I see ‘best practices’ as a post-positivist influence on education. But I also see the parallel in cancer treatment. The statistics provided (the best practices) are only useful as guidelines. They cannot tell me, as an individual, how I will react. I read up and listen to others experiences with chemo, so that I can be prepared – but I know that my experience will be a unique one. So, the ‘best practice’ goes to help guide, but it is not an absolute. The same goes for teaching. A ‘best practice’ helps me choose what might work, or helps me plan my lesson, knowing full well that my students may very well not respond to the best practice and I will then need to adapt. It is still useful to know what the best practices are, just not to expect that they are ‘rules’ to be followed, or even predictors of future success.