ABSTRACT

Unless a school is very small indeed, pupils have to be divided up in some way into manageable units. These units are still, for the most part, class units within age bands, although some schools are using vertical grouping and team teaching. The question in schools is not one of whether to group pupils but rather on what basis grouping will be carried out, how the groups will function and what degree of flexi­ bility is envisaged. This is, of course, a very important question, but some teachers see it as the prime question, and at both the school and class unit levels decisions about grouping are frequently made in isolation. The approach to curriculum development described in this book would suggest that decisions about grouping are made in relation to the desired aims and objectives and the learning situation.