There are some parts of the curriculum in which children are necessarily dependent on the teacher and others in which children can work more independently. Particularly it can be seen that there are two aspects of the curriculum which provide for children's learning needs:

1. systematic instruction for the acquisition of skills
2. project work for the application of skills acquired earlier

Children do not only need to know how to use a skill but also when to use it. They need to learn to recognize for themselves the contexts in which the skill might be useful and the purposes which it can most appropriately serve. Project work and systematic instruction can be seen as providing complementary learning opportunities. In systematic instruction the children acquire the skills and in project work they apply those skills in meaningful contexts. The project work can be seen as the part of the curriculum which is planned in negotiation with the children and which supports and extends the more formal and teacher directed instructional elements.

 When a teacher is instructing a child in a new level of skill the learning tasks have to be carefully matched to the child's current abilities. When a child is applying skills in which she already has some fluency she can work independently, with more confidence, make decisions, formulate and solve problems as they arise, and be creative in applying the skills appropriately.

The types of activity or task the teacher plans will be different according to which kind of learning is intended. The teacher's role is different in relation to the child at work. Where the child is acquiring skills the teacher is more of a director whereas when children are applying skills they already have, the teacher is more of a guide. The child also feels quite different about the activity according to which kind of learning is involved.