"I think of the book as an inspirational guide for museum educators, teachers, interpreters and anyone else who wants to work with the learning potential of objects."
This is a book about wonderful things. And the learning potential of objects - whether they're rare artefacts in museum collections, or found objects discovered at your local car boot sale. This book grows from the simple fact that learning by engaging with objects can be a powerful experience. Whether you're a museum or gallery professional, a schoolteacher, an interpreter, or simply intrigued by this method of teaching, there will be something here for you.
Wonderful Things is packed with bright and tested ideas - often in the form of games - which will help people of all ages relate to, understand and explore museum objects.
What's in the book?
After an exploration of the process of learning from objects, the book puts these principles into practice, in the form of over 50 easy-to-set-up games, designed to facilitate creative interaction with objects. Although in themselves straightforward, many of the games can have surprisingly powerful and stimulating results, impacts and implications. Each game has been tested out and refined in practice many times, and guidance is provided to ensure each game both runs smoothly and provides the best possible learning outcomes.
All the games are ideal for use in classroom or museum settings, and most are easily adapted for use with all educational ages, from 5 - 18. However, some can also successfully facilitate interaction with with adults; and the more complex, drama-based games have been used in psychotherapeutic work and with older people for reminiscence.
Wonderful Things is designed for use with a wide range of specialist staff - including educators, interpretors, designers, curators, gallery "explainers", guides and volunteers - in museums, galleries, science centres, historic houses and sites, parks, and zoos.
Praise for Wonderful Things
"A practical combination of inspired ideas tempered with practical experience. The holistic approach is refreshing and anyone working with artefacts should find this an indispensible read. I thoroughly enjoyed Wonderful Things!"
Kate Osborne, Learning & Skills Officer,
Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter, UK
"I want to congratulate you - this is a wonderful book and I'll use it and recommend it to any museum I'm working with! It goes much further than others available, and the practical suggestions are great - refreshing and playful. Sometimes educational books can be far too worthy and serious. Made my day!" Robin Clutterbuck, Museum Learning Consultant, White Rook Projects.
Join these leading international organisations...
...who have already placed their orders: Britten-Pears Foundation (UK), Frick Art & Historical Center (USA), Institut für Museumsforschung (Germany), Irish Heritage Trust, Manchester Museum (UK), Musée Olympique (Switzerland), Museum of New Zealand, Museums Sheffield (UK), National Gallery of Art (USA), National Museum Wales, Smithsonian American Art Museum (USA), SS Great Britain (UK)…
About the author
Julian Vayne works as a museum educator in the South-West of England and is a passionate advocate of object-based learning. His Museum Think Tank project brought together museum objects and cutting-edge interactive film, winning a major award in 2008. He was also a key contributor to the 2011 award-winning Sex and History project with Exeter University and The Royal Albert Memorial Museum. Introducing mindfulness practice into museums and using collections to support well-being and mental health is a major focus in his work - but he equally enjoys being the man from the museum who gets to show cool stuff to groups of schoolkids.
Publication contents
Learning from Objects
- Getting hold of wonderful things
- Care of collections
- Getting real
- Learning
- Curriculum
- Performance
- Presentation skills
- Planning your session
- Using the space
- Slowing down
- Working with people
- Stories
- Experiences
- Games
Fifty-one Games to Play
- Find a Family
- Guess What!
- Translations in Time
- Time Teams
- Artyfacts
- Practical Joker
- Mime Time
- Get the Picture
- That's My Object!
- Just a Minute
- Twenty Questions
- Freeze Frame
- The Name Game
- Labelling
- Riddle in the Middle
- History Mysteries
- Commercial Break
- The Balloon Debate
- What Next?
- Discovery Diary
- Speaking as the Object
- Connected Tales
- Crossword Clues
- Anagram
- Size Matters
- X Marks The Spot
- Make Me An Object!
- Close Up
- Info Centre
- Vital Statistics
- Letter Rack
- Filling in the Fragments
- Call My Bluff
- Values and Status
- Back to the Future
- Feely Bags
- Kim's Game Variations
- Giant Drawing
- Martian Game
- A Case of Mystery
- Grave Goods
- Cultures of Meaning
- Makers' Marks
- Rapid-fire Research
- Special Powers
- Sounds of Discovery
- Reuse, Recycle
- Love It or hate It
- Designed for Life
- Sounding the Past
- Visions and Voices
Object-specific Games
Giving Objects a Context
Think Tank
Afterward
Want copies of the book to share with, inform and inspire your team, or to share with schools? Choose our 5-Pack or 20-Pack editions, for great discounts and free shipping!
Publication details
Title: Wonderful Things - Learning with Museum Objects
Author: Julian Vayne
ISBN: 978-1-907697-44-9 [paperback] | 978-1-907697-45-6 [hardback]
Pages: 194
Price: £26.95 [paperback] | £69.95 [hardback] | £95 [5-pack] | £395 [20-pack]
Publisher: MuseumsEtc
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