| Classroom Observation: Question 52: Was there an emotional
response to the loans? |
Conclusion: 85% (22) of 26 observations provided enough information to
gauge a noticeable emotional response. Of these 22 observations, 68% (15) did demonstrate
some emotion from teachers or students in response to the loans.
The emotional responses included: exclamations, enthusiasm, concentration, fascination,
fear, mood empathy, laughter and excitement. These expressions link to the teachers'
belief that loans develop students' sense of awe and wonder.
The emotional impact of museum loans in the classroom may play some part in the
retention of the loans and their learning context in students' long term memory.
Summary of findings:
These results are based on observations in 26 classrooms.
- · It was not possible to gauge an emotional response in 15% (4) of 26 observations
because of limited information.
- · Out of the 22 observations where it was possible to record emotional responses 68%
(15) demonstrated some sort of recognisable emotional response
- · Out of the 15 schools where emotions were visible:
4 contained a variety of spontaneous exclamations from students and teacher
3 emphasised enthusiasm while working with the objects
2 emphasised the extended concentration of the students
2 demonstrated the students fascination with certain objects
1 demonstrated negative emotions: fear of handling museum artefacts and fear of the look
of the water vole
1 demonstrated appropriate emotional responses to the mood of a print: "shivery,
gloomy, slightly sad".
1 was particularly characterised by laughter
1 was initiated by the teacher building up excitement around the mysterious contents of
the case
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| Classroom Observation: Question 52: Individual Schools |
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.
There was some emotional response visible in these 15 school observations:
1. School A: User: Primary
The main emotional response to playing with the knitted farm was laughter.
2. School B: User: Primary
There was a buzz of discussion taking place between the students about the artefacts
throughout the lesson.
3. School D: User: Primary
The children were highly focused and barely had enough time to discuss their thoughts on
each object before going on to the next one. There were also a number of exclamations from
the students in response to the loans: Student: "Oh, I know! I think I have an
idea!"
4. School E: User: Primary
There were a number of learning exclamations as well as an interesting spontaneous
discussion of the students' memories of visiting other museums that the loans inspired.
5. School F: User: Primary
The children were excited when they saw the loans. This was the first time. They started
chattering and exclaiming: "It's a plough! It's another plough! They're all
ploughs!" Every time a loan was revealed to the teacher she said "Wow!".
6. School I: User: Primary
The teacher reported that "The children were desperate to see what was in the
boxes…They loved the model of the lock…They were fascinated with the biscuit
tin."
7. School J: User: Primary
There was certainly a high level of interest in the loans. The majority of the students
faced the models the whole time, about 50% had their hands up during questions, and nearly
everyone took part in the looking and talking times.
8. School K: User: Primary
The students were very excited about the artefacts when they had the opportunity to handle
them while sitting together on the carpet.
9. School L: Non-user: Primary
The students were very enthusiastic while working with the loans. At the end of the
session one student said "Can we do this every day?" whereupon the teacher
turned to me and said "It's a hit!".
10. School N: Non-user: Primary
The teacher reported that the students had been amazed by the large shells when she got
them out.
11. School O: Non-user: Primary
There was a strong negative attitude to using the loans because they were from the museum.
In fact none of the loans were used. When the Headteacher put the water vole under perspex
on display in the front entrance, a teacher asked her to remove it because it frightened
her!
12. School S: User: Secondary
The teacher actually asked the students how the subject of one of the prints made them
feel. Here are 3 responses: Dull, sorry because he has to work at night; shivery, slightly
sad; and gloomy.
13. School W: Non-user: Secondary
The teacher commented: "That's the most interested I've seen Mohammed in ages. He was
asking questions. He usually throws his pen on the floor!" This same student had
persisted in asking what the Native American hat was made out of even though 3 other boys
were tapping their pens on his head simultaneously!
14. School X: Non-user: Secondary
When one student opened the case of Roman oil lamps he exclaimed "Wicked!".
There was a lot of "Look!" and "Look at this!" among the groups as
they showed each other what they were looking at.
15. School Z: Non-user: Primary
The teacher built up the excitement of the students to see what was in the suitcase:
Action: The teacher sat on the floor with the remaining 5 students in a small circle. A
suitcase loan was in front of her in the middle of the circle. She opened it really
quickly and shut it immediately. Teacher: "Did you see it? Did you see it?"
· There was little or no emotional response visible in these 7 school
observations:
16. School C: User: Primary
I did not witness a huge emotional response as the loans had been used by the students for
some time before I made my visit. The only emotion mentioned was when I asked a boy who
dressed up in the Edwardian swimming costume how he felt in it: "I felt stupid",
he said.
17. School G: User: Primary
I did not witness so much an emotional response but I certainly heard informed
judgements prompted by the loans that had an emotive spin to them: Student: (touching a
gas mask) "If I was Hitler I would have used gas so that I wouldn't have to rebuild
when I took over." Student: "We did about Anne Frank. Hitler hated the Jews and
the blacks. He was a total racist!"
18. School M: Non-user: Primary
Not that I was aware.
19. School Q: User: Secondary
Insofar as this was expressed in the students' artistic products.
20. School U: User: Secondary
I did not witness any emotional responses in the limited time I spent in the lesson.
21. School V: Non-user: Secondary
Not that I was aware of.
22. School Y: Non-user: Secondary
Not that I could tell.
· Other remaining 4 schools:
23. School H: User: Primary
I was not shown a whole lesson.
24. School P: Non-user: Primary
I was not shown a lesson
25. School R: User: Secondary
I was not shown a whole lesson
26. School T: User: Secondary
I was not shown a whole lesson
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