ABSTRACT
Debbie Johnson taught at Merefield primary school, a one form entry school where she had a class of thirty-three Year 3 children. She was in her fourth year of teaching and thoroughly enjoyed her work. She provided a great deal of first-hand experience for her children. They made many visits and she often brought things into the classroom to show them. Learning was usually an active process but carefully structured so that children were able to work independently and find things out for themselves without going down too many wrong turnings. Project work was an important part of the programme. Sometimes projects were subject specific which gave an opportunity to explore in depth and sometimes they were cross-curricular which helped children to see links between subject areas and practise the skills they were learning in one subject in others. Projects were planned over the year so that there was a balance in the kinds of studies which were undertaken. The school also gave a good deal of thought to the continuity from year to year and all the teachers knew the subjects of the projects being undertaken in each year group.
