Book review: “The Affective Domain and Mathematics Education: keys to understanding the influence of affectivity and attitudes in the construction of mathematical knowledge"

The book "Affective Domain and Mathematics Education: keys to understanding the influence of affectivity and attitudes in the construction of mathematical knowledge", written by Marcelo Casis Raposo, PhD © in Education Sciences, explains clearly and in detail the impact of emotions in the learning process.

In the current era of globalization, and related to the changes of paradigms in the educational context, the teaching role has been gradually transformed, taking importance the orientation, facilitation and mediation functions of the learning processes. In this regard, the necessary professionalization in the academic area demands that teachers not only have an "expertise" in the disciplinary domain - to enhance in a balanced way the learning of their students-, but also to understand the various dimensions involved in the teaching-learning process.

The postulates derived from the constructivist paradigm have promoted a non-directive pedagogy that focuses on the student and his processes of symbolization. This changes the traditional figure of the teacher-instructor, into the vision of the teacher as a mediator who facilitates the student’s development of learning processes by providing the necessary conditions for the integration of the conceptual (knowledge), procedural (know-how) and attitudinal (knowing how to be and how to live with others) domains involved in the learning environment.

Authors such as Bruner, Ausubel and Gagñé have extensively pointed out the relevance of emotional, dispositional and motivational factors as predictors of academic success, pointing out that in all learning, not only cognitive but also affective changes occur in students. In this way, concepts such as emotional intelligence coined by Goleman seem to make more sense in the educational experience.

In his book, Dr. Casis emphasizes this last dimension, recovering the concept of "affective domain" from philosophical, psychological, social and pedagogical perspectives and linking them specifically to mathematical learning. However, his contribution lies in the possibility of transferring his proposal to any area of ​​knowledge, highlighting the importance of emotional disposition (attitudinal component) in the learning process. At the same time, he proposes a didactic method that facilitates overcoming critical incidents that lead to an attitudinal change in the students.

In this sense, the text represents a valuable input for the development of teacher training at all levels of professional performance. At the same time, it implicitly insinuates the importance of the teachers' affective disposition in the arduous challenge of transforming students.