Granting learners an authentic voice in the mathematics classroom for the benefit of both the teacher and the learner

An important aspect of democratic education is the value it places on providing spaces for disagreement and argument as opportunities for learning. This is unlike an ‘occupation of the minds’ philosophy, which denies people the right to see alternatives. In this article we explore one aspect of this area of democratic education: the issue of providing opportunities for learners’ voices. We acknowledge the importance of this, even if the voices are dissenting; such dissent is important for teachers to learn more about the learners. We subsequently look at the kind of listening that a teacher can do in order to learn, and consider some cases from literature about teachers who struggle to listen and what happens when they learn to listen to their learners. Finally, we argue that a perspective aligned with preparing learners to contribute to a democratic society advises a rethink of the construct of mathematical knowledge for teaching. By learning how to listen in a respectful manner and as part of a negotiation and co-evolution of shared understanding, teachers can deepen and shift their understanding of mathematics, their understanding of learners and their understanding of their own learning

Utilizing river and wastewater as a SARS-CoV-2 surveillance tool in settings with limited formal sewage systems

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted health systems globally and robust surveillance has been critical for pandemic control, however not all countries can currently sustain community pathogen surveillance programs. Wastewater surveillance has proven valuable in high-income settings, but less is known about the utility of water surveillance of pathogens in low-income countries. Here we show how wastewater surveillance of SAR-CoV-2 can be used to identify temporal changes and help determine circulating variants quickly. In Malawi, a country with limited community-based COVID-19 testing capacity, we explore the utility of rivers and wastewater for SARS-CoV-2 surveillance. From May 2020–May 2022, we collect water from up to 112 river or defunct wastewater treatment plant sites, detecting SARS-CoV-2 in 8.3% of samples. Peak SARS-CoV-2 detection in water samples predate peaks in clinical cases. Sequencing of water samples identified the Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants, with Delta and Omicron detected well in advance of detection in patients. Our work highlights how wastewater can be used to detect emerging waves, identify variants of concern, and provide an early warning system in settings with no formal sewage systems