Falk Seeger

Current and Impending Issues in Cultural-Historical Studies on Emotions: A Follow-Up

Looking back at the making of these two issues of Mind, Culture, and Activity, we have found this enterprise to be a significant opportunity for collecting and discussing a range of inspiring and intriguing contributions to research on emotions from a cultural-historical perspective. We wish to thank the editors of Mind, Culture, and Activity, namely, Andy Blunden, Michael Cole, Martin Packer, Artin Göncü, and Jennifer Vadeboncoeur, who invited us to carry out this fascinating project as Guest Editors. To begin with, we are well aware of the fact that the present choice of articles is not a representative selection of the whole field of research and of conceptual approaches to emotional development from a cultural-historical perspective. Our choice, however, was guided by two common denominators that we wanted all the articles to have: (a) an emphasis on the development of emotions and their sign-mediated transformation from biologically given precursor emotions to fully functioning and consciously felt emotions, and (b) inspiring examples of how empirical research on emotional development in diverse fields can be conducted. From the beginning, this has guided our activities. Now, at the temporary end of our project, we would like to share several important conceptual issues with the reader that may shed some light on what both parts of the special issue means for future directions in cultural-historical research on emotions and emotional development.

Ein semiotischer Blick auf die Psychologie des Mathematiklernens

ZusammenfassungDer vorliegende Beitrag stellt einige Überlegungen vor, wie die Perspektive der kulturhistorischen Psychologie die semiotische Analyse des Mathematiklernens ergänzen und befruchten kann. Diese „Ergänzung” betrifft die notwendige Einheit von semiotischen Prozessen, die sich auf Gegenstände beziehen, und solchen, die sich auf eine soziale Ebene zwischen Menschen beziehen. Am Beispiel von Ergebnissen aus der kulturhistorischen Psychologie werden exemplarisch die Umrisse der soziale Fassung einer semiotischen Perspektive insbesondere in Hinblick auf die Fragen von „Kontext und Lernen” und „Denken — intern und extern” erläutert. Konsequenzen für die Mathematikdidaktik werden diskutiert.AbstractThis paper presents some thoughts on how semiotics in mathematics education might benefit from a perspective of cultural-historical psychology. These thoughts address the question of the necessary unity of semiotic processes relating to objects and semiotic processes relating to persons on a social plane. Using examples from cultural-historical psychology two issues are discussed: “context and learning” and “internal and external.” Consequences for mathematics education are presented in the closing section.

Beyond the dichotomies

The present paper starts from the assumption that a semiotic approach might provide a fresh start in reconciling prevailing dichotomies in educational reflection and research. Especially as regards the popular dichotomies of individual against social learning and constructive against receptive learning. Three exemplary sections will illustrate the salient features of a semiotic approach: sign process seen as mediating means; sign processes as creating networks of objects, signs and interpretants; and the metaphor of map and territory as a relation of sign and activity. Throughout the paper it is tried to capitalize from the tension between the semiotic approaches of Peirce and Vygotskij. Der vorliegende Beitrag grundet sich auf die Annahme, dass ein semiotischer Ansatz moglicherweise dem Versuch zu neuem Erfolg verhelfen kann, herrschende Dicho-tomien in der padagogischen und didaktischen forschung zu uberwinden. Dies betrifft besounders die beliebte Gegenuber-stellung von sozial und individuall und von konstruktiv und rezeptiv beim Lernen. In drei exemplarischen Abschnitten wird die Fruchtbarkeit einer semiotischen Perspektive demonstriert: Zeichenprozess als Mittel und Vermittlung. Zeichenprozesse als Vernetzung von Objekten, Zeichen und Interpretanten; und die Beziehung von Landkarte und Territorium als Metapher fur die Beziehung von Zeichen und Tatigkeit. Die Spannung zwischen den semiotischen Perspektiven von Peirce und Vygotskij bildet dabei einen permanenten Bezugspunkt.

