Clark Quinn Debunks Persistent Learning Myths in New Book

Superstitions, urban legends, and misconceptions exist inevery field, including learning. Industry pundit Clark Quinn addresses thesecontroversies in his latest book, Millennials, Goldfish & Other TrainingMisconceptions: Debunking Learning Myths and Superstitions (ATD Press,2018). Quinn sets the record straight for instructional designers and learningprofessionals by concisely deconstructing and debunking persistent learningmyths.

Quinn bringsan academic mindset to the task. A respected consultant and scholar with a solidbackground in cognitive psychology and learning science, he has held positionsat University of New South Wales, University of Pittsburgh’s Learning Researchand Development Center, and San Diego State University’s Center for Research inMathematics and Science Education. Quinn has authored four other books on learning.

His slim new volume tackles more than 30 longtime learningassumptions that persist, despite scientific evidence to the contrary.These include the commonly-held notions that humans only use 10 percent oftheir brains; people have shorterattention spans than goldfish; and individuals can be categorized by their learningstyles. Although many of these beliefs were disproven more than a decadeago, Quinn is surprised that they stubbornly continue to circulate in L&Denvironments.

“It probably has to do with intuitive appeal,” Quinn says.“Look at the persistence of the interest in astrology despite the lack ofscientific backing; there’s still a horoscope published daily in the newspaper.We want simple answers that reflect our observations. And until shownotherwise, we’re likely to want to use these frameworks to not have to think sohard.”

Quinn notes that there is a lot of research explaining whypeople believe things in the face of contrary evidence. “Recent books such as Kahneman’s Thinking Fastand Slow, Haidt’s The Righteous Mind, and the works on behavioraleconomics document how our cognitive architecture—wonderful and powerful as itis— has systematic flaws,” he says.

Structure of the book

Quinn is a long-time proponent of applying science tolearning. The stylisticformat of Millennials, Goldfish &Other Training Misconceptions differs from his other works.

“Thebook didn’t lend itself to a linear narrative,” Quinn explains. “I created atemplate that I felt would represent the necessary rigor for evaluating everyclaim.”

Learningbeliefs are divided into three categories:

Learning myths, which Quinn definesas stories or beliefs that are prevalent despite repeated evidence that they’rewrong;

Learning superstitions, which he classifiesas potentially unconscious practices that have no justification or validity andcan lead to bad learning design; and

Learning misconceptions, which he notes aren’tnecessarily positive or negative, but can be contentious.

AlthoughQuinn’s template varies between myths, superstitions, and misconceptions,beliefs are generally broken down into:

• The Claim
• The Appeal
• The Potential Upside
• The Potential Downside
• How to Evaluate
• What the Evidence Says
• What to Do (alternative approaches to get thebest learning outcome) 
• Citations

“Thegoal of the template was to make sure that each belief received a fairpresentation,” Quinn says. “The structure made it easier to ensurethoroughness, and drove me to do more research in some instances.”

Whimsicalillustrations by graphic designer Fran Fernandez complement the easy-to-understandtext.

How to use the book

According to Quinn, the book was designed to be a referenceand is not intended to be read from front to back. The Quick Guides section atthe end succinctly summarizes each learning issue, providing readers with ammunitionto rebut common learning misconceptions.

Quinn notes that his intention for each entry was to give learningprofessionals a positive path forward. “The goal is to move to betterpractices, not just to stop bad ones,” he says. “It’s really intended to be anoptimistic and helpful guide, not merely a collection of snark.”

Quinnsights

In Quinn’s opinion, the most persistent myth over the yearshas been Learning Styles. “Like Dale’s Cone, it’s been around for decades andis like a zombie that you just can’t kill,” he marvels. “It’s had the mostrigorous debunking, yet still persists.” 

He hesitates when asked to name the most dangerous myth. “Idon’t think any actually are likely to lead to death, but I reckon there areseveral that have cost people lots of unnecessary money for things that don’thave an impact,” he says.

“I suppose the one that has the most potential for harm isthe superstition that Presentation (knowledge dump) = Acquisition (behavior change.)We likely have not prevented outcomes like sexual harassment and discriminationbecause compliance training courses are all ‘about,’ not ‘do,’” he adds.  

Industry reaction to the book 

Industry professionals have expressed high praise for thebook. “Before you make your next instructional design decision, check out ClarkQuinn’s fascinating look at learning and training misconceptions,” writes ConnieMelamed on her blog. “There is no judgement here. You will never feel sillyfor admitting to your misconceptions and misunderstandings.”

“Quinn takes on one popular myth after another andbreaks them down in a straightforward, no-nonsense format,” writes JaneBozarth. “This book is great for the new practitioner trying to separatewheat from chaff or the experienced practitioner seeking to win challenges withwell-meaning stakeholders and SMEs—or bar fights.” 

WillThalheimer, who penned the eloquent foreword, hopes Quinn’s work will helpmodern organizations steer clear of learning fads. “Blindly going along withtoday’s workplace learning fads costs the industry billions of dollars inwasted effort, misspent resources, and ill-advised decisions,” Thalheimerwrites.

Conclusion

According to Quinn, the fads and mistaken beliefs headdresses undermine the credibility and legitimacy of learning professionalsand interfere with their ability to deliver top-notch learning experiences. Hopefully,his new book will help set the record straight by dispelling and debunkingpersistent learning myths.

Although Millennials,Goldfish & Other Training Misconceptions is aimed at instructionaldesigners, the book will also be of great interest to executives responsiblefor corporate learning policies and procedures, as well as managers tasked withdetermining how learning is delivered.