Metaphors, models, and diagrams in educational theories and practices
pp. 63-77
in: Inna Semetsky (ed), Edusemiotics, Berlin, Springer, 2017Abstract
In his classic 1962 study, Max Black showed convincingly how scientific theories are constructed through unconscious metaphorical reasoning, thus linking them to the experiences of the scientist, the social and historical contexts in which they emerge, and the image schemata that are established within specific scientific domains. Some works have looked at this representational phenomenon within education, but only sporadically. This chapter focuses on metaphorical arguments and how they guide the construction of educational theories that lead to models and diagrammatic strategies, which in turn guide the derivative educational practices. It will then examine the possibility that metaphor itself can be incorporated into actual teaching practices, illustrating how this can be done in the teaching of mathematics and second languages. The chapter, by documenting the connection between metaphors, models, diagrams, and learning theories, addresses edusemiotics in its both theoretical and empirical aspects.
