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THEORY AND PRACTICE OF EDUCATION Also availablefrom Continuum Theory of Education, David Turner Philosophy of Education, Richard Pring Education and Community, Dianne Gereluk Private Education, Geoffrey Walford Key Ideas in Educational Research, David Scott and Marlene Morrison THEORY AND PRACTICE OF EDUCATION DAVID A. TURNER Continuum International Publishing Group The Tower Building, 11 York Road, London SE1 7NX 80 Maiden Lane, Suite 704, New York, NY 10038 www.continuumbooks.com © David A. Turner 2007 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers. David Turner has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN: 0-8264-9107-3 (hardback) Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. Typeset by Aarontype Limited, Easton, Bristol Printed and bound in Great Britain by The Cromwell Press, Trowbridge, Wiltshire Contents List of Figures 1 Introduction Parti 2 Theory As Simple as Possible vi 1 15 17 3 An Arrow into the Air 30 4 44 Modelling Part 2 Practice 55 5 Classroom Management 57 6 The Parting of the Ways 75 7 Equality of Opportunity 97 8 Learning and Teaching 114 9 Quality Assurance 133 Part 3 Theory into Practice 151 10 Conclusions: Evidence-based Policy and Policy-based Research 153 References 166 Index 168 List of figures 2.1 Simple pay-off matrix for 'Scissors, Paper, Stone' 25 2.2 Modified pay-off matrix for 'Scissors, Paper, Stone' 25 2.3 Reduced pay-off matrix for 'Scissors, Paper, Stone' 26 2.4 Further reduced pay-off matrix for 'Scissors, Paper, Stone' 26 3.1 Sierpinski Triangle 33 3.2 A complex system 38 4.1 Sailing dinghy on (a) starboard reach or (b) port reach 46 5.1 Unruly classroom 60 5.2 Revolution in the classroom 62 5.3 'Perfect' classroom 63 5.4 My classroom 65 6.1 Simple pay-off matrix 79 6.2 Modified pay-off matrix 79 9.1 A scatter-plot of the relative performance of universities 147 Chapter 1 Introduction I have remarked elsewhere that the failure of policy-makers to engage with theory and the failure of researchers to provide a sound basis for policymaking is a relationship (or lack of relationship) that has fault on both sides (Turner 2004a). However, the greater fault undoubtedly lies with the researchers who have failed to provide models of sufficient complexity that they can be used effectively in the policy-making process. It should be noted that in this context complexity is not a matter of how many variables are involved in the explanatory models, nor of how many factors are involved in a particular situation. Still less does it rest in the view that the human sciences cannot benefit from the experience of the physical sciences because human situations are inh