The Debunker Club was formed in 2015 as a reaction to the many myths that floated around the workplace learning and education fields. Founded by Will Thalheimer, PhD, The Debunker Club was originally formed to help get rid of learning myths and misconceptions. Early on it became obvious that merely confronting myths was not enough, but that learning professionals also had to share proven research-based information as well.

Learning myths and misconceptions are harmful in a number of ways:

1. Directly harming learners.
2. Directly diminishing learning outcomes.
3. Directly hurting organizations.
4. Displacing proven research-based learning methods.
5. Causing learning professionals shame and embarrassment.
6. Hurting the reputation of the learning profession.
7. Huge sums of money and resources wasted.
8. Directing learning professionals and organizations to substandard solutions and underperforming vendors.
9. Spreading misinformation through graduate programs in learning, instruction, teaching.
10. Wasted time debating and considering poor learning methods.
11. Prompting our trade associations to convey incorrect and misleading information.
12. Propelling professionals to avoid seeking new knowledge, as they grow less trusting.
13. Energizing conference goers toward the passionate embrace of poor practices.
14. Causing dissension among teams as there is no common trusted body of knowledge.
15. Giving rise to thought leaders who lead the industry to poor practices and ineffective methods.
16. Causing organizational leaders to lose trust in learning.
17. Causing citizens to lose trust in education.
18. Causing employees and students to pass poor learning habits on to others, including our children.
19. Having acknowledgements and rewards (including financial) go to advocates of poor practices.
20. Causing a loss of trust in institutions that would otherwise benefit learners.

In 2018, after realizing he was doing a mediocre—okay crappy—job parlaying the power of 700+ Debunker-Club members toward meaningful action, Will Thalheimer decided to pivot The Debunker Club from one that was largely driven to disseminate information toward one that was more community-based. The website was redesigned to build a community.

We are just getting started in this effort… and we hope that you will join us…