Does it matter? Real vs Replica Objects as Loans
GEM News: No 82: Summer 2001: p9
by Joy McAlpine: Project Manager
In 2000, I began a DfEE-funded qualitative evaluation into the learning impact of
Reading Museum & Archive Service's (RMAS) school loans. This involved the collation of
data from interviews with teachers and students as well as classroom observations. One of
the themes that became apparent was a debate over the benefits and demerits of real vs.
replica objects as loans.
The emergence of a debate
20 teachers were asked: "Does it matter educationally whether or not an object is
real or replica?" There was a clear divergence of thought on this issue: while 55%
said "Yes, it does matter educationally that an object is real" - 15% of whom
believed replicas could be useful at times, 45% said "No, it does not matter".
Finding 16
The worrying aspect behind the negative responses was a dependency on deception:
"As far as they are concerned it is real"; "The children won't know"
and "The children don't discriminate anyway", for example. One contributing
factor to this attitude may be that many of the teachers' own collections were lacking in
quality and authenticity. One school used a souvenir plant pot to illustrate the topic of
Ancient Greece.
For the teachers that did feel it mattered educationally, there was a recognition of:
the distortion of history that replicas can incur, the awe and wonder that real objects
stimulate and, conversely, the limited respect students have for replicas.
For teachers who believed that both real objects and replicas had a place, they felt
that: there was an opportunity to explain the difference between real and replica; there
was a benefit in using models for out-sized objects; and that replicas could be used
following an investigation of the original.
But these benefits are only present when the teacher makes a differentiation between
real and replica objects. In only half of the classroom lesson observations was there a
direct or indirect reference to the objects being real. For museums who send out replicas,
it is difficult to know whether this distinction would be made even if it is clear in
notes and videos.
Finding 54
The centrality of reality
However, when the teachers were asked about their motivation for ordering loans, 100% said
that the importance of learning from primary sources was the number one reason. Out of
this group, a quarter of the teachers said this was their only motivator regardless of the
influence of the national curriculum.
Finding 23
Likewise, when teachers were asked "What do students learn from the loans that
they could not have learnt in any other way?", the number one reason involved a sense
of reality in what students were learning:
"Learning from "real" things - not reading, re-enactment, from TV.
Something that's a true part of history - it was there. A true, real and tangible link
with the past." (Berkshire Teacher)
Finding 22
The second most important aspect the teachers identified was the learning generated by
the investigation of the object's material properties. It was noticeable that students
used the wear and tear on real objects to try and understand the object's use and to
imagine the object's stories.
Furthermore, 92% of the teachers in the study expected their students to touch the
objects. The importance of touch was highlighted in the reasons students gave to
preferring learning from objects as opposed to other forms of learning:
"You can touch them and see them. You actually knew they existed - you weren't
just taking the book's word." (Y6 Berkshire Student)
Finding 1, Finding 4, Finding 44 and Finding 60
The feel and smell of the original materials was linked to the emotional assurance of
that object's historical existence. Given the importance of these factors to both students
and teachers, the educational value of replicas seems low in comparison to real objects.
The last word belongs to one young entrepreneurial student who commented, "You
should make fake ones and make a business of it." What could I say? Many museums do.
For further information please explore the following findings:
Finding 16: Does it matter educationally whether or not an
object is real or a replica?
Finding 54: Was any reference made to the objects being real?
Finding 23: Why would teachers order from a loan service?
Finding 22: What do the students learn from the loans that
they could not have learned in any other way?
Finding 1: Do you let the students touch the objects?
Finding 4: (in teacher interview) Are the students expected to
touch the loans when they are on display?
Finding 44: Is there any further evidence of loans developing
handling skills or learning through handling?
Finding 60: (in classroom observation) Was there an
expectation that students would touch the objects on display?
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