Fitspo Influencers

I am fascinated by research of any kind.

In the newspaper, online or in blogs, whenever I read "Research found..." I am all in! It could be related to the optimum hours of sleep required, or the best underwater scuba tank (which I have absolutely no intention of ever buying)...I find how and what people research, their findings and how they are interpreted (or misinterpreted) super interesting!

Recently on the radio I heard a report about a team from Flinders University in South Australia who completed some interesting research.

The study wasn’t education-based, but the findings really piqued my interest!

The team analysed 200 ‘fitspiration’ videos from TikTok.

They found that, “the vast majority of influencers behind the content lacked credible health and fitness qualifications, underscoring a pervasive issue where influencer popularity overshadows the accuracy and safety of the information they provide”

If you want to read more, the full paper is titled: “You started working out to get a flat stomach and a fat a$$”: A content analysis of fitspiration videos on TikTok. (What a title!).

I listened intently as one of the lead researchers was interviewed about their findings.

She explained that their project looked at a sample of videos from social media influencers in the fitness space, and found that while many had a very large following, most lacked substance!

This research started me thinking about whether we have similar types of 'influencers' in the education world. That is, people whose popularity overshadows the accuracy of information they provide.

For the most part I don't think this is the case, however as a general rule, I do think we need to look in a carefully and considered  way at those who present 'research'.

I see social media playing a really important role in disseminating education research far and wide.

This medium is at the heart of the Science of Learning movement and has led to things changing in the education space faster than they ever have before. 

In the past, research has not moved fast enough into the hands and minds of teachers (there are many factors at play here, including the general development of technology allowing communication and dissemination of research to be more efficient). I have written about this disconnect before in this blog.

There is great research going on in universities around our country, but it is a very intense process to firstly be funded to undertake research, and then to actually conduct the research.

Ethics takes time... finance takes time... gathering and analysing data takes time... writing, drafting and having papers published takes time... this then leads to a lag from the research to the classroom.

Social media has changed this game... Podcasts and even Facebook posts, where we have the opportunity to hear directly from researchers has become more 'normal'... and I love this change.

I love nothing more than a listening to my education idols talking on a podcast (Dr. Brain Poncy, Dr. Dylan Wiliam, Prof. Guy Claxton, Dr. Paul Kirchner) I learn so much hearing directly from them.

However, the opposite can also be true.

Social media can lead to messages being watered down, para-phrased and lead to meanings, findings and intent being 'lost in translation'.

I think it is important to always question and fact-check the information we are presented with (even in the educational 'research' field).

While in the past, research used to seem to only filter 'down' from universities, research is now coming 'up' from the ground and teachers and school leaders are leading the change. 

I think this is wonderful, but I also think it is important that we remember the idea of 'balance'.

Don't believe everything you read, and remember that people may be (inadvertently) quoting or presenting information out of context. 

Often, I read or hear people share or talk about my own research. For the most part it is a real thrill to hear the messages around best practice in place value being shared, but nuanced meaning can be easily misinterpreted. 

This is why I always try to find, read and listen to the original authors of research. If you want to learn about Cognitive Load, John Sweller is your go-to. If you want to learn about exactly where 'Daily Reviews' came from, start with Rosenshine's work. Anything else is someone else's interpretation of that research (and this is not always a bad 'thing', it is just a 'thing' to be aware of!). 

Nothing trumps the deep level of knowledge, experience and depth of thought that comes directly from the original researcher.

So, this week I encourage you to find a great podcast, book or research paper and learn directly from an expert. Some of my 'go-tos' are Ollie Lovell's 'Education Research Reading Room' and Anna Stokke's 'Chalk and Talk', Brendan Lee's 'Knowledge for Teachers' and Mathew Green's 'The Art of Teaching'. All of these podcasts interview world-class experts in their chosen field (apologies but I don't feel qualified to suggest any 'fitspo' podcasts or influencers to follow!). 

Also, if you haven't already, take a second to register for my FREE 2025 Australian Maths Teachers Conference taking place in January and February 2025.

The AMTOC is designed to bridge the gap between research and practice, and allow you to have easy access to expert presenters and practitioners in our Australian maths education space! This year's theme is "The best piece of advice I can share about teaching maths in 2025..."

Feel free to share the registration link far and wide... 

https://www.numeracyteachersacademy.com/AMTOC2025

Have a great week, a great holiday, and see you in 2025!

Ange🎲🎓

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