A simple curriculum model is cyclic in nature. It begins with aims and objectives. These lead to a choice of content (knowledge, skills, applications, and attitudes). These choices are instilled in the students through effective teaching and learning methods. The teaching and learning are then evaluated and assessed, leading to feedback that is used to improve every part of the cycle.

In previous chapters, we have addressed many parts of this cycle: aims and objectives (implicitly), curriculum content, teacher education, and education research in general. We have not explicitly discussed how teachers should assess students' learning, but we assume that this is part of effective teacher education.

Classroom teaching uses many tools. Elsewhere in this book, we address some of the more innovative ones. There are others, of course, some old and some new. Probably the oldest is the lecture, which can still be effective if it is interactive in the sense of involving questioning - the Socratic approach. There is the blackboard (or white-board) - still a flexible tool. There are the students' notes and notebooks; students can often internalize material by writing it or drawing it. Textbooks have evolved with the times, and now often come with a whole constellation of ancillaries, including a website. Textbooks can be the main support mechanism for both student and teacher.

There are audio-visuals. Wall charts and posters are useful, since they often stay in place for years, and make a permanent imprint on the students' minds. There are overhead transparencies and, looking back a decade or a few, 35 mm slides, filmstrips, and lantern slides. Films, videos, and DVDs (to give an evolutionary sequence) are useful.