ABSTRACT

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book presents a theoretical argument for intrinsic morality of persons which is capable of accounting for wide range of evidence which teachers have to accommodate, whether in the form of research results, or day to day experience. It develops a theory of how moral persons can come to find themselves in conflict. The book explores whether these theories are adequate to explain the experiences of one particularly difficult class, 3Y, and their teachers. It presents an account of a series of experimental lessons undertaken with a notoriously disruptive class. The book provides an outline of experimental design. It describes the problem for the teacher in holding onto a belief in pupil morality in the face of their disruptive behaviour. The book discusses the effects on the behaviour of both pupils and teacher of persevering with a person-centred approach to conflict.