"Cognito, ergo sum" (I think, therefore I am), coined by philosopher René Descartes, encapsulates the importance of thinking and skepticism in classroom learning, especially for history as a subject. But aside from conventional textual, oral and visual sources, the significance of tactile sensation in one's awareness of existence and learning process is often overlooked. As an important medium through which we communicate ideas and form opinion, objects could play an important role in this process. In this article, I will discuss and reflect on how objects could help the learning and teaching of history in a secondary school classroom setting in what theorists term ‘object-based learning’ (OBL). I argue that the experience of touching or feeling physical sensations is fundamental to our understanding of ourselves and our surroundings. Just as Descartes argued that thinking is inseparable from existence, I suggest that the act of touching or feeling is equally essential to our sense of being. As a mode of education which involves the active integration of objects into the learning environment, I therefore propose that we encourage and facilitate pupils to think through objects: “Palpo, ergo sum” (I touch, therefore I am).
Many times, teachers have been encouraged to partake in creative teaching strategies, or to ignite the passion for history amongst students. Stemming from my research background in anthropology, objects could offer a way for pupils to escape from texts and learn creatively. I am most interested in understanding the relationship between touching and learning; whether objects could enhance history learning and improve memory through experience. The first time I used objects in lessons was when I brought five cold-war related artefacts to the classroom to show students, who were otherwise rather demotivated and uninterested about history, how to understand the features of Cold War better. Nevertheless, for various reasons (as most teachers would find) I did not have much chance to introduce object-based learning in history. This year, I have attempted to introduce historical artefacts to pupils both during lessons and in my co-curricular activities.
Object-Based Learning in History
For history, object-based learning has a long-standing tradition: before the advent of textual records, cultural knowledge and history has always been passed down through oral tradition, supported by heirlooms and artefacts. In a classroom setting, Chatterjee et al (2015) suggests that objects can inspire, inform, engage and motivate learners at all stages of their education, more specifically in the acquisition and dissemination of subject-specific and cross-disciplinary knowledge. According to the authors, the most critical element of OBL is its multisensory basis, which involves perception, the senses, action and reaction (Chatterjee et al 2015: 4-5).
Object-based learning provides students with tangible objects to interact with, facilitating a deeper and more concrete understanding of abstract concepts. In history, for example, the concept of patronage in the Middle Ages could be taught through illustrated religious manuscripts, which shows the relationship between the patron and the artisans who produced these works of art. Through investigating the materiality and provenance of the manuscript, pupils would be able to understand how wealthy individuals or institutions commissioned works of art to demonstrate their wealth, power, and piety. With objects, pupils would find it easier to understand that patronage was not just about financial support but also about prestige and social status.
Teachers should also integrate objects into the existing curricula to ensure that learning objectives are met and that the use of objects enhances rather than detracts from the curriculum. Kolb's (1984) cycle of learning emphasises active involvement in experiences, followed by reflection, conceptualisation, problem-solving, and experimentation to gain real knowledge effectively. While objects could be the medium through which pupils could ‘experience’ history, it is imperative that teachers complete this cycle of action and reaction, such as through producing creative writing. Such object-focused creative task is useful for assessing whether students could utilise the meanings they created from objects, to build up a picture of past society from the evidence and contextual knowledge they had (Bird et al 2020: 42).
By engaging multiple senses, such as touch, sight, and sometimes even smell or sound, object-based learning also helps cater our teaching to diverse learning needs. It is particularly pertinent to SEND pupils with ASD and learning disability such as dyslexia. Words are signs and have semantic meaning behind them. Having a tangible object to explore and process before introducing new concepts and knowledge through other medium (most commonly textual sources) would help pupils attach meanings back to the semantics. In other words, these objects of reference would help pupils ‘put a name (meaning) to the face (concept/ knowledge)’. Tangible objects also ensure whole-class active involvement in the learning process, fostering curiosity, motivation, and a sense of ownership over their learning. So, with the authenticity of historical objects, carefully structured support as pupils handled the objects could create a highly inclusive and absorbing learning environment (Bird et al 2020).
