to co-operate with other pupils in play because of the knitted farm's access to multiple users. The knitted farm allowed the students to build up an understanding of context and appropriate connections with that context: sheep with field, duck with water, people with house, etc.

2. School B: User: Primary
There was no evidence of developed care in handling but there was evidence of the students handling them to discover extensive information which they went on to share with the rest of the class.

3. School C: User: Primary
I asked a boy who had tried on an Edwardian bathing costume: "How did you feel inside those clothes?" Student: "I felt stupid… You can't spread your legs wide enough apart to swim."

4. School D: User: Primary
An extract of three students looking at an animal shaped oil lamp from Pakistan. It is not at all obvious that the artefact is a lamp:
Me: "What is it?"
Student: "A lion."
Student: "It looks like a dog, doesn't it?"
Student: "For display."
Me: "Is this a handle for pouring?"
Student: "No, for picking up."
Student: "Oh, it could be for putting water in."
Student: "And the little stick for turning."
Me: "Where is it used? Is it religious?"
Student: "It could be a religious symbol."

5. School G: User: Primary
The students did handle the loans with care. They also gleaned much information about the comparative sizes, markings, and attachments from handling the WWII badges and buttons.

6. School I: User: Primary
The teacher reported incidents of the students' discovery through handling: "They discovered the model of the barge in the secret compartment! I didn't know it was there…They also found out you could make the water level go up by using the lever at the back of the model. With the biscuit tin, the children found out it was magnetic."

7. School K: User: Primary
There was a strong reliance on collecting information from sensory skills in this group of young children: smelling, feeling, etc.:
Teacher: "This is a bangle. It is actually made with elephant hair."
Action: The students are very excited about this artefact: one child turns it around in their hand, another child smells it."
Action: One child rubs their fingers around the Masai beads; another runs their fingers through the spirit whip; a child closely examines one earring, then holds it up to her ear, smiles, and shows it to a friend."

8. School M: Non-user: Primary
While they were handling them, the students gave a lot of attention to detail:
Student 1: "Is the address on the glasses case the address of the manufacturer or the person who owns it?"
Student 2: "Yes, because glasses are expensive to replace. They still are. Especially back then I should think."

9. School W: Non-user: Secondary
Yes. These bottom set of boys were extremely interested in the Native American artefacts asking questions, noting the material and creating stories for anything out of the ordinary:
Action: The teacher holds up the jacket for the class to see and begins to take it around to the different groups of students. The students feel and smell the jacket. They look inside it.
Student: "Is there money in there?"
Student: "Have you got a knife in there?"
Student: "It's like a shammy."
Teacher: "It's moose hide. That's what it says on the label. Like a shammy, yes."
Teacher: (to student focusing on his drawing) "Stop for a minute to look. It's moose skin. Have you seen a moose?"
Student: "Yes."
Student: (noticing a small hole in the jacket) "That's where a bullet went through. The cavalry has been shooting at him."

10. School X: Non-user: Secondary
There was a lot of physical investigation of surface, shape, weight and orientation during this session:
Student: "Is this a lid?"
Student: "Does it go here?"
Student: "They look new - like the 1980s. How is that possible?"
Student: "Coin (looking at its sides) - it's not straight."
Student: "A mosaic. Its smooth on one side and rough on the other."
Student: "Wicked!" (opening metal box)
Student: (Reads out excerpt inserted in the case about the 3 lamps) "All these are made of clay."
Student: "This is the lightest. This is the heaviest."

11. School Y: Non-user: Secondary
Action: I focus on a group of 3 boys with whom I am sitting and record their comments on a medieval tile on which they have been given no information:
Student: "It's light."
Student: "It's hard."
Action: One of the boys has copied the chart from the board and is writing the words in as the students talk.
Student: "What colour is it?"
Student: "Orange and green."
Teacher: (Coming to the table) "What do you think? Is it broken or in tact?" (To me) "You've got the least able here."
Student: "Broken."
Student: "It has a pattern."
Teacher: "The more you describe, the more you will think and understand."
Student: "What kind of shape?"
Student: "A triangle shape."
Student: "It's orange, green and white."
Student: "Smells like brick."
Student: "Draw it."
Student: "Use a pencil!"
Student: "You can draw it with anything."
Action: The boy disagrees by shaking his head and gets a pencil out.
Student: "What does interpret mean?"
Action: The teacher stops the class at this point.
Teacher: "Describing is what you see - "white". When you're interpreting it is 'That reminds me of...That might be...' It's what could be."
Student: "It could be a tile."
Student: "It could be a wall tile."
Me: "What's the pattern?"
Student: "It could be a flower."
Me: "Is it the middle of something?"
Student: "It's the corner."
Student: "The pattern continues here."
Teacher: (Coming to our group) "What is it? What period of history?"
Student: "I reckon its Victorian because of the brick that's used."

12. School Z: Non-user: Primary
Yes. One child was trying to put the bones of the skeleton together like a puzzle:
Student: "I've got a bone. I've got a backbone. Where's the bone that attaches to the backbone?"