Teach Secondary 13.7

research studies. Some of these will be obvious things that every teacher already knows, such as that performance of a given task will improve with practice. Conversely, other empirical generalisations may seem counter- intuitive, such as desirable difficulties – how making practice harder by mixing up topics leads to lower scores in the short term, but better long-term learning. Youmight not guess that if you hadn’t heard about it. Willingham argues that empirical generalisations are more useful to teachers than the latest scientific theories, because those theories won’t have yet been conclusively verified. When you next read about some cutting edge study with headline- grabbing findings, you should remember that one study is only ever just one study. And one study might say anything. What is of more importance and value is the overall message that emerges across many studies that have been conducted within a particular area, where the noise within each separate study will hopefully be cancelled out to reveal a more reliable overall trend. Confidence, not guilt If you’re doing a good job in the classroom, then most of what you absolutely need to know, you probably already know. If your students are learning well and are confident in the subject, you must be getting a lot of things right. So, if someone then comes along claiming that they have some new research that should drastically change what you do, I’d be very suspicious indeed. Marginal gains on top of your existing practice? Those are good. Some interesting new ideas for you to consider? They may be worth looking into. But rethinking everything dramatically? That sounds dangerous. Instead of feeling guilty about all the research you aren’t reading, and wondering constantly about what amazing practices might be out there that you’re unaware of, be confident instead in your own practice. Prioritise the reading of literature that seems likely to provide empirical generalisations across a whole body of research, rather than cherry-picking single studies. Look for small ways of making incremental changes, rather than risking throwing out the baby with the bathwater amid drastic, ‘big bang’ implementations of novel practice. Fluid dynamics may be interesting, but even an Olympic swimmer doesn’t need to be able to solve the Navier-Stokes equations (differential equations which describe fluid flow). Knowledge is good, but some bits of knowledge have much more leverage than others. When you’re a passenger on an aeroplane, you’d be grateful if the pilot understands the basics of how planes fly, but you wouldn’t expect them to be able to rebuild a jet engine themselves. Similarly, your students don’t expect you to know every latest learning theory, but rather to have the practical knowledge and wisdom acquired from experience needed to do a great job in the classroom. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Colin Foster (@colinfoster77) is a Reader in Mathematics Education in the Department of Mathematics Education at Loughborough University, and has written many books and articles for teachers; find out more at foster77.co.uk teachwire.net/secondary 35 P E D A G O G Y