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Monday, November 22, 2010

Jennifer Asked: Why Use Metaphors? Here Is My Answer.

Mr. Winkle
First, an apology. When I saw that a lot of students had skipped the Johnson/Spencer post assignment and that most who did do it did not understand it, I reported that I was "surprised and disappointed." I did not say, however, that we had a learning opportunity. I should have. Let's take advantage of that opportunity to increase our knowledge and understanding.

So here is my offering on metaphors.

The very first assignment for blog posts in EDM310 this year was a metaphor: Mr. Winkle Wakes. That metaphor apparently did not throw anyone into a tailspin. And my guess is that everyone would agree that Mr. Needleman's argument was more interesting and more persuasive than if he had not used a metaphor for his video.

Later this week some lucky North Carolina turkey will receive a pardon from the President of the United States. My guess is that all EDM310 students will understand what is being said and why it is being done.

Come Christmas many of you will tell your children that Santa Claus will bring them gifts if they have behaved themselves. And those of you who have children may recall that when asked where they came from you may have indulged in relating the famous abilities of storks.

Jennifer Inscore wrote in her first comment to my post on metaphors: "What is with the metaphor? Why not say exactly what you are trying to discuss? Why not put it into words that we all understand instead of a metaphor. If we are to be educators we should be able to speak to our students in a way that they all understand."

A good question. I would answer it this way:

We use metaphors for several reasons. Metaphors adds interest to what we say and write. Christmas without Santa would not be nearly as much fun. Even after we understand the metaphor.

stork delivering babyMetaphors allow us to discuss subjects without having to reveal all there is to know. We can talk about sex without talking about sex. The storks are an example. And don't forget their beaks - open and shut! And John Donne's poems would not be nearly so wonderful, mysterious, evocative, and provocative if they were written without metaphors.

In politics we can talk about a "chicken in every pot" without having to elaborate specifically on what we are promising (and avoid being held accountable as well).

We can discuss religion, and religious subjects, that convey meanings difficult to address with concrete words and terms. Just go back and reread Christ's parables. In fact, examine the entire Bible - from Genesis to Revelation. Metaphors from start to finish!

We can discuss illegal activities in a "polite" way. You may be too young to remember the hit song Puff the Magic Dragon but I bet you know what it was about. The same goes for Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds since this is Beatles Week.

Have you ever read The Little Engine That Could? My mother read it to me at least once a day I think. And one of the students in EDM310 this semester reported in her blog how important that book has been to her. A metaphor!

We use metaphors to get us to think about things differently. If we discuss slates or pencils or paper using the same prejudices and arguments that we use in talking about computers we can better understand the absurdity of our positions about computers. Or at least that is the approach taken by Tom Johnson.

In art, we use metaphors and symbols to convey more messages than a picture alone would convey.

So why do we use metaphors? Why do you use metaphors? Because metaphors are very useful and add a lot to our lives and conversations.

16 comments:

  1. I don't understand what the big deal is. If a person can't learn from a metaphor, then why are they willing to become a teacher? How can they expect their students to learn if they aren't willing to learn themselves?

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  2. Some metaphor are understood better than others. Like "its raining like cats and dogs", we all know what that means. Sometimes when things are used in a different setting our brains tend to think in that tone. I just think it something that is sub-conscious and we have no control over until pointed out. Then once it is pointed out, and the next time we are in a similar situation our brain has that extra context to put the clue together. That is my thought..

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  3. I believe metaphors are a great thing to use in conversation and writing. Metaphors are a huge part of our English language as well as other literary terms. I remember learning about metaphors in the sixth grade. They definitely add to our conversations. Like Dr. Strange said, metaphors are everywhere from the Bible to Shakespeare. I do believe that similes are better understood; however, metaphors are a great way to address a topic. It really surprises me that people do not understand metaphors, but I am going to be an English teacher so I assume that's why I understood the post.

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  4. Hey Dr. Strange, thanks for this post. I really appreciate the way you explain things.
    I do want to clear something up.
    Khaela - My intentions (along with other students) were not to make a big deal out of something, just simply to give our opinions. That is what blogging is all about, right? My comments also did not have anything to do with an unwillingness to learn metaphors. I know I have even made the comment in my blog before, "how can we expect students to learn if we are not willing”. My thoughts are not to necessarily learn metaphors but to teach to students in a way they all can understand and comprehend and that includes using metaphors that they all know. Coming from a tiny school, I was not introduced to a plethora of metaphors. It has absolutely nothing to do with an unwillingness to learn on my part.
    Cassandra - you said it perfectly!! :) I agree with you 100%!

