1. Krishna Seunarinesingh
Language Foundations
Krishna Seunarinesingh

2. Discourses in education Metaphors in education
Today’s Focus
Discourses in education
Metaphors in education
How have teaching and teachers been conceptualised?
How does this relate to you?
The power of metaphor??

3. NOTE
Many of these slides contain notes at the bottom of the page, which explain the slide content.
Therefore, you should view the slides by going to “view” and choosing “notes page” in Microsoft Powerpoint.

4. What is a metaphor?
‘The characterisation of a phenomenon in familiar terms’. In other words, people use metaphors to simplify their experiences” (Dickmeyer, 1989).

5. Senge
According to Senge (1990, p.175) metaphors, or mental models, are what humans carry in their heads ‘in the form of images, assumptions and stories…and not only determine how we make sense of the world, but how we take action’.
Note that this definition conceptualizes language (a language device of metaphor) as a meaning making device, or tool. Remember that metaphors compare two things by saying that one thing is the other. Metaphor does this because the person using the metaphor wants us to see how closely connected the two apparently disimilar things are.
Consider this, if you compare a school environment to a zoo, by saying, “this place is a zoo” then you are using linguistic resources to communicate (a) your attitude to the school and (b) perhaps, your sense of helplessness in trying to improve it.

6. Application to education
Pajak (1986, p.123) describes metaphors as a means for teachers to verbalize their ‘professional identity’. While Clandinin (1986) suggests that metaphors are indications of the way teachers think about teaching and also guide the way they act in the classroom.
This slide presents two important ideas:
The connection between metaphor choice and your conception of your professional identity, and
The ability of metaphors to [a] indicate inner cognitive states, and [b] act as scripts in determining teachers’ actions in schools.
With respect to the first idea, Pajak (1986) is suggesting that teachers’ deliberate choice of a metaphor is a means through which they can communicate how they feel about their identity as teachers. Here are some examples of metaphors teachers have adopted: gardener, chef, guide, lion tamer, and dance instructor. Each of these communicates a different self concept. For example, someone who sees themself as a gardener apparently conceptualizes their job in nurturing and caring terms. In contrast, the dance instructor metaphor highlights the concern with order, smooth movement, rhythm in life and teaching others to “ move to the beat”.
If a person is concerned with ensuring ‘no child is left behind’, all are included, what metaphor do you think they MIGHT choose?
These ideas connect to Clandinin’s (1986) ideas because he suggests that a metaphor can function as a cognitive template. What this means is that it can influence action. This is a BIG claim to make because it says a person will act or can act based on the comparisons they make. If you compare your school to a regiment, and your colleagues to hyenas how does that influence your actions? How willing will you be to engage with and in a community of practice?
If you compare students to sheep and position yourself as the shepherd, how might that direct the way you treat them when they “go astray”?
Consider Lackoff and Johnson’s (1980) statement:
"Metaphors may create realities for us, especially social realities. A metaphor may thus be a guide for future action. Such actions will, of course, fit the metaphor. This will, in turn, reinforce the power of the metaphor to make experience coherent. In this sense metaphors can be self-fulfilling prophecies” (p.4).
Is what has been said so far your experience of using metaphor?

7. Sather-Cook’s compilation
Let’s look at Sather-Cook’s compilation of metaphors, which she pulled together from various journal articles.

8. If the link above does not work, click here.
Your preference/s
Take a few minutes and read through the linked file (pp ), then share with us which metaphors seem closest to describing how you feel about education and educators.
If the link above does not work, click here.

9. Application
How can these metaphors (or how can thinking metaphorically) influence your approach to training and work?
You may find it useful to choose one of the metaphors Cook-Sather identifies and work out mentally what it ‘means’ or might mean for you in your work context. Do you think the chosen metaphor can influence your actions?

10. Examples of Metaphor Education is banking Education is growth
Learning is acquisition
Learning is participation
Teacher as scholar
Teacher as sculptor
Teaching as gardening.
Teaching is persuasion
For explanations, see document titled “Some metaphors in education.”

11. Let us explore what each of these metaphors means/refers to.
Discussion
Let us explore what each of these metaphors means/refers to.
Which one appeals to you?

12. Application
Look at the various Trinidad and Tobago education documents freely available on the internet. What metaphors do they rely on and employ?
What messages do these metaphors communicate?
Click this link to the SEMP language arts syllabus for an example you can work with.
If you look carefully at the metaphors used, you can get a sense of the big D Discourses that the SEMP curricula are drawing on.

13. TASK For Today
Section A of the Pedagogy as Process Portfolio assessment requires that you create a metaphor which captures your current philosophy of teaching.
Based on what you read from Sather-Cook, as well as what you understood from this slide presentation, choose a metaphor that captures what you think about your role (and identity) as teacher.
Write an explanation of your chosen metaphor. (note: the metaphor is not limited to what is in Sather-Cook’s article).

14. TASK
When you complete the task, on slide 13, save it for when your tutor/lecturer requests it. This will be when Section A of the portfolio is due.