Furthermore, object-based learning can enhance and diversify the way we teach core subject skills. For example, when teaching source skills in history, objects and artefacts have advantages over written sources, not because they avoid problems of literacy, but because they often carry no conscious testimony (Ashby 2017). As the objects offer no easy answer to their provenance, teachers can guide pupils to question those sources, which encourages critical thinking skills as pupils analyse and interpret objects, draw connections between them, and make conclusions based on evidence.
Potential Challenges
However, the practicality of introducing objects needs to be addressed. It is not always possible to source readily available artefacts compatible with a historical topic. To resolve this, Podesta (2012) found it useful to construct a box of laminated pictures of artefacts and shredded paper to suggest stratigraphy. The nature of the replica gives the opportunity for teachers to add or remove specific information, such as historical facts, notes from archaeologists, to construct a framework for pupils to investigate the historical objects. Although the authenticity of the objects are taken away, the action of uncovering objects as archaeologists would, compensates the sense of history.
While the teaching of object-based learning could be inconsistent over the year and time due to the availability of teachers and objects from external parties, Conway (2019:43) suggested the usefulness of investing in ‘artefact boxes’ of objects related to a historical period (e.g. Tudors). Again, the elements of the unknown and uncertainty were able to ignite the interest and curiosity among the students when they had to work out the purpose of a trencher and how a Tudor cup-and-ball game was played. This has helped to overcome negative attitudes towards the topic, as Conway (2019: 45) found that the year 7 pupils had rated ‘Tudors’ from being the most ‘boring’, least enjoyed unit, to one that students consistently rated among their top three for engagement and interest.
Another perceived challenge for using objects in teaching would be the level of historical context pupils needed to decipher the object. On this, Bird et al (2020) actually disproved the requirement of lengthy prior inputs of contextual knowledge and provenances of the sources when using objects as sources, and instead point to the importance of the uncertainty in objects which became dynamic tools for speculating and imagining about past lives. In other words, with objects in hand, teachers should not focus on the hunt for ‘right answers’ but to train pupils to use objects as sources.
Object-Based Learning In Practice
That being said, I find objects useful to as a gateway to cultivate pupils’ research interest in history. Through objects in co-curricular activities, I reminded pupils not to take established norms, historical interpretations, existing understandings as granted: they need to conduct their own research. In my ‘Museum Society’, pupils are encouraged to bring in their own artefacts: it could be any household items that they are curious about, heirlooms, or their own collections. Without much restrictions, pupils brought in all sorts of objects from fossils to coins, from cultural items to tourist souvenirs. Then, through some general and specific guiding questions, pupils are encouraged to research about the objects they presented.
Example general questions include:
· What is this object? (brief description on its material nature):
· Provenance (where did you get it from?):
· How did you get it?
· When did you get it?
· Who made and used the object?
· Why did they make the object (purpose)?
· What was the object used for?
· Is it still produced today?
· Any interesting stories about the object?
This research exercise is useful in enhancing understanding about historical context, and feeding into the curriculum that pupils are currently learning. For example, through handling to see how thin the 100-million Deutschmark (1923) was, the publisher of the League of Nations proceedings (not by the institution itself, by but a ‘support society’ in Britain), and the sheer-size of a Cold War-era model military aircraft (An-74), pupils could better piece together how historical events unfolded.
