3. The traditions unfold

‘The tradition unfolds’ discusses how schools and teachers use differing amounts of both the progressive and formal tradition. Teachers in primary schools have tended to take from the progressive tradition more than their secondary colleagues. Research into classrooms, including Neville Bennett’s research and project ORACLE, has considered the effectiveness of group work in learning. What emerges out of classroom research is a realization that teachers are not robots: they respond to the class as well as leading it; they reflect on their successes and failures and they adapt. This explains why top-down efforts from governments to change schools often fail; they divert teachers from their experience and instincts.