Association leader calls time on ‘best practice’ in maths teaching

Speaking on the opening day of the Mathematics Association of Victoria (MAV) conference last week in Melbourne, Dougan set out to reframe what it means to lead mathematics teachers today in a keynote that blended pragmatism, provocation, and professional challenge. 

“I hope you don’t agree with everything I say today,” Dougan began. “We need to be critical thinkers – just as much as we expect our students to be.”

Beyond Best Practice

Dougan’s keynote, Mind the Gaps: The Tightrope of Leading, challenged one of education’s most persistent narratives: that there is a single, knowable ‘best practice’ in mathematics teaching.

“I have a real problem with the idea of best practice. It’s unhelpful for us as leaders and teachers – it doesn’t exist,” he said.

Dougan laid out three key issues with the term. First, the idea that best practice is singular. “It suggests there’s only one right way, and once we’ve found it, that’s it. But what works today might not work tomorrow.”

Second, he argued, best practice implies a kind of arrival.

“It creates a hierarchy. Like you climb to the top of the mountain, find best practice, and then you’re done.”

And third, it wrongly assumes that the journey ends. “If best practice existed, we would have found it by now and copied it everywhere.”

Instead, Dougan encouraged leaders to aim for better practice through better decisions.

 “What I want to put to you today is: what are the best decisions I can make in my context, for my students, that lead to better practice?”

Pedagogical Paralysis Is Real

A recurring theme throughout the keynote was the reality of uncertainty in teaching. Many educators feel stuck between competing policies, research, and classroom realities.

“Pedagogical paralysis is real,” Dougan said. “Teachers want to get it right but don’t always know what the right thing is.”

The challenge for leaders, he said, is to guide teachers through that complexity without defaulting to rigidity or conformity. “We need to help our teachers make good decisions. We do that by adding to their toolbox – and yes, sometimes by taking things out of it.”

He described leadership as helping teachers become critical evaluators of practice and evidence, not just technicians following scripts.

Context Over Conformity

Dougan pushed back strongly against one-size-fits-all solutions.

“Context matters. The community in which we serve makes a difference. What works in one classroom may fall flat in another,” he said.

He quoted the AAMT's own position: “No single pedagogical approach can meet the needs of every mathematics learner.”

To illustrate this, Dougan spoke about the wide spectrum of teacher experience within schools.

“In a typical secondary school faculty, you’ve got teachers who prefer geometry over algebra, you’ve got early-career teachers, out-of-field teachers, and those who are deeply specialised. We can’t assume a one-size approach works for all of them.”

He said that mathematics leaders need to recognise these differences and tailor support accordingly.

“The goal is not to force every teacher to teach the same way, but to provide the right resources, professional learning, and space for reflection so they can teach effectively in their own context.”

Teachers need a repertoire, not a rulebook. Clear learning goals, prior knowledge, purposeful task selection, and meaningful discussion all matter – but how they are enacted depends on context.

“A task isn’t pedagogy. It’s how it’s enacted that matters,” he said. “I’ve seen an excellent task go sideways and a terrible task delivered beautifully.”

Choosing the Right Adventure

Dougan explored the idea of maths teaching as a 'choose your own adventure' story. But he rejected the notion of this as a free-for-all.

“This isn’t the wild west,” he said. “We’re not talking about uninformed choices. This is about making intentional decisions, grounded in evidence, practice, and student needs.”

He drew on a quote from assessment expert Dylan Wiliam: “There can be no objective procedure for identifying and disseminating ‘what works’ in education. It always involves judgement, local knowledge, and feasibility.”

As leaders, Dougan said, it is our job to be cartographers – not handing out GPS directions but mapping a route that fits our school, our staff, and our students.

To help with this, Dougan referenced a framework recently developed by AAMT. It encourages leaders to select strategies, consult evidence, grow a professional repertoire, exercise judgement, and reflect continuously.

This approach acknowledges that teaching is both a science and a craft, and that leadership must support that dual identity.

“Teachers are not technicians,” he said. “Our job is to give them the space and support to think critically, try new things, and reflect on what works best in their context.”

Dougan urged leaders to ensure their teams are not overwhelmed with compliance or bound by narrow definitions of success. Instead, he argued, the role of a leader is to open space for flexibility, dialogue, and evidence-informed experimentation.

Leadership That Builds

Dougan outlined several key responsibilities for mathematics leaders:

• Ask what a supportive culture looks like
• Make the next best decision
• Meet teachers where they are, acknowledging diverse experiences and competencies, and
• Build teacher capacity rather than enforcing conformity.

He stressed that flexibility is a strength, not a weakness. “Leadership is about navigating, not always knowing.”

“We need to empower, not overpower. And yes, that includes holding teachers to account. Accountability is best friends with empowerment.”

The goal, he said, is not perfection but progress. “Think about what [David] Gonski said about students – one year of growth every year. Our teachers deserve the same.”

To bring this vision to life, Dougan said leaders need to take stock of what’s already in place in their schools and consider what enables teacher growth. This might include mentoring systems, open-door classroom visits, collaborative planning time, or targeted coaching.

“It’s not about overhauling everything overnight,” he said. “It’s about noticing where the momentum already exists and building from there.”

He offered an example from a school that had been stuck in what he called “planning paralysis”.

Teachers were drowning in data and program comparisons but lacked confidence to take action.

“The school leadership team refocused around one guiding question: what is the next best decision we can make together for our learners?”

That simple prompt, he said, allowed the staff to prioritise and re-engage.

“It reminded everyone that leadership isn’t about heroic gestures. It’s about building clarity and courage in others.”

Leading People, Not Policy

One of the most resonant moments came when Dougan reminded leaders what their role truly entails.

“I encourage you to remember you are leading people, not policy.”

He closed with a call for intentionality, trust, and professionalism. “It’s not about having all the answers. It’s about building the conditions for good questions and good decisions.”

By the end of the keynote, the message was clear: leadership in mathematics is not about applying generic strategies. It is about being responsive, human, and focused on growth – for students, and for the teachers who guide them.