The theme of structure as it developed at the Woods Hole conference refers to the importance of
presenting the basic structures of the disciplines as the focal points of curricula. Basic structures
consist of essential concepts, such as “supply and demand” in economics or “conflict” in history
or “energy” in physics, and the relationships among them. Such concepts, when understood,
enable students to understand many of the phenomena in that discipline and similar phenomena
that may be encountered elsewhere. As Bruner wrote, “Learning should not only take us
somewhere; it should allow us later to go further more easily…The more fundamental or basic is
the idea, the greater will be its breadth of applicability to new problems” (pp 17-18). Bruner
advocated that these fundamental ideas, once identified, should be constantly revisited and
reexamined so that understanding deepens over time. This notion of revisiting and reexamining
fundamental ideas over time is what has become known as a “spiral curriculum.” As time goes
by, students return again and again to the basic concepts, building on them, making them more
complex, and understanding them more fully.