Dear all, thanks for an interesting discussion - which I am enjoying. My masters thesis- looking at FYE and the transition into Higher education, was called 'A map, a bicycle and good weather: the transition to undergraduate study' . Although the thesis wasn't a masterpiece, I have actually used the metaphor a number of times since and it seems to be one that people can relate to. Anything that helps people understand within their own experience is ok by me.
Another phrase used by one of my participants ' I was cool and calm on the surface, paddling like hell underneath' - again, I am sure that many of us can relate to this, both in relation to our students, and dare I suggest it- on occasion to ourselves?)
Sue Purnell
Educational Development
ext 41160
> -----Original Message-----
> From: learning development in higher education network
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Cash, Caroline
> Sent: 05 June 2007 15:00
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: metaphors - just scoring points?
>
> Thanks John, an interesting way of looking at the issue of 'strategic
> learning'.
>
> A couple of years ago I conducted an induction survey to look at how
> students felt prepared for university study. Many of the students used
> the metaphor of travel - that learning was a journey that they were
> undertaking. They that needed certain resources (from the
> educators/institutions) - fuel, directions, map, reliable vehicle etc.
> Some extended this metaphor to interplanetary travel, seeing the
> achievement of their degree as a distant star that was likely to be
> difficult to reach. Others took a more local perspective... Waiting at
> the bus-stop unsure of the timetable, taking a taxi to the airport etc.
>
> I wish I'd made more of it then, but it was just part of a broader
> discussion. It did point to aspects of the journey that students felt
> were beyond their control, but necessary to reaching their destination.
>
> Caroline Cash
> Research Fellow
>
> Learning and Teaching Research Centre
> University College Falmouth
> Woodlane, Falmouth, Cornwall, TR11 4RH
> E-mail: [log in to unmask]
> Telephone +44 132 621 4390
> website: www.falmouth.ac.uk
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: learning development in higher education network
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Martin Hampton
> Sent: 04 June 2007 11:55
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: metaphors - just scoring points?
>
> Quite agree that creating and criticising metaphors for learning can be
> a great way to:
> a) encourage reflection and meta-cognition
> b) make 'critique' accessible.
>
> Sometimes it seems that 'what is this NOT like' is almost as effective a
> question as 'what is this like?' - especially when it is proving
> difficult to think of answers to the latter.
>
> Martin H
>
> >>> John Hilsdon <[log in to unmask]> 01/06/2007 15:27 >>>
> Dear All
>
> A minor Friday afternoon diversion ...
>
> I thought you might enjoy and find interesting a brief article by Walter
> Tschinkel (professor of biological science at Florida State
> University)
> that was sent to me via a colleague here in Plymouth. It explores some
> common metaphors for learning and asks helpfully critical questions
> about 'building blocks' and sports related images, the extent to which
> they accord with reality, and their implications for teaching and
> learning. He is provocative about learning, how deeply students learn,
> and the instrumentalism encouraged by how we assess ... He also
> discusses some alternatives.
>
> Tschinkel asked his students about suitable metaphors for education.
> They agreed with the notion of constructing a building - but he
> countered:
> "My observations suggest that there is another metaphor that describes
>
> your mode of operation more closely," I said, "and that is sports. When
>
> you play a sport, your preparation reaches a crescendo just before a
> match (exam). If you win the match (exam), you get points (grades) in
> proportion to your placement. You keep track of those points,
> strategizing about how to get more next time. The match leaves no
> residue other than the points. At the end of college, you enter the
> working world with your overall standing (grade-point average) and
> little more. Your approach is certainly effective in getting the points
>
> that get you through college, but it is poor when it comes to getting an
>
> actual education."
>
> Hmmmm! I wonder what others might make of that ... I was, unthinkingly,
> about to simply paste the full text of the article into an email and
> send it to the list, but then realised there may be ethical and legal
> issues around reproducing the full text in a public open list such as
> ours.
>
> This led me to seek out the source of the material to see if the article
> is 'free'. It is not 'technically' free - but my journey was worth
> taking - you might want to go there too!
>
> Seeking the source of Tschinkel's article led me first to the "Science
> Education Resource Center" of Carleton College in the US (Northfield,
> MN): http://serc.carleton.edu/serc/about.html
>
> This site points to a wealth of science-related and learning development
> materials some of you may find useful.
>
> From there, I found my way to "The Chronicle of Higher Education" (a US
> publication) in which the Walter Tschinkel article was published. If you
> are not familiar with the Chronicle (I wasn't) I thoroughly recommend
> that you go to the site http://chronicle.com/ to see for yourselves. A
> range of fascinating articles kept me from my urgent 'to do' list for a
> good hour this afternoon!
>
> If you are keen to pursue the article, it has been distributed and
> discussed on a US email list: [log in to unmask]
> http://serc.carleton.edu/mailman/listinfo/elements and the full text is
> available from
> http://serc.carleton.edu/pipermail/elements/2007-May/thread.html - click
> on "Elements good article" posted by Dexter Perkins.
>
> Happy weekends folks
>
> John
>
> John Hilsdon
> Co-ordinator, Learning Development
> University of Plymouth
> Drake Circus
> Plymouth
> PL4 8AA
> 01752 232276
>
> [log in to unmask]
> http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/learn
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