Teachers’ metaphor choice can include or exclude students from discussion.

Evidence

Still, teachers need to be aware of how their own use of metaphors operates in and influences their interactions with students. Use of metaphor can either invite students into a discussion, or exclude them. Bowers and Flinders (1990) give an example of a lesson on government regulation of the private sector. The teacher first discussed it in terms of government intervention in business, mentioning airline safety inspec - tions, food quality rules and the minimum wage. These aspects of an authority/power metaphor—a masculine-identified perspective—tended to include more males than females in the class. So the teacher switched to a metaphor of “protection,” which brought into the discussion a girl who had previously been silent. Similarly, teachers who only use sports metaphors are likely to be more inviting to students who are excited by sports and to exclude those who aren’t. Again, thoughtful teachers use a variety of metaphors to open up a topic to students who come from a variety of cultural backgrounds. — Rebecca A. Martusewicz, Jeff Edmundson, and John Lupinacci, EcoJustice Education, 507

Categorization

• DEFINE: This is the operational, classroom workbench example translating metaphor theory into immediate, usable pedagogy — central to this book’s role as practical companion.
• XREF: Directly connects to the immersion course’s listening/observation-as-method and to Bowers’ framework, but here it is the concrete how-to both build on. — connects to: Classroom interactions act like root metaphors, transmitting power-laden assumptions students internalize. — Rebecca A. Martusewicz, Jeff Edmundson, and John Lupinacci, EcoJustice Education: Toward Diverse,…, 761; Imagining cultures built on alternative root metaphors teaches students that current ones are chosen. — Rebecca A. Martusewicz, Jeff Edmundson, and John Lupinacci, EcoJustice Education: Toward Diverse,…, 649

Broader Connections

• Imagining cultures built on alternative root metaphors teaches students that current ones are chosen. #expands (0.78) — Rebecca A. Martusewicz, Jeff Edmundson, and John Lupinacci, EcoJustice Education, 649