What Do We Know About Theory?

We know that theory is evolving and changing, dependent on the information available.  Theory as defined by Meriam Webster on-line dictionary has several different definitions including the following:   a belief, policy, or procedure proposed or followed as the basis of action; a plausible or scientifically acceptable general principle or body of principles offered to explain phenomena; an unproved assumption .  Each of these definitions apply to the practice of education.  Many theories guide our instructional choices because we explain the process of learning using these theories. Most theories are plausible, meaning they make sense in some instances at least.  Some theories are unproved assumptions and we all work within the parameters of such daily.  What the theory behind education is unable to compensate for is that the circumstances if each individual situation are unique.  No study can replicate the dynamics between a particular student and teacher at a particular time.  There are so many variables that they cannot all be accounted for inside the tidy boundary of a theory.  And this is where reality collides with theory.  The expectation of administration and the public seems to assume that if a certain input is given a predicatable output will occur in every situation.  As teachers, we know that this is not always true.

Theory gives our practice a framework – somewhere to start when making instructional decisions, but the art of education is applying educational theory in speific situations for the benefit of a particular student.