ABSTRACT
Few areas of the curriculum have been unaffected by the initiatives and projects launched under the banner of the 'school-industry' and 'education-industry' link movement over the past few decades. Economic and industrial dimensions have touched most areas of the school curriculum and with it the work of the majority of teachers and pupils. There is an issue in many schools of parity of esteem between education and training and the academic curriculum versus vocational education. It is recognised that over-emphasis on formal knowledge does not bring true understanding for pupils and that experiential learning has certain advantages in this area. A plan-teach-review framework can also help teachers to evaluate the success of economic and industrial understanding (EIU) activities and assist replanning. Teacher dialogue is essential to curriculum planning, management and review and can enable a school and its community to decide on the rationale for developing EIU in the curriculum, why EIU is developed, where it is developed and how.
