Instructional Illusions

Paul A. Kirschner is emeritus professor of educational psychology at the Open University of the Netherlands, guest professor at the Thomas More University of Applied Sciences in Belgium, and owner of kirschner-ED. He is a research fellow of the American Educational Research Association, the International Society of the Learning Sciences, and the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Science. He holds an honorary doctorate (doctor honoris causa) from Oulu University in Finland. His most recent books are How Learning Happens and How Teaching Happens.Carl Hendrick holds a PhD in education from King's College London and has taught for several years in both the state and independent sectors. He is currently a professor of evidence-informed learning and teaching at Academica University of Applied Sciences with a focus on bridging the gap between research and practice. He is co-author of What Does This Look Like in the Classroom?, How Learning Happens, and How Teaching Happens.Jim Heal is professor of evidence-informed educational leadership at Academica University of Applied Sciences. Prior to that, he worked at Deans for Impact, a US-based non-profit infusing the science of learning into educator preparation, and at Harvard's Research Schools International initiative. He earned his doctorate in educational leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and is author of How Teaching Happens and Mental Models: How Understanding the Mind Can Transform the Way You Work and Learn.

Instructional Illusions is a tremendously timely book that forensically takes apart many of the most persistent misconceptions in education today. In particular, the section on the Performance Illusion shows how the superficially plausible belief that assessments performance equates deep understanding is responsible for so much bad practice. In an age where AI can easily complete assessments, this corrective has never been more important. This is a must-read for teachers and leaders concerned with improving student learning in lasting ways.