Instructional Illusions: Ten Things in Education that Look Right but Aren’t

This is not a research article, but a summary provided by Paul Kirschner, a widely cited cognitive psychologist, highlighting 10 common instructional illusions that impact student learning:

1. The engagement illusion
2. The expertise illusion
3. The student-centred illusion
4. The transfer illusion
5. The easy-wins illusion
6. The motivation illusion
7. The discovery illusion
8. The uniqueness illusion
9. The performance illusion
10. The innovation illusion

Each of these illusions contain an element of truth that makes them appealing and enduring, but they do not have evidence to support their effectiveness in student learning. This blog post explains each of these illusions, describes why they are harmful to learning, and provides guidance for improving instruction.

Read the full post here: Kirschner, P. (2026). Instructional Illusions: Ten Things in Education that Look Right but Aren’t, KirschnerEd. https://www.kirschnered.nl/2026/03/09/instructional-illusions-ten-things-in-education-that-look-right-but-arent/