OBJECT BASED LEARNING

Shifting Paths: Film Showing and Object Based Learning Workshop

“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” - Confucius

We offer a film showing and workshop for youth and or adults using Object Based Learning (OBL) to engage viewers in learning and sharing stories relevant to Jewish and Immigrant History.

Background on Object Based Learning (OBL)

Object-Based Learning (OBL) is an educational approach that centers around using tangible items, such as artworks, artifacts, and archival materials, to foster active engagement and critical thinking. By focusing on physical objects, OBL creates opportunities for deep observation and reflection, bridging the gap between the past and present.

The inherent stories and histories that objects carry make them powerful tools for stimulating curiosity and evoking emotional connections. This approach enhances retention of knowledge and facilitates social learning, allowing individuals to share personal experiences and insights. The proposed workshop incorporates a combination of the film viewing and direct interaction with related artifacts, promoting a multi-generational dialogue around history and personal narrative.

In the context of OBL, participants can examine items that have historical significance—such as materials banned by the Nazis that were preserved by families—inviting questions about memory, preservation, and identity. This tactile interaction reinforces learning, as participants realize their proximity to the creators of the objects they handle.

The underlying principles of OBL encourage wonder and curiosity, enhancing observation skills and focused attention. By linking the viewing of films with the handling of relevant objects, OBL transforms discussions into deeper reflections, fostering a lasting relationship with the material that aids memory retention. Overall, OBL not only enriches educational experiences but also strengthens personal and communal connections to history.

Depending on the goals of the sponsor, we can also use the film as jumping off point for audience members to share their own old family objects focusing more on oral history and personal objects. The film can thus promote multi-generational sharing among families.

Planning a Workshop

Here are a few steps to consider when incorporating object-based learning into a film showing:

Audience: Do you want the film to be used with a) youth, b) adults, c) mixed age audiences, and or d) youth and adult family member together? Is the screening/workshop part of an open invitation to attend or targeted to a group as part of an education program? Note: We can do more than one showing and have different offerings with the film to make the most of the director’s visit.
Assess learning outcomes and goals: If this is for youth, what core concepts do you want viewers to conceptualize and explore? What tasks (problem-solving, peer-to-peer interaction, abstract thinking, etc.) do you want viewers to experience in order to engage in deeper learning through the workshop? Do you want the film to be a connector to objects viewers possess and can share or do you want the workshop to be based on objects directly connected to the film, or both? If the workshop uses objects from home, we can discuss the guidance given to participants in the selection of items to bring to the showing. What curriculum will youth participants have before a showing and what comes next in their education?
Select suitable object(s): Which object(s) would be most effective in accomplishing your learning goals? It is important that the objects are intriguing as they will become the central focus for workshop participants to construct knowledge and meaning. When selecting objects the following is considered: How has the object been re-contextualized in regards to where it is located and how it is organized? Has the object has been damaged or de-contextualized? How can the object be safely passed around or shared with a learning partner?
Methods for engagement and venue: Ensure objects are ready to be shown/held after the viewing and a plan for care is in place. How will participants interact with the object? OBL encourages participants to learn through close observations, tactile experiences, and inquiry. The set up of the room will imply different strategies of facilitation and movement ranging from small group work to turn and talk with the person around you.
Time Management: How much time can be available for the screening and workshop? Will there be a break and any drink or snacks? Work on a draft schedule including: a) introduction, b) film, c) q and a, d) break and e) object based learning workshop.

Note: Sponsors can also have a showing with a shorter Q&A session. We also talk about timing for the workshop and viewing.

Feedback and Evaluation: Do you want any post workshop survey to solicit feedback? Feedback can be done in person and verbally, in person with a survey, and or a post event survey.
Showing and Workshop Fee. We finally discuss resources to support the program and what honorarium is possible to support travel and showing fees.

Please Reach Out to Schedule a Planning Call with Charles Abelmann, Director Shifting Paths email: cabelmann@gmail.com ph. 202-251-6984

Attachment A: Worksheet: Working with Objects

Note: History is recorded through objects our ancestors made and used. How might we use these artifacts to understand more about a culture’s art and society? How can objects help us understand ourselves better?

Follow these steps:

Describe: What do you see (colors, shapes, designs, material, patterns)? What draws your attention?
Analyze: What conclusions about the object can you draw from what you see? How would it have been designed, made and distributed? What do you imagine its purpose?
Interpret: Why do you think this object might be special or important? What do you understand to be the object’s purpose and significance? What else does the object tell us? Why is it important to preserve or why do you think it is valued? What story can you tell about the object based on what you know or imagine?

Attachment B: OBL Outcomes and Pedagogical Underpinning, OBL Supports

Problem Solving: Participants solve problems that are set based on the object. What is this object? What materials or techniques were used to create it? Who created the object? Which context does the object come from? What is its function?
Questioning: Objects can be used to encourage participants to develop their own questions of inquiry. Workshop participants can also learn to develop strategies for answering those questions. Participants can also use the object to compare with other objects.
Peer-to-peer interaction: Objects can be used as a focal point and a catalyst for conversation. OBL allows participants to work cooperatively, share their learning with peers, and build their knowledge by learning from others.
Abstract Thinking: In this scenario, the object lacks connections to real-world applications, but becomes a focus for engagement in learning, especially in a social setting.
Creative Expression: Objects can also be used to inspire other creative endeavors, from developing new artistic work in visual art, music, writing, or dance--to thinking about innovation and creativity in other endeavors.
Memory: By talking about one’s own objects, memories are preserved and shared.

The theoretical framework informing workshop design using object-based learning is Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle (Chatterjee & Hannan, 2015).

Participants are more likely to gain and construct new knowledge, when they participate in, reflect on, and analyze an experience to then learn and actively apply the new knowledge gained to the world around them, resulting in newer experiences. Depending on the situation or environment that OBL takes place in, participants can enter the learning cycle at different points. The film showing and workshop are designed to apply all four parts of the cycle to have impactful learning experiences.