Affect and Learning: Reflections and Prospects

Abstract

My comments on our conference reflect the usual amalgamation of one’s initial presuppositions and prejudices with the new learning that has taken place. Having come to the mathematical learning field as a novice, armed only with some theoretical notions about the sources of emotional reactions, I now understand better some of the pervasive problems of the affective side of mathematical problem solving. My remarks in this section focus on what I have understood to be issues that deserve more extensive exploration. I start with a discussion of some definitional problems, and then move on to a further exploration of values and their effect. I then want to ask some questions about the origins of affect in the mathematical domain. This is followed by an outline of possible directions of research, including some work that, as a result of our participation in these meetings, Carmen Overson and I plan to pursue.