Object loans across cultures through time
The Outreach Collection is a loan service of original and replica objects that are supplied by Kent County Council to schools and other educational establishments. As part of the Arts and Libraries Department the service supplies original objects, high quality models and replicas covering the history, natural history and development both of Kent and of the wider world. The collections are used extensively by the whole educational spectrum from Nursery to the University of the 3rd Age.
There are two types of loan, standard and large. Standard loans are offered on a half-termly basis and contain boxes of one or several objects. Large loans are room sized settings and are usually loaned for up to 10 working days. These include a Victorian Parlour and an air raid shelter. All loans are delivered and collected as part of the service.
For teachers the collections provide an extensive range of sources of verification, information and inspiration on a whole range of topics. By linking the collections with the curriculum and using support materials such as those published by English Heritage there are no shortage of exciting things for pupils to learn and do using the loan objects. The loans services aim to:
- show how the ability to interpret objects aids our understanding of the world
- show that specialist knowledge is not essential to learn from objects
- help teachers to make use of objects in the classroom
- make objects central to the curriculum and not simply classroom decorations
- show cross-curricular applications and teaching techniques
Where possible the objects from the Outreach Collection can be freely handled by children and students. This use of objects in class can help pupils understand the present, especially the importance of technology. It can also stimulate an understanding of other times and cultures in a very direct and tangible way. Perhaps the most important aspect of using objects is the motivation it inspires in the pupils and students. It is one thing to read about ancient Egypt, it is quite another experience to handle goods produced and used by the Egyptians themselves, three thousand years ago.
The objects in the Outreach Collection can be used very effectively by teachers with pupils of a whole range of abilities. Children with special learning difficulties are often able to relate to objects more effectively than with the written word and illustrations especially when they are able to handle the objects in their own time. Developing the ability to recognise, identify, observe and record are some of the vital skills that can be developed using the loans collections. These skills linked with different fields of knowledge can really help children to understand more clearly the difficult concepts of chronology, change, continuity, development, progress and culture.
The Outreach Collection is managed by Peter Divald and really does offer ‘a close encounter with the real thing’. The range of history material provided by the Collection covers pre-history through to 20th Century with some particularly interesting Roman material from Kent. The natural history objects include birds and mammals. For further information and details of the objects that are available for loan please contact:
Peter Divald
The Outreach Collection
KCC Arts & Libraries, Gibson Drive, Kings Hill, West Malling
Kent. ME20 4AL Tel: 01622 605226