Beliefs in Mathematics: Reflections on the Interference of Diverse Contexts in Learning

Abstract

This article intends to reflect on the vision and practice of a mathematics teacher with respect to the affections and emotions related to mathematics education, from an excerpt from a master’s research carried out with 6th grade students (including Youth Education and Adults) of a municipal school in the Baixada Fluminense. Data were collected from participant observation in a mathematics class, carried out under the theoretical-methodological procedures of action  research  (THIOLLENT,  2003  [12])  and  the  analysis  was  developed  based  on  the  theoretical  framework  with  an  emphasis  on  emotional mathematics de Chacòn (2003 [3]). It was concluded that the teacher must consider socio-emotional demands in search of effective results in mathematical learning.  This also means that their education must be consistent with the student’s demands and with their own continuing education, making an institutional investigation necessary, which contemplates the teaching profession as dialogical and interdependent in the face of emotional factors. Therefore, this  article  enhances  issues,  sometimes  implicit  in  the  mathematics  teacher’s pedagogical practice, that require a closer look, because they have an emotional affective nature, including beliefs that may have been established during the student’s first contacts with mathematics.  The data collected and the discussions showed that the possibilities of redoing affective bonds are an effective way to improve the quality of relationships and the process of teaching and logical-mathematical learning.