Promoting Positive Emotional Engagement in Mathematics of Prospective Primary Teachers

Joanna Higgins, & Janette BobisGood teaching is described as that which is “charged with positive emotion” (Hargreaves, 1998, p.835). Yet, primary pre-service teacher education programs predominantly focus on the development of knowledge and pedagogy while affective aspects, including emotions, are only implicitly treated (Gootenboer, 2008). To date, research exploring the role emotions play in the process of learning to teach mathematics has received little attention (Hogden & Askew, 2007). The round table will begin by outlining the rationale and theoretical underpinnings of a trans-Tasman research project that aims to deepen primary pre-service teachers’ [PST] emotional and intellectual engagement in learning to teach mathematics. The Mathematics Emotional Engagement [MEE] project aims to develop and assess the effectiveness of an innovative teaching approach designed to promote positive emotional engagement in learning and teaching mathematics. The study explores the impact of a three-step interventional framework, referred to as ‘AIR’, that utilises a series of research-based instructional activities involving preservice primary teachers in: (1) Attending to their existing emotional responses towards the learning and teaching of mathematics; (2) Interpreting the causes and potential impact of existing emotional responses; and (3) Responding to their emotions with strategies to ameliorate negative affects on their learning and teaching of mathematics. Data from the first stage of the project—developing and refining AIR instructional strategies—will provide the stimulus for discussion amongst participants.

Reviewing of research papers

Research papers will be blind reviewed by a panel of peers approved by the conference committee. The main purpose of the refereeing process is to contribute to the growth and development of quality practice in mathematics education research. Thus reviewers are asked to assist authors by providing helpful feedback and to comment on the suitability of papers for presentation at the conference. Accordingly, it will not be assumed that published papers presented at the conference will be as polished as articles in scholarly journals. Referees will be asked to assess papers being reviewed against the accepted norms for scholarly works presented at MERGA conferences, as set out above.

Each conference proceedings’ Editorial Team will exercise discretion over the reviewing process.

Reviewers’ comments will be returned to the authors. Authors whose papers are not accepted for publication may be invited by the editorial panel to present their paper at the conference, with an abstract (only) being published in the proceedings. Papers may be rejected outright, with no opportunity for presentation at the conference in an alternative form.

The MERGA website has detailed advice about criteria for reviewing of MERGA papers, review forms, and examples of strong and poor reviews of different types.

Promoting Positive Emotional Engagement in Mathematics of Prospective Primary Teachers

Promoting Positive Emotional Engagement in Mathematics of Prospective Primary Teachers

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