ABSTRACT
In the last five years of my thirteen-year career as a teacher of English to 12–17 year old students, I have tried to negotiate with students. What has made me reconsider how I have been teaching during these years has been the impact of my reading (Small Group Learning in the Classroom, 1990, and Negotiating the Curriculum: A Teacher-Student Partnership, 1982, are among the most significant) and my observation of the education of my own children. Five years ago, my own children were in kindergarten and junior primary school classes. I had regarded myself as a good teacher in the past, but came to realize that my students at school were missing the vigour with which ‘indy’ kids approached their learning. I could see that many good kindy teachers used small group learning and elements of negotiation for most of their lessons and I started to question: Why wasn't I?
