ABSTRACT
First, it is important to remember that I am not arguing that there has been no lasting change to schooling over the past century. Rather, I have sought to explain why certain patterns of classroom instruction have persisted in the face of concerted effort to change them. I acknowledge that some features of schools have changed. It would be fatuous to argue otherwise. The curriculum is obviously different in various respects. The proportion of students continuing their schooling beyond the age at which attendance is compulsory has increased. There are fewer one-teacher schools. Central bureaucracies are larger. The initial training of teachers is more extensive. It is easy to catalogue differences. But the basic forms of teaching have endured. Whole class teaching is typical. The day is scheduled into periods. Teacher talk predominates. Though there may be noticeable differences, there are also many constants.
