ABSTRACT
A description of how knowledge is acquired in the classroom must, at a minimum, focus on the curriculum to be taught, the method by which information is communicated, and the teacher's role in fostering the acquisition of knowledge and skills so that classroom instruction is interesting, comprehensible, and pleasant. An examination of these three areas leads to some simple beliefs about how students learn in classrooms, particularly classrooms at the primary grades. Teachers have a choice of method when presenting curriculum. These methods are recurrent instructional activities, applicable to various subject matters, and include: patterned teacher behavior, delivery systems for curriculum and organizational structures for promoting learning. Many studies of the acquisition of knowledge in the classroom count or rate behavior and do not deal with the crucial question of appropriateness of teacher behavior, a qualitative dimension with which it is difficult to come to grips.