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  5. I would like to offer my comments from Additional Assignment #5 for discussion. http://bit.ly/gP8Jr2

    The crux of what I have to say in the assignment in not so many words is that I was fairly insulted by you (Dr. Strange) in your first response to the pencils post. I feel very insulted that you would suggest that I can't read because I didn't understand the metaphor in the same way that you did. The great thing about metaphors is that it can mean different things to different people. I think Mr. Spencer's posts are about so much more than technology. And it is these other details that I saw instead of the computer.

    I saw a post about over bear administrators and students who need to be encouraged to create despite their limitations. I feel sometimes in this class that you require the burp back education that you so frequently rail about. You get upset when we don't see things the way that you want us to. But I will maintain that anyone who sees that post as only about technology is the one who can not read!

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  6. Yes, metaphors can be interpreted by different people to mean different things. I think we need to keep in mind:

    This is a class about becoming a technologically literate teacher.

    Dr. Strange IS guiding us to learn.

    Constructive feedback is a crucial part of this process.

    Why would we not want to understand the technological aspect of the metaphor FIRST! Then apply this to all the other possible meanings.

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  7. Jennifer,

    I understand what you're saying. It is your opinion, and I did not mean to imply that you were unwilling to learn. But what I took from your original post was that you felt that metaphors were a very unnecessary part of teaching, when in fact, they could be very helpful when used properly.

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  8. Khaela,
    Gotcha. Unfortunately, it is hard to understand all meanings through posts and I believe you misunderstood mine as I have others in the past. My opinion is metaphors are fine but they are not as substantial as some other topics and not something I will be seriously focused on when I am teaching. I wish you all the best in your future teaching career and perhaps your students will be much more informed in metaphors than I was/am.
    :)
    Jennifer

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  9. Lynn,

    I agree with you that metaphors are subject to many interpretations. I think I should add that to my list of reasons we use metaphors - to spark debates which results in thinking. And usually higher order thinking at that.

    As far as insulting you, I would say this:
    I did not read your post the week you wrote it. I read about 60 or so a week and that week Mr. Tashbin read yours. My comments were based on those posts I did read and I was careful not to address any specific person. I have just read your post, however. You discuss only the interchanges between Gertrude (a fictional character but probably a composite based on people with whom Mr. Spencer has interacted over the years) and Johnson. The central topic of the discussion is pencils - whether kids should take them home, how they will used, how they are sold to low income families, how they affect test scores, what research reveals about test scores (Johnson makes a direct dig at tests here also), whether kids can be trusted to use them for learning, whether they can be used to involve parents, and whether they will be "broken" if allowed to go home. Every paragraph discusses pencils. The "administrator" is a foil, a method to make the story interesting as well as to get a few digs in about how administrators can interfere with teaching. You only discuss the administrative issues and a method of teaching that you apparently attribute to the administrator who actually does not teach as the story is told by Johnson. So I am content that my argument that the central message of the story concerns computers is correct and to ignore it entirely, as you did, indicates that you missed the point. You need not be insulted by my pointing that out. I would suggest that you consider my argument and either say, "Well, I see what you are saying and I'll buy your argument" or respond by making your case as clearly and strongly as possible in opposition to my argument (or in addition to it if that is your position). We are about learning in this class. Not just technology. And getting angry or insulted interferes with that process. It is you rather that I who determines your emotional response to class discussions and debates.

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  10. Dr. Strange - and others - I do appreciate that this is a class about technology, and that we are meant to be learning about such things. I only take slight issue with the problems on where the metaphor is in the post we have been discussing. I take a much bigger issue with the manner in which you choose to enlighten us about it. I really feel it is inappropriate for an educator to suggest that we can't read and that our brains are all "off." Is that really something you would have your students take into their own classrooms?

