Webinar on improving instruction is coming
What can we learn on 20 May 2026 from popular psychologists about problems with teaching?
Three psychologists who are prominent on the InterTubes, Jim Heal, Carl Hendrick, and Paul Kirschner, will discuss their views of misbegotten ideas that are popular in education circles. Under the title, “Instructional Illusions: What We Get Wrong About Good Teaching,” the psychologists will discuss their 2025 book, Instructional Illusions, and its implications for teaching these days. The discussion is slated to occur from 3:00 PM to 4:15 PM online Wednesday 20 May 2026 and is available for free online (apparently via YouTube); readers may register for notifications.
The session is hosted by the policy think-tank, American Enterprise Institute, and will be hosted by Robert Pondiscio. Mr. Pondiscio, who often provides astute observations about education policy on his ‘stack, is a former teacher who writes about education policy for AEI and who is also a member of the Special Education Today community.
I do not anticipate that the discussion will veer into disabilities or special education. Those are not topics I’ve seen clearly featured in such Webinars. However, I think these folks will talk about some educational ideas that are relevant to the readers of Special Education Today.
Here’s a clipping from the announcement of the Webinar:
Many widely repeated claims about teaching, like the idea that students learn best through independent discovery, carry a surface-level plausibility but don’t withstand scrutiny. These popular claims may weaken classroom practice, distracting educators from a growing body of interdisciplinary research that’s converged on a set of best practices for K–12 teaching, such as retrieval practice, worked examples, and explicit, guided instruction.
In this webinar, AEI’s Robert Pondiscio will be joined by three education psychologists—Paul A. Kirschner, Carl Hendrick, and Jim Heal—to discuss their new book, Instructional Illusions, which identifies and refutes 10 persistent myths about teaching. They will consider where these ideas come from, why they fall short, and what the field of cognitive science offers educators who are curious about how students actually learn.
I have “registered” for and plan to watch the session. For the most part, I have admired what Professors Kirschner, Hendrick, and Heal (no substack presence?) have published about instruction in these realms, so I harbor high hopes for this opportunity to hear from them on their book tour. As a bonus for Dear Readers who watch the Webinar: You’ll likely get some hints about Professor Hendrick’s keynote presentation that is scheduled for this summer’s 52nd Direct Instruction Conference.
For more background on these psychologists and Mr. Pondiscio, see their Websites:
Although here on SET I have referred to products from AEI previously (most recently it was Rick Hess’s interview of Amber Northern), please do not infer that those references or this notice indicate that I endorse AEI’s perspectives on policies.