Exploring the Impact of Object Biographies for Second Language Learning in a Sports Museum Setting. The Case of the YMCA Basketball Museum in Thessaloniki, Greece

As museums promote more integrated learning as part of their engagement and education programs, this paper explores an idea for an object biography-based learning methodology for second language acquisition in a museum setting. The case study presented here was part of the Erasmus+ Finds Stories project and took place at the YMCA Basketball Museum in Thessaloniki, Greece. Students were taught a certain number of English words as part of a museum workshop, with activities based on the museum’s objects. The analysis of the student evaluation showcased significant student engagement with the learning process and vocabulary development across the cohort. Object biographies and creative arts proved important mediators for engagement levels and enhanced the educational experience.