To experiment with the meaning of the concept, this article is introducing the verb “läring” into Swedish, by discussing it in relation to the current National Curriculum for the Compulsory school.

Age-classes are a salient feature of modern schooling. Yet how did age-grouping come to prevail in entire school systems? And how was this form of grouping related to educational and pedagogic discussions at the time of its emergence? The article addresses these issues by looking at the historical context within which age classes came to a dominant position: the European nineteenth century.