ABSTRACT
The view, reflected in Spooner's comments, that, except at the crudest level, the process of teaching is too complex to be subjected to systematic analysis has a long tradition within the British educational system. As Simon observed, we differ from almost every other Western industrialised society in having no concept of pedagogy, described by Simon as 'a science of teaching embodying both curriculum and methodology'. The rejection of any scientific basis for teaching must inevitably place a great deal of stress on experiential methods for improving practice. Most large-scale studies of primary classrooms in Britain and in the United States have made use of structured (systematic) observation methods. Philosophers such as Dearden have contributed enormously to the clarification of our ideas about various aspects of primary practice such as discovery learning, the nature of integrated approaches and notions of balance within the curriculum.
