Educational theory

Let's see... In my educational career I've heard these terms thrown around:

ITIP
Direct instruction
Learning Styles
Benjamin Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives (three categories)
Much discussion on the value of grouping in education, dozens of ways to group, to group or not, group grading, etc.
Distance learning
Whole child education
Multiple intelligences
Artificial intelligences

Ya know, I have two file drawers full of education theory topics.

But it comes down to this:

Education happens when one instructor gets in the face of one student and asks "Which part didn't you understand?"

It is not that the rest of it cannot inform instruction. But please differentiate instruction from classroom management.

Ninety percent of what we teach about education is really about crowd control. The other ten percent is actually about LEARNING!

If you really want to know about learning then do it in small groups. Get knee to knee and nose to nose or shoulder to shoulder with your students and WATCH THEM WORK! Listen as much as you talk, and get your student to talk. Get your students to perform.

Groups of about four will maximize your educational effectiveness.