Why Are Dead Ideas So Persistent? A Conversation with John Mahoney

Despite the large body of research on effective teaching and learning practices, such research is often ignored or unknown by instructors and students. Instead, many “dead ideas” in teaching and learning continue to be enacted worldwide. Why is this the case? In our first episode of the season, we discuss many possible reasons with John Mahoney, senior lecturer at Australian Catholic University and the University’s Academic Lead for HELTA, the Higher Education Learning and Teaching Academy. Dr. Mahoney, a psychologist by training, is also one of the founders of INSPIRE, an evidence center designed to curate and summarize best-available empirical evidence in higher education. 

Resources:

• “Why the Science of Teaching Is Often Ignored” by Beth BcMurtrie, Chronicle of Higher Education. January 3, 2022.
• The work of psychologist Susan Michie
• INSPIRE