Download Using Metaphors in Education

Using Metaphors in Education
Colleen Finegan-Stoll, Ph.D.
Wright State University
What is a metaphor? Think back to upper elementary school days and you will recall
that a metaphor is a figure of speech by which a thing is spoken of as being that which
it resembles. Metaphor are everywhere. Lakoff and Johnson (1980) state that they are
"pervasive in everyday life, not just in language, but in thought and action" (p.3). We
studied metaphors in our education, but even without realizing it, those of us involved
in the educational process use them in education as well. Using metaphors for
educational processes is not new. As a child, I remember an exasperated teacher
voicing her wish that she could just open my head and directly pour in the knowledge.
I wish she could have too; it would have been easier than memorizing those times
tables!
Each of us sees the process of education, our role as an educator and the student in a
different manner. Lakoff and Johnson (1980) recommend searching for appropriate
metaphors as a step toward self-understanding and to help us make sense of our lives.
They suggest that "we seek out personal metaphors to highlight and make coherent
our own pasts, our present activities, and our dreams, hopes and goals as well" (p.
232-233).
Bowman (1993) challenged the participants of the Lilly Conference in excellence in
College Teaching to investigate their own viewpoints of the educational process and
create a metaphor reflective of these feelings. She presented examples of educational
metaphors suggested by teachers and students... "Education is basic training for the
world of work"; "Teaching is sowing seed", "Students are...vessels to be filled";
"Education is discovering your soul"; "Teachers are stepping stones to learning"; and
"Students are "budding flowers".
The way we see ourselves and picture our roles influences the way in which we teach
and how we interact with our students. Strenski (1989) suggests that "Metaphors have
consequences. They reflect and shape our attitudes and, in turn, determine our
behavior" (p.137). It is obvious that teaching methods used by a teacher who suggests
that "Teaching is a battle; keeping the troops in line" will differ significantly from a
teacher who feels that "A teacher is a midwife, assisting in the birth of ideas"
(Bowman, 1993).
Students of all ages attempt to discover "Who is my teacher, really, and what does
teacher want?" If we openly commmunicate ourselves and our beliefs about education
to our students, possibly in terms of a metaphor, they may come to understand the
parameters under which we are operating more quickly and accurately.
My history as an educator has included working with students from kindergarten
through teacher preparation and graduate school-but my personal metaphor is
appropriate at all levels. As a teacher, I see my role, metaphorically, as a travel agent
and a tour guide. I am not only pointing the students toward their general goals, I am
also facilitating each person's journey and, in many cases, accompanying them along
the path.
Students require various amounts and types of guidance to reach their destinations. A
few adventuresome students only need a pointed finger, others, a compass. Still others
require a "Trip-Tik" (apologies to AAA) whereby the entire trip is mapped out for
them mile by mile. There are even one or two students who may require a guide or
travel companion to accompany them for all or part of the trip and to cheer them
along their way.
Students arrive at their destinations by varying modes of transportation. Some go by
foot - a little every day; some go by hot air balloon as the weather permits; others go
by jet and arrive there before all others, even their teacher. One or two set out to travel
on their own and get to the goal by their own means just the same and still others
prefer to travel in a group and arrive by tour bus.
Students vary in their preparation for the excursion. Many begin their journey with a
well-equipped backpack and seem prepared for any and all surprises; others come
with barely the equipment needed for survival. Some come with more than they can
carry and, finding that much of what they brought was superfluous, they abandon it
along the way.
Even after arriving at their destination, I find that students recall different aspects of
their trip. Some students remember the rocky paths and the rickety bridges, while
others recall the trees, flowers and animals along the way. When at their destination,
some of the travelers merely complain about their sore feet while others experience
pride in their accomplishment, as they enjoy the view.
And, what's in it for me? Part of the reward is in the pride of watching, facilitating and
guiding those I've taught. But, the personal and very real reward for me has been
remembering that first grade child stuck in the quicksand that has now scaled the
mountain. It's that college honors student that "just had to be first" down the trail that
is now helping others to cross the slippery bridge. It's knowing that I've made a
difference in the lives of many of those travelers, and in some very special cases,
having the opportunity to share with them that glorious view from the mountain top.
References
Bowman, M.A. (Nov. 12-14, 1993). Metaphors we teach by. Paper presented at the
13th Annual Lilly Conference on College Teaching, Miami University, Oxford, OH.
Gordon, D. (1978). Theraputic metaphors. Cupertino, CA: Meta Publications.
Lakoff, G. & Johnson, M. (1980). Metaphors we live by. Chicago: University of
Chicago Press.
Strenski, E. (1989). Disciplines and communities, "armies" and "monasteries" and the
teaching of composition. Rhetoric Review, 8 (1), 137-145.
http://www.ed.wright.edu/~cfinegan/meta.htm
Metaphors of Causality and Containment
A talk given by Dominik Lukeš at Social Science Research Seminar at the
University of East Anglia. PowerPoint | Audio
Abstract: An exploratory look at how cognitive science, and namely the conceptual metaphor
theory, can help social sciences come to grips with two of its central dilemmas that it shares
with natural sciences: 1) The relationship between the local and the global in the world (e.g.
how does an individual’s psychology determine the behavior of large groups of people); and 2)
The constant interaction between the discrete and the fluid in our conceptualization of the
world (e.g. how many people are necessary to constitute a society).
Metaphors in Education: Markets, Greenhouses and Families
Talk given by Dominik Lukeš at MA Conference at the School of Education and
Life-Long Learning at UEA. PowerPoint | Audio
Abstract: Educational theorists have proposed many metaphors for interpreting education.
Some see it as a market in which ideas are exchanged and teaching services delivered, while
others insist on viewing education as growth and insist that educational institutions are set up
to ensure natural growth is not impeded but encouraged and nurtured. This talk will focus on
how new research on metaphor can elucidate the workings of such analogical thinking and
help practitioners better understand the language and concepts used both in daily
conversations and philosophical discourse regarding educational issues.
Metaphors and body-part idioms in Czech and English
Text of an MPhil thesis written by Ilona Bílková at the University of Glasgow.
Abstract: This thesis has analysed Czech and English idioms containing parts of the human
body in order to support the hypothesis that these expressions are motivated by conceptual
structures, such as general conventional knowledge and conceptual metaphors and
metonymies. The conceptual theory developed mainly by George Lakoff has been used in
order to find whether the figurative meaning of idioms containing body parts is predictable from
the meanings of their constituent parts. The analysis presented in this study has shown that
cognitive strategies are at work when Czech- and English-language speakers infer the
figurative meaning of idioms containing parts of the human body. Also, the fact that during the
process of inference of meaning speakers activate the key words in idioms suggests that the
overall figurative meaning of many idioms is predictable from the meanings of their constituent
parts. It has also been shown that there is a considerable degree of correspondence between
Czech and English in that there are idiomatic expressions in both languages which share their
figurative meaning as well as the same underlying conceptual strategies. This finding is also
based on the likelihood of body metaphors in both languages. Some implications which these
findings raise are discussed and related to second-language teaching and learning.