At a time when so much intellectual energy is being expended in discussions about educational "accountability" and the end product of the educational system, it seems appropriate to begin to focus empirically on the "input" of education in an attempt to enhance the "output". In its relatively short history, educational research in New Zealand has tended to look at the broader issues of education rather than at the specifics of classrooms. To date, very little data has been collected relating to the activities that occur in the typical New Zealand classrooms in different types of school at various levels.