This case study by Willcocks and Mahon draws on data collected from students who participated in online workshops aimed to foster a “critical awareness of the connections between colonialism and the climate crisis” (2023, p.188) by examining 18th- and 19th-century botanical drawings from the CSM Collection. They analysed “153 end-of-unit feedback forms and 25 reflective journals, which detailed students’ learning experiences” (Willcocks and Mahon, 2023, p.188).
As someone who taught online during lockdown and continues to use digital teaching tools, I was interested in understanding the effectiveness of this process. I wanted to know which digital tools were employed, how the sessions were delivered, the challenges and benefits encountered, and, as Willcocks and Mahon put it, “whether experiential pedagogies can be successfully translated for delivery online” (2023, p.188).
The students were asked to research climate and social issues in the geographical location of the plants in the paintings. To build upon their critical thinking, further questions were asked such as who painted them, what motived them and who was the consumer for the work. Questions that led the students to dig deeper into the meaning of these botanical paintings and the current impact of their historical context.
TED talks, podcasts and academic articles were shared with the students, as well as talks, group discussions and activities on Teams. Padlet was used for uploading information and creating an interactive map that all students could add to. It was noted that information was made more accessible for all, including neurodiverse students. Although they did not go into detail as to what exactly, which would have been interesting to know.
Forty-nine “students described gaining new perspectives on colonialism or making links between colonial and neo-colonial practices” (Willcocks & Mahon, 2023, p.198). Thirteen, described feeling confused throughout” or “a sense of ‘disconnection’”(Willcocks & Mahon, 2023, p.198). A smaller number of students mentioned other issues such as “the importance of face-to face contact – of body language or lip reading – to effective communication” (Willcocks & Mahon, 2023, p.198). Feedback that is not uncommon when teaching online, so I wasn’t surprised of these findings.
Wilcocks and Mahon, concluded that “online object-based learning activities allows students to challenge and potentially reframe their thinking for more diverse understandings, approaches and actions” (2023, p.200). The project seems to have been largely effective in its goal of getting a group of students to reflect on how colonialism has affected the environment through object-based learning.
Although I did not get a better insight on digital tools for online teaching as intended, I did learn of object-based learning, first explored in a museum context by Scott G. Paris who coined it as a distinct academic discipline in his book, Perspectives on Object-Centered Learning in Museums. I was aware of this as a practise, but not what it was called or of the research behind it. Which I intend on researching more and am thinking of ways to implement it in my teaching practice in future, as a way of exploring topics that are challenging to teach such as sustainability.
References
Willcocks, J. and Mahon, K. (2023) ‘The potential of online object-based learning activities to support the teaching of intersectional environmentalism in art and design higher education’, Art, Design & Communication in Higher Education, 22(2), pp. 187–207. doi:10.1386/adch_00074_1. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1386/adch_00074_1 [5th January 2024].