Good Resource on Using Analogies

This article is beneficial for teachers because the author explains why an analogy can be a powerful tool to help students better understand science concepts. For example, the author cites a... See More

This article is beneficial for teachers because the author explains why an analogy can be a powerful tool to help students better understand science concepts. For example, the author cites a study that showed that 3 groups of students who were taught a science concept using analogies better understood the concept than the group that did not hear any analogies. Furthermore, the article also explains that analogies can help students connect their prior knowledge to what is being taught. As a result of using analogies, students are establishing a familiarity with the concepts and vocabulary which increases their chances of successfully learning the material. The article is also great because it provides teachers with a starting point on how to use analogies in the classroom. For instance, the author explains that teachers should listen to and recognize what metaphors are being generated amongst their students to help them better make sense of the science concept. Moreover, the article states that this is also important for preventing misconceptions, because analogies are only good for explaining a concept if it remains true under great scrutiny and analysis. I think this journal article is a great resource for teachers and it gets a rating of 5 out of 5 stars from me because it uses evidence to support why analogies are a great tool to use in the classroom. Moreover, it provides specific examples of what teachers should do to effectively implement them in class, such as use analogies generated by students and prevent misconceptions by analyzing incorrect metaphors.

Linking Difficult Concepts to Everyday Examples

Analogies are used in everyday conversations to make concepts more familiar by relation to things in everyday life. In the science classroom analogies can be used to make a comparison betwe... See More

Analogies are used in everyday conversations to make concepts more familiar by relation to things in everyday life. In the science classroom analogies can be used to make a comparison between a ‘target concept (the concept you are aiming to have students understand) and the analog concept.’ Not all analogies are good or are used properly. The authors of this article provide the reader with several research models such as TWA and FAR. Advice is also provided on how to get started in elementary grades using analogies. This seems like a great model to help students understand difficult concepts more easily.