What is object-based learning?

Museum education programs are about more than just a field trip. One strategy often used in museums is object-based learning. Object-based learning can be incorporated into a variety of activities, but all have the same basic theory in common: by exploring material culture (art, artifacts, specimens, documents, etc.), people can learn about the object and its relationship to other objects, people, eras and ideas. This method of learning enables the participant to look directly at an object, be it a sculpture or painting, artifact or advertisement, primary document or ritual object, and, using a myriad of questions, discover its role and importance in our world - past, present and future. Objects are used to initiate discussion, as well as make connections to the learner’s own experiences.

There are layers of learning that can be done using each object. A learner can first take a visual inventory of the object, describing their observations of its physical characteristics. This is a practical strategy that can set a learner at ease, listing very concrete things such as colors, shapes and objects without museum provided interpretation.

When exploring an object more deeply, an infinite number of questions could be posed, for example:

1. How was it made, and by whom? And why?
2. What can we tell about the time during which it was created?
3. Would it have been created today?
4. How would it be used in a story? Or what story is the object telling?
5. How could a person today use this object?

There is as diverse a set of answers as there are questions! The discussion that an object provokes can lead to connections in a vast array to topics, including social, cultural, historic, scientific, artistic and technological subjects.

The activities and lessons incorporating object-based learning strategies are just as varied as the topics they can explore. This type of learning can be used in both museums and schools, and can become a life-long process taking place outside of regular school hours and on into adulthood.