If there’s something you really want to believe, that’s what you should question the most.
Penn Jillette (Penn & Teller)

So. I’ve started work on my next book, provisionally (and provocatively) entitled, Why Everything You’ve Been Told About Teaching Is Wrong. Contrary to expectations I want to make is fair-minded and as lacking in ideological slant as I’m able.

To achieve this I need your help.

The chapter I’m currently writing is on cognitive bias, and I’d really like to use some examples of the sorts of blinkered thinking which we can be drawn into in schools. Obviously I’ve got lots of examples from my own experience, but I’d really like to interview as wide a range of education professionals as possible to get as wide a variety of case studies as I can.

I’m particularly looking for examples of the following:

  • Confirmation bias – the fact that we seek out only that which confirms what we already believe
  • The Illusion of Asymmetric Insight – the belief that  our perceptions of others are more accurate and insightful than their perceptions of us. This asymmetry becomes more pronounced when we are part of a group.
  • The Backfire Effect – the fact that when confronted with evidence contrary to our beliefs we will rationalise our mistakes even more strongly
  • Sunk Cost Fallacy – the irrational response to having wasted time effort or money: I’ve committed this much, so I must continue or it will have been a waste.
  • The Anchoring Effect – the fact that we are incredibly suggestible and base our decisions and beliefs on what we have been told, whether or not it makes sense.

There are a hell of a lot of other biases we use to protect ourselves from seeing that we’re mistaken and I’d be equally pleased to have stories which related to any of these.

Here are the chapter headings I’m currently going with:

  • Don’t trust your gut
  • The Problem with Progress
  • What is Learning?
  • On Memory
  • Deliberately Difficult
  • Easy vs Hard
  • When the going gets tough, the tough get going
  • What is metacognition and can we teach it?
  • What is the power of feedback?
  • Why AfL might be wrong
  • Why lesson observation doesn’t work
  • The Cult of Outstanding™

If you have strong views about any of these, I’d love to hear from you.

If you’d be up for being interviewed, please let me know in the comments and I’ll get in touch. I’m happy to anonymise the information I get and will guarantee that no details will be revealed without permission.

I’d be particularly interested in hearing from people who disagree with me.

Much appreciated.