Episode Overview

Podcast: New Books Network
Title: "Object-Based Learning: Exploring Museums and Collections in Education"
Guest: Thomas Kador
Host: Jen Hoyer
Date: November 12, 2025

In this episode, host Jen Hoyer interviews Dr. Thomas Kador about his book Object-Based Learning: Exploring Museums and Collections in Education (UCL Press, 2025). The conversation delves into the definition, strengths, and implementation of object-based learning (OBL), as well as its theoretical underpinnings, practical considerations, ethical complexities, and the evolving role of digital objects in educational settings. The discussion is grounded in Kador’s extensive interdisciplinary background and teaching experience.

Guest Introduction and Background

[02:07]

• Thomas Kador traces his diverse academic journey:
  • Started in chemical engineering in the mid-1990s, which taught him about working with materials but didn’t draw him to lab work.
  • Shifted to archaeology and Celtic studies, working both with ancient texts and in the field.
  • As a PhD student, became frustrated with theoretical teaching and “accidentally” discovered an unused teaching collection:
    • “I dusted down some boxes of stone axes and metal objects and so on and brought them into my tutorial groups. And from that moment... I was completely hooked on that way of teaching because there was that response to objects which was completely different, a completely different level of engagement...” [03:33]
  • Currently at UCL in an interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences department, focusing on OBL and the emerging field of Creative Health.

Defining Object-Based Learning

[06:03]

• What is OBL?

  • “In very simple terms... object based learning... is something like working with material culture in a facilitated way to enhance learning and student engagement...” [06:04]
  • OBL is not limited to artworks and artifacts—it includes documents, photographs, library items, everyday objects, and even digital materials.
  • The human connection to objects is evolutionary: “Objects kind of define us. And that’s why I think object-based learning is so powerful.” [07:42]

• Motivation for the Book:

  • Fills a gap: previously, there was “not one core text” for his OBL courses.
  • Serves two core audiences:
    • Students seeking an accessible entry point.
    • Educators searching for practical, confidence-building guidance.

Theoretical Foundations and Strengths of OBL

[10:47]

Kador identifies several major strengths and opportunities:

• Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Benefits:

  • Traditional disciplines (art history, archaeology, anthropology) rely on object study.
  • Many fields (biology, physics, geography) have grown detached from direct material engagement.
  • OBL breaks disciplinary silos: “...immediately, I think as soon as you introduce objects, learners will ask questions that break us ahead of that silo and make bigger connections with the wider world.” [12:10]

• Socially Distributed Learning:

  • Group engagement allows differing perspectives to surface and enrich understanding.
  • References Vygotsky’s idea of “socially distributed learning”: “...they don’t just learn from the activity, whatever that is, but also from each other and from each other’s perspectives.” [13:27]

• Transferable Skills:

  • Observation, analysis, annotating, note-taking, and communication skills are all fostered through OBL.

Engaging with Materiality and Object Analysis

[15:25]

• Materiality—Critical Engagement:

  • Cautions against uncritical use of the concept. Emphasizes returning to “materials and their properties.”
    • “What is the stoniness of stone, the materiality of stone?... there isn’t one materiality of most things.” [15:48]
  • Draws on Tim Ingold’s idea that “the properties of materials are the histories, right? That they are a microcosm of stories of where a thing has come from, how it has come about.” [17:14]

• Pedagogical Techniques:

  • Uses “mystery specimens”: unfamiliar objects that require students to examine materials, function, signs of use, and aging to deduce meaning.
    • “Introducing mystery specimens... what can I say about something that I’ve never seen before? And that really makes them then look at what are the materials? What is it made of? What can that tell me about it?” [18:49]

Exhibitions and Communication Through Objects

[20:45]

• Exhibition Challenges:

  • Practical aspects (mounts, lighting, display design) often overshadow conceptual considerations.
    • “Most of the debates are about those aspects... as opposed to about the conceptual elements and motivations behind the exhibition.” [21:29]
  • Advises educators to emphasize storytelling:
    • “My focus or my advice then... is to try and give as much space as possible to the conceptual part of that, to the elements involving thinking about what an exhibition should be about and what is it trying to say, rather than the practical aspects.” [21:44]

• Virtual Exhibitions:

  • Favors virtual exhibitions to prioritize narrative and information layering over logistics.

