Week # 34 Instructor Bias

The Invisible Influencer

Every educator and coach carries assumptions, intuitions, and patterns of thought. Left unexamined, these subtly shape who is called on, what feedback is emphasised, and which behaviours are rewarded. Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking Fast and Slow reminds us that the human mind operates through two systems: system one, intuitive and fast, and system two, deliberate and reflective. System one is efficient but prone to bias; system two slows thinking and surfaces assumptions.

A Crafted Coach/Teacher recognises the subtle and pervasive pull of intuition, and deliberately constructs their learning environment, learning design, and learning critique to challenge these biases.

Why Bias Shapes Learning

Bias is an indisputable cognitive phenomena: it cannot be prevented. We evolved the ability to think quickly and intuitively with bias to conserve the massive amounts of energy required to constantly use the prefrontal cortex for analytical thinking.

The consequences are real: confident learners may receive disproportionate attention, cautious learners may be overlooked, and patterned expectations can distort learning critique. Understanding bias allows instructors to craft learning environments that are equitable, rigorous, and psychologically safe.

In Thinking Fast & Slow, Daniel Kahneman identifies several common cognitive shortcuts:

- Confirmation bias: seeking evidence that matches expectations.

- Halo effect: one success or strength colours judgement elsewhere.

- Availability heuristic: recent or vivid examples dominate thinking.

- Anchoring: initial impressions influence ongoing evaluation.

A Crafted Approach to Bias

The Crafted Coach should be mindful and plan to effectively slow down thinking, create structures for reflection, and monitor patterns of behaviour and instinctive decision making. Practical steps include:

- Rotation and randomness in questioning: ensure no learner is consistently foregrounded or overlooked.

- Review of feedback and assessment patterns: check whether judgements align with objective data.

- Peer observation: surface assumptions invisible to self-perception.

- Structured reflection: deliberately slow system one responses and engage system two analysis.

Bias checking is a rhythm of reflective practice, embedded in every session design, rather than a one-off intervention.