Maned Wolf in the Museum: a Case Study on Learning Through Action

Newer theories of cognition, together with novel ways of interacting with computers, allow us to revisit the idea of learning through action. In this paper, we explore, in an educational context, the use of the “maned wolf” interactive artifact. The artifact promotes a learning experience about the real animal, through the action of actively exploring its digital tangible replica. Our study included 5 teachers and 15 children, who independently discovered the (not initially obvious) artifact features. We discussed the technologies involved and applied an evaluation instrument of their emotional response. Results indicate that the activity was generally well-received and that our study informs a discussion that can revisit the long-standing concept of learning through action.