ABSTRACT
This chapter concerns 'How?' – How are the intentions of the curriculum translated into action? It seeks to identify those questions which need to be asked in order to understand, in broad terms, the curriculum in action in classrooms – the process. One of the few things on which educationists reach near unanimous agreement is that learning is more likely to take place when pupils are active rather than passive. Brogden refers to the skills and frills organization in primary schools: basic learning in the mornings – when presumably the children are fresher – and other, freer activities in the afternoons. It may seem self-evident that a pupil's level of attainment is directly related to the length of time actively spent in learning. For secondary school pupils the length of time spent in studying each subject is mainly determined by the organization of the curriculum for the school as a whole.