    I will admit I did not see the technology. I still feel that his posts are about so much more. And yes I do see your point that this is a class on technology and that I should have been looking for it. However, I will also point out that there have been a few, not many but some, posts for our blogs that were not immediately about technology. Some of them have been fairly important posts as well. I was looking at the big picture, and over all I saw the administrator as a bigger issue. And honestly, if you look past the pencil and read as though the computers were written in from the beginning, you can still see that the administer is an important figure in the story. She is the one keeping the computers out. I think it is unfair to say that she is not a central figure in the story.

    As a closing point I would like to say that I am not angry. Insulted, sure. But I am not angry. This experience will not deter me from my learning in anyway. I just felt like expressing my reaction, I think communication is more important than ever in the information age. Emotion can be difficult to express through text, but it is important to know the reactions other people have to what you say. In that same line I am glad that you wrote back so that I can see that my own writing came across as angry. That was not my intention.

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  11. Dr. Strange - and others - I do appreciate that this is a class about technology, and that we are meant to be learning about such things. I only take slight issue with the problems on where the metaphor is in the post we have been discussing. I take a much bigger issue with the manner in which you choose to enlighten us about it. I really feel it is inappropriate for an educator to suggest that we can't read and that our brains are all "off." Is that really something you would have your students take into their own classrooms?

    I will admit I did not see the technology. I still feel that his posts are about so much more. And yes I do see your point that this is a class on technology and that I should have been looking for it. However, I will also point out that there have been a few, not many but some, posts for our blogs that were not immediately about technology. Some of them have been fairly important posts as well. I was looking at the big picture, and over all I saw the administrator as a bigger issue. And honestly, if you look past the pencil and read as though the computers were written in from the beginning, you can still see that the administer is an important figure in the story. She is the one keeping the computers out. I think it is unfair to say that she is not a central figure in the story.

    As a closing point I would like to say that I am not angry. Insulted, sure. But I am not angry. This experience will not deter me from my learning in anyway. I just felt like expressing my reaction, I think communication is more important than ever in the information age. Emotion can be difficult to express through text, but it is important to know the reactions other people have to what you say. In that same line I am glad that you wrote back so that I can see that my own writing came across as angry. That was not my intention.

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  12. I definitely like metaphors and I think they are great. I think they make for more interesting reading and really get you to think and get the brain going. It was well worth the read.

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  13. Lynn,

    Thanks for your response. I love debates and forceful discussions! That is an excellent way to learn! The goal is to make the best arguments possible and to learn. My son and I debated often. And vigorously. And we sometimes switched sides without warning. In fact we still do debate - every time we see each other which is not very often and certainly not often enough! So keep it up! I wouldn't be spending this time, nor would you, unless we felt it useful to do so. Thanks.

    Now about turning on your brain. That is one of the two mottoes of this class. It is on the Class Blog masthead. My intention was to evoke that motto. And I find it interesting that the last post in this series by Johnson/Spencer dealt not with technology, but with brainpower.

    And this leads me to another debatable point: what this class is about? Yes, technology is certainly an important component. I hope, nevertheless, that we also think about good practices as educators. How do we get students to think, to explore, to ask questions, to seek answers, to realize that answers are not permanent but beget other questions? I do not think, as you know, that burp-back education and testing, testing, testing is the way to go. So it's not just technology as far as I am concerned. Metaphors are important too. In their own right. And so is writing. And reading. And thinking. And questioning. And debating. And working with our brains turned on rather that just trying to get an assignment finished and turned in. And acting like a professional. And doing projects. And ducking grades. And making connections all over the world, And having fun.

    Ultimately, I hope, we are learning to learn - together.

    Thank you for being a partner in that process!

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  14. Man, this is exciting!! Well said everyone!

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  15. Dr. Strange

    A debate is good and everyone gets to state their opinion. My opinion on the subject of metaphors are, that they are very important in the way we communicate with each other. I love to read the Bible and I can see were Jesus used metaphors many times such as in the following scriptures: Luke 7:41-43 Canceled debts, Matthew 24: 45-51 Faithful and wise servant and the one that is so well known The Good Samaritan Luke 10: 30-37 all these are parables which is to illustrate a truth, so when you read something always look for a deeper meaning. I believe a teacher is a person who is there to lead and to guide and if that means to correct a student then the student should listen. We are never to stop learning and we will never know everything.

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  16. Dr. Strange, just read the conversation between you and Lynn. Love the two minds grasping two significant themes out of the same venue, and then the debate of it. Excellent!

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