I have studied in streamed classes (in a school that was very selective anyway) so closely grouped by ability.
I did find working with friends in small groups effective at postgraduate level (although we organised it ourselves) and I would have done better to have done more of that. However this was a small group, not a class.
Classrooms and lecture rooms do not promote interactions. On the other hand one to one tuition is continuous interaction, hopefully with someone who is a better model for interaction that other kids, and who is encourages interaction.
I think we are talking about four different things here. Self teaching, 1:1, small groups, and classrooms. 1:1 and learning oneself are far more effective than classrooms. I cannot compare with small groups, and they are used at some universities (e.g. the tutorial system at Oxford and Cambridge), but my feeling is that it will be highly effective for the right people and the right subject. Then again, those universities require a lot of ability and motivation to get into, so maybe that is why it works for them.
I did find working with friends in small groups effective at postgraduate level (although we organised it ourselves) and I would have done better to have done more of that. However this was a small group, not a class.
Classrooms and lecture rooms do not promote interactions. On the other hand one to one tuition is continuous interaction, hopefully with someone who is a better model for interaction that other kids, and who is encourages interaction.
I think we are talking about four different things here. Self teaching, 1:1, small groups, and classrooms. 1:1 and learning oneself are far more effective than classrooms. I cannot compare with small groups, and they are used at some universities (e.g. the tutorial system at Oxford and Cambridge), but my feeling is that it will be highly effective for the right people and the right subject. Then again, those universities require a lot of ability and motivation to get into, so maybe that is why it works for them.