ABSTRACT
Traditionally, teachers have had control of what goes on in the classroom and students have surrendered their freedom of choice after making the initial decision to do the course. There is a long history of education to give legitimacy to this situation; teachers have been (and, indeed, still are) seen by themselves and their students as experts. In addition, since the earliest days of formal education, discipline and control have been an essential principle of the hidden curriculum. These developments have ensured a relationship between teacher and learner which is unequal and, therefore, potentially limiting for the learner.
