Old Tools New Uses - Learning Resources
The STICK Toolbox- an Introduction
Handling real historical artefacts and other material provides learners with the opportunity to learn from first-hand experiences. This allows the learner to use all their senses to investigate and analyse information. The STICK Toolbox activities offer opportunities for group work and learning in a social context. The STICK Toolbox learning activities are designed to enhance, enrich and extend learners knowledge and understanding through active hands-on learning activities that bring history to life and offer opportunities for developing thinking, creativity and communication skills.
The Toolbox learning resource has a series of activities using toolboxes exploring the theme of hand-tools, sewing machings and typewriters.
The STICK Toolbox activities can be undertaken in school or at a museum and will be enhanced by a visit to see the collections in one of the museums participating in the project.
Learning from Artefacts
Through the activities contained in the STICK Toolbox Handbook pupils will learn about museums and their purpose, the role of curators and the importance of collections and archives. There are opportunities for numeracy and literacy and the opportunity to take a creative approach to learning about objects and their usage. The STICK Toolbox activities emphasise the unique experience of learning from artefacts.
The STICK Tools Toolbox & Learning Resource
The STICK Tools Toolbox and learning resource contains a handling collection of hand-tools from the participating museums’ collections with a number of learning activities focusing on investigating hand tools and their uses. The toolbox methodology can be used to explore the work and life of joiners and carpenters, cobblers and engineers through the tools they used in their work. Where possible we have included film, images and documentation from archive material. The toolbox is supported by a collection of modern tools which can be used for comparison with the artefacts contained in the box or they can be used for practical woodworking activities.
Resources
- Introduction
- Box Contents
- Pictures of Tools
- Glossary
- Record Sheet 1
- Record Sheet 2
- Question Sheet 3
- Question Sheet 4
- Plant Ideas & Braintstorming
- Making a Fact File
- Tools for Self Reliance
- Tools We Need
- Tinkering Table
- Craftspeople
- Plant ID
- Making Labels
- Plant Spending
Video Resources on Tools
As part of the project several films have been made and are available to watch via youtube.
The STICK Sewing Machine Toolbox & Learning Resource
The STICK Sewing Machine Toolbox & learning resource contains a handling collection of sewing machines and artefacts with a number of learning activities focusing on the role of museums and the work of curators. You could carry out this activity with a collection of artefacts linked to sewing machines from local sources. The resource can be used to explore the work and life of seamstresses and tailors through the machines and materials they used in their work.
Resources
- Introduction (The Classroom Machine Museum)
- Box Contents
- Record Sheet 1
- Record Sheet 2
- Question Sheet 3
- Question Sheet 4
- Patterns
- Recycled Clothes
- Cross Stitch 1
- Cross Stitch 2
- Third World Poverty
- Quality Control
- Notelet 1
- Notelet 2
- Workaid
- Evaluating
Video Resources for Sewing
- Winding the bobbin
- Running stitch
- Inside a sewing machine
- How to sew
- Herring bone stitch
- Cross stitch
- Back stitch
The STICK Typewriter Toolbox & Learning Resource
The activities in the Typewriter Toolbox & learning resource are designed to support the typewriter loan box. Some of the activities can be used as free standing activities such as 'Writing and Sending a letter'. The activities are cross curricular and intended as practical hands on activities which support learning about typewriters, printing and handwriting.
Resources
- Introduction
- Box Contents
- The Story of Print
- Caxton Factfile
- Why QWERTY?
- QWERTY Keyboard
- Letter Counter
- Be a Keyboard
- Design a Font 1
- Design a Font 2
- Font Examples
- Calligraphy
- Writing a Letter 1
- Writing a Letter 2
- Writing a Letter 3
Video Resource for Typewriters
The Toolbox's Learning Rationale and CfE
The toolbox has been developed to work with the Curriculum for Excellence and encourage active learning.
Curriculum for Excellence
The Toolbox meets the requirements of elements of the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE). Key Learning Experiences and Outcomes from CfE [ Social Studies and Technologies]
- Technology through the design, function and use of tools
- Social studies through sources and evidence, human activity and enterprise
- Where relevant link scientific and mathematical principles to tools
- Ensure literacy is an important element of learning programmes where possible
- Encourage the development of thinking skills through the learning activities, tasks and challenges
- Developing an understanding of values, beliefs and cultures
- Understanding that work requires skills and knowledge based on practical and intellectual abilities.
The Toolbox activities can be the starting point for a visit to a museum or historic site.
The Learning Rationale for the Toolbox Resource
Our intention is that students should not be passive observers but actively engaged and motivated to learn. Best practice in all learning activity using artefacts will provide learners with opportunities to:
- Engage in dialogue and ask questions
- Use a variety of senses
- Develop their own learning experiences and draw their own conclusions
- Relate new learning to their prior experience or knowledge
- Encounter, observe and investigate real, authentic objects or specimens
- Promoting the social nature of learning
The Toolbox learning activities develop critical thinking skills. It is the kind of thinking involved in problem solving and decision-making. The learner:
- Asks pertinent questions
- Assesses statements and arguments
- Is able to admit a lack of understanding or information
- Has a sense of curiosity
- Is interested in finding new solutions
- Is able to clearly define a set of criteria for analysing ideas
- Is willing to examine beliefs, assumptions, and opinions and weigh them against facts
- Listens carefully to others and is able to give feedback
- Sees that critical thinking is a lifelong process of self-assessment
- Suspends judgment until all facts have been gathered and considered
- Looks for evidence to support assumption and beliefs
- Is able to adjust opinions when new facts are found
- Looks for proof
- Examines problems closely Is able to reject information that is incorrect or irrelevant
- Contain open-ended questions
- Are connected to specific school curricula
Source Ferrett S Peak Performance [1997]
The Learning activities in the Toolbox encourages questioning as an important aspect of learning. Questions should encourage accurate observation so students can:
- Describe
- Compare
- Reach conclusions
- Extract information
- Extract evidence
They should be open-ended and enquiry-based probably starting with Why?, Who?, What?, Where?, When? and How?
Obviously the format of the questions will need to change according to whether an object, image or document is being studied.