ABSTRACT
The importance of affect How children feel about themselves and the ideas that they encounter in the classroom influences their learning. ‘Feelings of wonder, delight, amusement, interest, disinterest, boredom and disgust will clearly impact in different ways on the learning task – sometimes favourably, sometimes unfavourably’ (Hodson 1998: 54). Children’s feelings about learning tasks are affected by many different factors including ones in their personal background which are beyond the influence of the school. But the school can have a role in relation to the impact of other factors, relating to their previous experience of similar tasks, the response of others to what they have done, and how their ideas are received. For instance:
Introduction We are concerned in this chapter with the classroom conditions which have direct impact on children’s response to their activities and thus on their learning outcomes. These are not features of the learning environment that are easily measured and consequently attract less attention than they merit, yet they are critical to the achievement of some of the more important aims education. A good deal depends, not on the materials and physical resources, but on teachers’ actions, language and behaviour.