Following on the research findings, I introduced numerous historical artefacts used by alumni from our College Archives in a Year 9 lesson on First World War trench warfare. After learning about the living and combat conditions in the trenches, pupils were invited to handle a pocket bible carried by a Pte Farley, who was killed in action at the Battle of Loos in 1915. As they flicked through the pages, pupils found a picture of a woman inserted within the bible, just as Farley would have in the trenches. Many questions were asked, although few could be answered. Together with the admission register showcasing Farley’s humble backgrounds from a coaching family, his posthumously-awarded war medals, and general accounts of the Battle of Loos, pupils were encouraged to share their speculations on Farley’s wartime experience: there was no ‘right answer’. But it was the process – when pupils interact and interrogate the objects as sources – that they get inspired. As knowledge arises from interactions between experiences and constructed mental ideas (Piaget 1929), through handling these objects, pupils learnt about the brutality of war, the fragility of humanity and power of mementos. The highly personal and authentic nature of historical objects were found to be useful for giving pupils an immediate kind of connection to their historical counterparts when they touched them (cf. Bird et al 2020: 47). Pupils were all deeply touched by these objects; they give a personal touch to the history they have been learning. This haptic sense indeed reaffirmed their knowledge. The trench warfare was made ever more relevant to them than through merely reading about soldiers’ accounts and looking at photographs.
Similar to my case, the potential of objects in affording such learning experience is well demonstrated in an experimental setting, when Novak and Schwan (2021) investigate the usefulness of haptic sense (the ability to grasp something) in enhancing learning experience and outcome. The educational psychologists found that touching real objects in the learning process not only helps retaining memory, but also lead leaners to experience more intense affect because they are “touched” more deeply by the topic (2021: 658 This case study proves how the effectiveness of object-based learning could also be explained through the notion of constructivism, as cognitive development in children occurs through social interaction and practical activity (Vygotsky 1978).
Summary
The experience of touching or feeling physical sensations is fundamental to our understanding of ourselves and our surroundings. As human beings, we are naturally curious in materials and objects. It follows that naturally that our pupils always want to touch and feel the objects to understand history. Just as Descartes argued that thinking is inseparable from existence, that the act of touching or feeling is equally essential to our sense of being. I propose that as educators, we should not suppress our pupils their tactile sense, and instead should encourage and facilitate pupils to think through objects. Nevertheless, as we integrate objects into our classroom, we need to ensure the use of objects relates to and supports the overall learning objective. This learning approach should also be built into the scheme of learning to complete the learning cycle, and a smooth transition must be devised to help pupils move from conventional learning strategies (reading, writing) to activating their tactile sense. Otherwise, the power of object in lesson could not be realised and the whole exercise risks becoming a mere distraction and incoherence to pupils’ learning journeys.
References
Trapani, Barbara. 2019. Who can tell us the most about the Silk Road? In Historical Association:Historical scholarship, archaeology and evidence in Year 7. https://www.history.org.uk/publications/resource/9715/historical-scholarship-archaeology-and-evidence-i
Bird, M. Interacting with Objects and History. https://teacherlearning.org/interacting-with-objects-and-history/
Chatterjee, H.J., L. Hannan and L. Thomson. 2015. An Introduction to Object-Based Learning and Multisensory Engagement. In: H.J. Chatterjee (ed.), Engaging the Senses: Object-Based Learning in Higher Education. Abingdon: Ashgate Publishing. Pp. 1-20.
Georgia Kouseri. (2019) Eliciting Historical Thinking: The Use of Archaeological Remains in Secondary Education. Public Archaeology 18:4, pages 217-240.
Kolb, D.A. (1984). Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Urban, A. Interactive Artifacts and Stories: Design Considerations for an Object-Based Learning History Game. Tech Know Learn 28, 1803–1813 (2023).
Novak, M. and S. Schwan. (2021). Does Touching Real Objects Affect Learning? Educational Psychology Review 33: 637-665. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-020-09551-z
Podesta, E. (2012). Helping Year 7 put some flesh on Roman bones. Teaching History 149: 8-17.
Yeo, L., Samsudin, S.L., Heng, C., Sani, E.b., Sim, T.Y.H. (2021). A Case Study on the Incorporation of Museum and Artifact-Based Fieldtrips in the Teaching of Ancient Singapore History: Teacher Reflections and Student Learning. In: Sim, T.Y., Sim, H.H. (eds) Fieldwork in Humanities Education in Singapore. Studies in Singapore Education: Research, Innovation & Practice, vol 2. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-8233-2_11
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