Antibiotics and Maths

I recently read an article in the newspaper and explaining how a team at Monash University are researching a link between children developing asthma and them being prescribed antibiotics in the first year of their life. When I read this article I immediately thought about my own children, and tried to remember if/when they had been prescribed antibiotics in their first year! #mumguilt.

I think this is a fear we constantly live with as parents: Are we making the 'wrong' decisions, and as a result are we 'harming' our children?

This fear isn't limited to parenting... it is also something that plays out in schools (so if you are a parent and a teacher, you get to experience a double dose of guilt!)

The reasons behind these thought processes are noble.

As parents and teachers, we are protectors and guides for our children. As adults, with a lifetime of experience, and a fully formed brain, we become 'qualified' to make decisions on behalf of our children/students.

But that pressure and responsibility can be overwhelming. 

I often find myself second guessing and overthinking parenting decisions. Am I doing the 'right' thing by making a particular decision?

When I read articles like the asthma one I mentioned above, I feel guilty, because I then start to wonder "what decisions am I making today, that seem 'right', will I come to regret down the track when I learn more?"

The reality is, we can't know everything (in any context), and we can only make the best decision with the information we have at that time. 

Knowledge is constantly moving forward. Across the world, as the population grows, more and more research is conducted. In one report I read (it was dated 2012, so these number will have kept growing!) it reported there were 28,100 scholarly peer-reviewed journals across the world publishing about 1.8–1.9 million articles a year (this is in every field of research). 

That is A LOT of research!

If we think about all the journals and papers that are published each year, purely in maths education, there is a huge number! Then we have related fields like education psychology, neuropsychology, cognitive science which also have important findings for us to consider.

As much as we try, we cannot possibly keep up with every new piece of research.

Unfortunately, most teachers and school leaders (who are not connected to a university), are locked out of accessing academic journals, due to exorbitant costs associated with downloading. As a result, there is an immediate disconnect between research and practice.

The reality is, practitioners in schools do not, and should not, have to read every piece of research.

I consider in-depth and extensive reading of the research as the role of academics (and, of course any practitioners who are interested, and have the time). But to read, synthesize and help to make sense of the research, academics must have a strong sense of the realities of the classroom. This is another critical piece in the translation.

I have read many articles over the years. Whenever I read an article, I always wonder how the findings could be applied in classrooms. In many cases there is not a direct link- more research is often needed to flesh out the ideas. Some research is simply there to provide another piece in the puzzle, something that someone else may refer to and build upon. As academics employed at universities, part of our role is to publish a certain number of articles per year- we are not marked on how useful (or not) these are for classroom application, just on whether (or not) they were published!

There is a fine balance between academia and the classroom.

Not everything that is discovered in research needs to be, or should, influence classroom practice. But it is important that the research that does make a difference, and will push practice forward is shared and discussed and robustly trialed in schools. 

One of the 'buzzwords' around education at the moment is 'research-informed'.

I whole-heartedly believe that we all need to be research-informed, so as to make the best possible decisions for our students.

However, there is SO much research... some of it is conflicting...much of it had not been extensively trialed in primary school classrooms in [insert your school context here] so how can we know it is the best for our students?

What research should we 'follow'?!

Unfortunately, I don't have the answer to this question. But I find, calmness, balance, pragmatism, respect for different opinions and curiosity are always good ways to approach any contentious issue!

Every parent wants the best for their children, just as every one of us wants the very best for our students.

So today I share my advice to myself as a parent, in the hope it might help you in some way in your role as a leader or teacher...

Ange's Advice:

• It is always important to always be well and 'widely'-read (but you can't, and don't ever know what will be discovered in the future- so there is no use looking at current research about childhood asthma years after your children were in their first year of life, and feeling guilty!)
• consider both sides of any debate
• never think you have the 'answer'... you will be proven 'wrong' at some point.
• be aware that people will always have different opinions, be respectful of those opinions.
• keep your children's best (long-term) interests at the heart of any decision you make.

I think if we all keep these things in mind, we can start to learn from each other and have civil and collegiate discussions that will help us to make the 'right' research-informed decisions for our students!

Have a great week!

Ange🎓🎲

P.S. You can download the PDF version of this blog to print or share with colleagues here.