Object-Based Learning and Well-Being

Exploring Material Connections

Thomas Kador, Helen Chatterjee, Thomas Kador, Helen Chatterjee

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2020
• eBook ISBN: 9780429759277
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Kunst
• Subtopic: Museumswissenschaft

Object-Based Learning and Well-Being provides the first explicit analysis of the combined learning and well-being benefits of working with material culture and curated collections.

Following on from the widely acclaimed Engaging the Senses, this volume explicitly explores the connection between the value of material culture for both learning and well-being. Bringing together experts and practitioners from eight countries on four continents, the book analyses the significance of curated collections for structured cultural interventions that may bring both educational and well-being benefits. Topics covered include the role of material culture in relation to mental health; sensory impairments; and general student and teacher well-being. Contributors also consider how collections can be employed to positively address questions of identity and belonging relating to marginalisation, colonialism and forced displacement.

Object-Based Learning and Well-Being should be a key first point of reference for academics and students who are engaged in the study of object-based learning, museums, heritage, health and well-being. The book will be of particular interest to practitioners working in higher education, or those working in the cultural, heritage, museums and health sectors.

1

Object-based learning and object-based well-being

An introduction

Helen J. Chatterjee and Thomas Kador

The term ‘object-based learning’ has been used to describe multisensory engagement with museum collections for the acquisition and dissemination of subject specific and cross disciplinary knowledge, observational, practical and other transferable skills (Chatterjee, et al., 2015). In Engaging the Senses Chatterjee and Hannan (2015) use the term ‘object’ to include any item such as a specimen, artefact, artwork, manuscript, rare book or archival item; indeed all objects that could be classed as material culture or cultural heritage. The volume describes the applications and processes by which students and staff at higher education institutions interact with objects via multisensory engagement (Chatterjee and Hannan, 2015). Here, we expand the term object-based learning to objects beyond those found in cultural institutions – such as museums, libraries and archives – to include natural heritage such as parks, gardens, forests, natural and cultural heritage sites.

This expansion of the term ‘object’ is in line with a wider concept of the word to describe any material that can be seen, touched or experienced, including trees (or parts of trees), rivers and larger spaces or sites, in which object interactions can be explored. In this volume the variety of objects explored is as broad as the contexts in which they have been applied. Focusing on adult formal and informal learning, the volume explores the interconnections between learning and well-being, where objects are at the heart of the intersection, thus extending object-based learning to object-based well-being.

Object-based well-being is a new concept explored for the first time in this volume. Given the association with object-based learning, object-based well-being can be described as multisensory engagement with objects for improved well-being. The exact nature of this engagement and the type of well-being outcomes elicited from object engagements, will be explored here by examining different practices where object interactions have been shown to affect well-being, either directly or indirectly. To this end, the volume offers a potentially new source of support to improve well-being amongst learners, by offering ideas, activities and programmes which have been shown to enhance well-being via active, experiential participation on the part of the learner.

To explore the extension from object-based learning to object-based well-being we have brought together authors from a variety of backgrounds, academic and cultural institutions. This diversity in contributions and that of the contributors, not only in terms of their disciplinary or professional backgrounds but also concerning the geographical reach of the volume, is vital in this context. While the majority of chapters are written by researchers and practitioners active in Europe, including perspectives from Australia and North America (especially Canada) allows us to question Eurocentric notions of well-being and explore how the concept is perceived in other cultural settings.

Interconnections between objects, learning and well-being

Central to the themes covered in this volume is the notion that learners employ a variety of strategies when learning, and that object-based learning can be explained using a variety of well-known concepts, which will not be repeated here but can be summarised as follows:

• active and experiential learning (Dewey, 1899; Piaget, 1929; Kolb, 1984; Coles 2004);
• the knowledge continuum, including ideas of constructivism whereby learners construct knowledge based on their own experience (Piaget, 1929; Hein, 1998; Falk and Dierking, 2000);
• socially distributed learning whereby deeper cognitive engagement can be brought about when learning is undertaken socially (Vygotsky, 1978) and, further, when meaning-making is co-constructed in a social situation the group knows more than the individual (Rowe, 2002);
• somatic and embodied learning, which involves perception and the senses in knowledge acquisition (Matthews, 1998);
• emotional or affective touch, which posits that touch goes beyond sensory feedback to include emotional, or affective, responses to objects (Critchley, 2008; McGlone, 2008);
• and, complete immersion of affective domains, including feelings, attitudes and emotions, leading to complete focus and in turn enhanced learning or performance, described as flow (Csíkszentmihályi, 1988).

It should be noted that this summary provides examples of just some of the theories of learning which are relevant here, and is by no means restricted to these ideas or author contributions; for a wider discussion see Chatterjee et al. (2015).

