- Reflexions on OBL
In order to produce a 20 minutes microteaching session, we were asked to refer to Wow: The power of objects in object-based learning and teaching by Dr K. Hardie. 11/2015. HEA.
Through diverse case studies, Dr K. Hardie shows that OBL (Object Based Learning) offers the possibility of active learning by engaging students visually, tactually as well as by searching into their own experiences and feelings. The learning experience become in itself a memorable experience which enhance engagement and the learning process.
OBL practice also aims to ensure student centred learning. The teacher becomes a facilitator and the objects are carefully chosen to become powerful catalysts for learning. For this activity, I wanted to fully embrace the challenge of teaching using object-based learning and to step out of my comfort zone to create a lecture on a topic I didn’t teach.
I first had the idea of doing a lecture on origami when I had a ligament restoration surgery on my thumb and was researching ways of re-educating my thumb. I discovered that origami is a pleasant activity and a therapeutic tool for hand re-education. Searching further I realised that the underlaid benefices of origami were multiple and were related in many publications by experts on the subject such as Dr Antonio Alberto de Armos who specialises in rehabilitation through paper folding or a myriad of academics as seen in the “A Bibliography of Origami in Education and Therapy” in the Further Reading section of my Lesson Plan.
My surgeon (specialised in hand and arm surgery) didn’t know about origami and its benefits. We had a fascinating conversation where (with insight) I pitched him my idea for Microteaching and origami for his patients. After that conversation, I decided to teach origami as an educational and therapeutic tool for my Microteaching session.
Working on my lesson plan using an object base learning approach lead me to two pedagogical approach:
- The activity: creating the object in origami would enable students to engage with the object and learn by doing which enhance experimental and active learning.
- The student led session: by asking learners to engage with their feelings and emotions while creating the origami frog in order to discuss in a group discussion once the object is completed.
Through the group discussion I will facilitate a critical analysis of origami’s impact on the learners’ well-being and emotions. Based on their answers, I will ask them to deduct the therapeutic benefits of origami, letting the learner learn from their own experience and by sharing and collaborating with their peers.
I will finalise the lecture by suggesting that origami can be practiced alone or in group and can increase well-being feelings, reduce stress and anxiety and improve consciousness of the here and now and by referring to my further reading section.
By sharing my own experience of origami, I am hoping to ensure a good engagement and a sense of belonging. The overall experience would insure a good learning experience and a meaningful learning outcome.
2. Peers Microteaching Feedback:
Well timed for 20 minutes exercise, great pace of explanation.
Step by step instructions were really enjoyable and helped focus on a single activity.
Really clear instructions
The pace fit with the mood and intention to highlight health and well-being benefits. Good interaction and checking in with participants throughout.
Origami – not just a surface level appreciation as demonstrated by your personal journey
Good bond going on, sharing personal journey was effective for encouraging others to engage and go for it.
3. Reflexions on Peers feedback and OBL activity:
Microteaching an OBL activity with my peers was definitively an interesting challenge as it required to scrutinise a lesson plan, its aims and learning outcomes with this specific pedagogic approach in mind.
I had specifically chosen a frog as the object we would achieve as it is a simple origami that takes only 7 minutes to make. I allocated 3 extra minutes for the making of the origami frog (10 minutes in total) to take in consideration a pace that would allow all students to follow the different folding without getting lost. I am pleased to see that one of the feedbacks is the appreciation of the pace that allowed engagement from the students and the time to immerse in the activity connected to their feelings. Indeed, only one peer got confused towards the end of the demonstration which was easily rectify by repeating the last two folding.
I had also planned to talk about the educational benefits of Origami while doing the frog. It took more than 10 minutes for the frog to be made by everybody and while doing it I felt that going through the educational benefits of Origami would have disturbed the flow and pace of doing the origami. I realised then that the students needed time to feel focused, peaceful and in the moment. So, I talked about the educational benefit of origami once the frog was finished and I was sure I had their full attention. Unfortunately, the consequence of this was that the group discussion had to be slightly shorter than the 10 minutes I had originally envisaged.
Still, the group discussion was engaged, positive and informative. Thanks to the words used by the students to describe their feelings while doing the frog; anticipation, absorbed, mindful, taking time, purposeful, positive experience, I was able to finalise the lecture, a couple of minutes late, by enumerating the areas where origami is used as a therapeutic tool. Idealistically I would have liked the students to guess these areas but lack of time made me improvised a shorter end to my lecture.
From the feedback, it seems that the group enjoyed origami and engaged with the activity and the group discussion. They brainstormed and realised that they had experienced a sense of fun, of satisfaction while being focused on the moment and the folding. They enjoyed the clear link between the task and the explanations and they gained a better understanding of origami’s educational and therapeutic benefits.
It is also interesting to notice that sharing my personal journey was an important factor for students to engaged as I had hoped. Indeed, a feedback mentions the bond created by sharing my story and other verbal feedback (please see video) expressed the feeling of wanting to be a better student to succeed with me in this activity!
Looking back, I would allow more time for the making of the object and for the learner to really experiment with it. It would have increased the perception of the feelings that the activity sparks and the group conversation would have potentially been more insightful and engaged. The topic of my lesson could have been just about the therapeutic aspect of origami’s benefice. It seems that by trying to put too much information in my lecture I didn’t optimised a learning experience that could have been more insightful.
I really enjoyed teaching origami’s benefits with an OBL approach and thanks to my peers feedback I also was able to revisite my lecture in the view to improve it. I also enjoyed the teaching of my peers such as Alejandro’s “Facing The Blank Page” (a quick way to learn to draw), Jo’s introduction to lighting, Jon’s introduction to encoding and Olivia’s introduction to design. It gave me many new ideas on how to teach with a different approach and pedagogy.