Digital Objects and Technological Change

[24:25]

• Opportunities in the Digital Space:

  • Digital objects vastly expand accessibility—physical distance or restricted collections are less of a barrier.
  • Digital surrogates are “new kinds of objects”; they are not inherently inferior to physical objects.
    • “...the importance of... the digital and how it’s not necessarily a lesser thing.” [26:10]
  • High-resolution digitization can actually reveal details inaccessible in person (e.g., medieval manuscripts, art).
    • “...there’s lots of great work being done with digitizing these manuscripts and making them available in really high resolution. And therefore what you can do with them is completely transformed compared to maybe physically accessing a copy...” [27:35]

• Choosing the Right Tool:

  • The strengths of physical vs. digital experiences are complementary, not hierarchical.
    • “It’s about finding the right tool for the purpose of what we’re trying to do, but also knowing... when we don’t need to go digital, right?” [29:45]
    • “Neither is better. They’re both great in different ways.” (Host, [30:04])

Ethics in Object-Based Learning

[30:48]

• Power Dynamics and Collection Histories:

  • The focus on ethics emerges “from below”—driven by previously marginalized communities.
    • “...there’s been a demand from communities and people who have formerly been largely excluded... like communities and citizens of formerly colonized countries, members of racialized or minoritized communities...” [30:57]
  • Most collections contain ethically problematic material; finding objects without such complications is “really difficult.”
  • Collectors and educators should be open about these complexities and use them as learning opportunities.
    • “...even though the majority of materials we might work with... are problematic from an ethical perspective, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t work with them... they can allow lots of interesting perspectives.” [32:44]
  • Material culture can offer a “safe space” for confronting and processing challenging histories.

• Human Remains:

  • Special attention to displaying and using human remains: what is taken for granted in some museum contexts can be deeply problematic.

Future Directions & Ongoing Research

[36:44]

• New Projects:
  • Collaborating on a follow-up to Helen Chatterjee’s book focusing on well-being and OBL with non-curated, ephemeral material culture.
  • Exploring “object-based approaches to food” with colleagues in Milan, looking at the materiality of food beyond just the consumer context.
  • Ongoing interest in the role of objects in facilitating mental health and well-being, as well as discussing difficult histories.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “Objects kind of define us. And that’s why I think object-based learning is so powerful.”
  —Thomas Kador, [07:42]

• “It’s about finding the right tool for the purpose of what we’re trying to do, but also knowing... when we don’t need to go digital.”
  —Thomas Kador, [29:45]

• “...working with material culture, working with objects allows, if you do it carefully and sensitively, allows us to create a relatively safe space, a safe environment where people can actively work through some of those challenges and difficulties and ethical problems.”
  —Thomas Kador, [33:31]

• “Neither is better. They’re both great in different ways.”
  —Jen Hoyer, [30:04]

Important Timestamps

• 02:07 — Kador’s academic and professional journey
• 06:03 — Defining object-based learning and the motivations for the book
• 10:47 — Strengths and learning opportunities in OBL
• 15:25 — Materiality and the analysis of objects in practice
• 20:45 — Pedagogy of exhibitions and storytelling
• 24:25 — The role and value of digital objects
• 30:48 — Ethics, institutional power, and working with difficult heritage
• 36:44 — Future research and new directions

Conclusion

Jen Hoyer thanks Thomas Kador for his insights and highlights the wide-reaching implications and applications of object-based learning. Kador’s work underscores the enduring educational, social, and ethical importance of bringing objects—physical and digital—into learning contexts and grappling with their multifaceted histories.