Die Analyse von Interaktion und Wissen im Mathematik-Unterricht und die Grenzen der Lehrbarkeit

Two approaches to the empirical analysis of mathematics teaching were compared, viz. Jörg Voigt’s analysis of student-teacher -interaction and Rainer Bromme and Heinz Steinbring’s analysis of the epistemological structure of mathematical knowledge. The principal aim of the study is to show the basic complementarity of the concepts of „interaction” and „knowledge” and to apply theoretical concepts to elucidate their relation. It is concluded that the results obtained under the respective paradigm of interaction and knowledge might well complement one another, and that a common theoretical framework that respects the originality of each approach will be helpful for future empirical research on mathematics teaching.

The Psychology of Emotions and Cultural Historical Activity Theory, Part 1

It has become a truism to say that psychology has a long past but a relatively short history, which is all the more true for the past and history of emotions. The past of emotions has often seen them as the main characters in the history and narratives of human passions, above all as the antagonists of human rationality and clear thinking. Although theories of emotion have been an integral part of the works of classical philosophers, such as Aristotle, Plato, Spinoza, Hume, or Hobbes, emotions seem to have lost this central place in modern philosophy. Only in the last century has scientific research started to seriously focus on emotions, their inner structure, and their function within the overall context of human activity. Since then, emotions have advanced to become an essential subject of scientific research. A pivotal reference point for cultural-historical approaches to emotion has been L. S. Vygotsky. In several moments of his work, Vygotsky himself showed a conceptual curiosity about human emotions. He devoted one of his Lectures on Psychology (1932/1987) to the topic of emotions, the major theses of which were elaborated at length in The Teaching about Emotions (1931–1933). In these works, Vygotsky discussed in detail the major conceptual trends and tensions in the literature of his time, indirectly advancing his own position. Vygotsky called for the realization of the “intimate connection and dependency that exists between the development of the emotions and the development of other aspects of mental life” (Lectures on Psychology, 1932/1987, p. 332). The approach of now-classical writings in cultural-historical theory, like those of Vygotsky, Leont’ev, and other writers, was devoted to overcoming a dualistic perspective on emotions that saw body and mind, emotion and cognition, as opposed and contradictory. In the culturalhistorical tradition, emotions are taken to be those psychological functions that signal the personal meaning of one’s own and others’ actions, thereby making emotions constitutive for activity regulation as a whole. In cultural-historical work and publication, emotions, however, have not received the same attention that has been given to other psychological functions.

BOOK REVIEWS: A Large Territory: One Year in an Elementary Mathematics Classroom

This is a book about how mathematics teaching, and other subject-matter teaching, could be: teaching aiming at an understanding of what is taught and teaching aiming at mathematical problem solving. For the author, problem solving is not only a metonym for an approach to mathematics learning but also a description of the activity of teaching mathematics. The complexity of teaching and learning is shown in a masterly way. It is a timely book as it reminds us that essential reform in the classroom is not accomplished either easily or swiftly. The book and the approach presented in the book must be seen as a contribution to the discourse following the publication of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Professional Standards for Teaching Mathematics (NCTM, 1991). The core assumption of the Standards is that understanding is something to be developed, not received. Far from being an ideal that only some students can reach, it can be attained in a systematic way through appropriate teaching in all grades. Since the Standards, many books have been written about how to accomplish the ambitious project (see, e.g., Hiebert et al., 1997). And before it can be said to be tried out to a satisfactory degree, a new wave of reform programs is shifting the emphasis to different aspects of teaching. That is why I would call Lampert’s book a timely reminder that “teaching for understanding” should not be put aside as “done.” In its treatment of teaching mathematics as problem solving, this book tries to attain four goals: to show how teaching is developing over time in a whole class; to uncover the complexities of content in teaching with problems; to describe what is going on between students and teachers as actors in the work of teaching; and finally, to make it clear how one can make his or her way in the complicated terrain of teaching with problems. MIND, CULTURE, AND ACTIVITY, 10(2), 168–172 Copyright

Discussion I of Part II

This commentary simultaneously offers a broad and a narrow perspective. It is narrow in that it does not attempt to synthesize or digest the chapters in this section. It can be called broad as it attempts to sketch some salient features of the future development of and learning geometry, of the transformation of transformation. Four such strands of reasoning are discussed: the paramount significance of meaning-making, the role of artefacts as socially and culturally embedded, embodiment and enactment, and, finally, emotions, meaning-making, and triangulation.