The interconnections between objects and well-being are similarly built upon a range of theoretical underpinnings notably Object Relations Theory (Greenberg and Mitchell, 1983), transitional objects (Winnicott, 1953) and emotional touch (Critchley, 2008; McGlone, 2008), to name but a few (for a more detailed review see Solway, et al., 2015a). More recently, Cowan et al. (2020) have encapsulated notions of object interactions and psychotherapy within a new theory termed Psychotherapeutic Object Dynamics. This approach draws together a number of disciplines to explore the relationship between museum objects, health and well-being, and builds upon previous research on museum objects, object handling and well-being undertaken in hospital settings, care homes, day centres and museums (e.g. Camic, 2010; Camic, et al., 2011; Chatterjee, 2008; Chatterjee and Noble, 2013; Froggett and Trustram, 2014; Lanceley, et al., 2011; Silverman, 2002; Todd, et al., 2017; Thomson and Chatterjee, 2014; Thomson, et al., 2012a,b; Solway, et al., 2015b). In Museum Objects, Health and Healing, Cowan et al. (2020) present a series of thought-provoking arguments for the psychotherapeutic role of object interactions via a series of case studies derived from their interactions in a number of settings (including nature and museums). At the root of their new theory they argue that ‘one overarching and resounding theme has emerged: the humanity of our shared experiences in interpretation, relationship, and connection.’ (ibid., p.198). These ideas are further explored within a clinical framework in Coles and Jury’s Art Therapy in Museums and Galleries (2020). For the first time, this volume draws together emergent thinking and practice around the growing relationship between art therapists and museums. The timely volume brings together a range of novel ideas, critical thinking and good practice, exemplifying the untapped potential of museums, including their collections and spaces, to support professional therapeutic practice. Art Therapy in Museums and Galleries (2020) is the first step to realising the multifarious benefits of a closer alignment between museums and art therapy, and critically appraises the therapeutic benefits of object engagement, creative practice and art making to augment psychological well-being. The aforementioned notions speak to the multisensory nature of object interactions both in terms of people’s relationship with the object, but also with each other via the object’s capacity to provoke, stimulate, inspire and act as a conduit for emotions, ideas, meaning-making, self-exploration and creativity; all of which are vital aspects of human well-being.

Well-being has also been conceptualised in a multitude of ways, so its meaning and definition will not be examined critically here. Well-being has traditionally been understood separately from health, yet the World Health Organisation (WHO) defines health as ‘a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’ (WHO, 1948). This is consistent with the biopsychosocial model of health, which incorporates physiological, psychological and social factors as opposed to simply the absence of illness or disease. This has led to a recognition that an individual’s life circumstances, social values and experiences are also important components of well-being, and in turn led to a revised concept of well-being which is about ‘feeling good and functioning well’ (New Economics Foundation, 2008). This broader definition encompasses feelings of happiness, contentment, enjoyment, curiosity and engagement, which are characteristic of someone who has a positive experience of their life. Of equal importance are positive relationships, having control over one’s life and having a sense of purpose. The New Economics Foundation’s Five Ways to Well-being (Connect; Be active; Take notice; Keep learning; Give) has received critical acclaim and widespread adoption (ibid., 2008). Of relevance here is the direct link made between well-being and learning, a link which will be revisited throughout this volume.

Previous research has shown that learning amongst adults can have a range of benefits to well-being, including facilitating social contact, developing purpose and enabling progression, but how and what is learned is also important (What Works Wellbeing, 2017). In their Adult Learning and Evidence Review, What Works Wellbeing (an independent UK-based organisation set up to produce evidence on well-being) found that both the learning environment and what and how people learn affects their well-being. This includes so-called ‘hard’ outcomes, such as a formal qualification, and soft learning outcomes, like improved self-confidence or social relations – both of which were found to be linked to well-being (Ibid., 2017). The What Works Wellbeing evidence review featured a randomised control trial that found that adults undergoing treatment for depression experienced an improvement in their symptoms when their treatment included literacy training (Weiss, et al., 2006). Lifelong learning has also been associated with healthy ageing, with evidence for associations with improved psychological well-being (Narushima, et al., 2016) and cognition – for example, using brain training games (Al-Thaqib, et al., 2018).

Notwithstanding the aforementioned associations between adult leaning and mental health, it is notable that one of the fastest growing areas of mental ill-health is experienced amongst higher education students and young people aged 16–24 (Thorley, 2017). Thorley (2017) asserted that students are at increased risk of poorer mental health and well-being due to academic, financial and social pressures, and that this is exemplified by an increase in the number of students seeking university psychological support. The UK Government’s Mental Health of Children and Young People in England report (2017) found a similar trend, with an increase in emotional disorders (including anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, mania and bipolar affective disorder) in 5 to 15 year olds: up from 4.3% in 1999 and 3.9% in 2004 to 5.8% by 2017. This rise in young people’s mental ill-health is a worrying trend for those young people in formal education and for the schools, colleges and universities providing such education; there is therefore increased recognition that educational organisations need to do more to address student needs (Thorley, 2017).

From object-based learning to object-based well-being

Whilst there is growing evidence of associations between informal or adult learning and well-being this is still an under-explored area of research, particularly in relation to cultural engagement, of which learning is an important component. Given the above associations with formal, higher educat...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• List of Figures
• List of Tables
• List of Contributors
• 1 Object-based learning and object-based well-being: An introduction
• 2 Pedagogic Prescription: Art and design teaching practice and object-led well-being
• 3 Challenging the self in the museum: Examining the development of professional identity and professional well-being for clinical students
• 4 Inclusive memory: How to promote social inclusion, well-being and critical thinking skills within a museum context
• 5 Indigenous art in higher education: ‘Palpable history’ as a decolonising strategy for enhancing reconciliation and well-being
• 6 The Sq’éwlets Youth Origins Experience: Providing tangible and intangible experiences of ancestral places and belongings in supporting wellness among Indigenous youth and community
• 7 The role of museums, collections, and objects in supporting higher education student mental well-being and quality of learning
• 8 Art Psychotherapy contemporary practice and training: Objects and materiality
• 9 The happy teacher: A critical examination of the joys of object-based learning and teaching in higher education
• 10 Experiential and object-based learning in nature
• 11 Getting to grips with difficult histories in medical museums
• 12 Preserved Heritage: Stories and objects for mental health patients
• 13 Embedding museum objects in patient care: Object-based learning training for mental health professionals
• Index