Why I Climb Mountains With Students: Using Metaphor as a Teaching Tool
Publication Date
1-1-2023
Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Pedagogy in Health Promotion
DOI
10.1177/23733799231179234
Abstract
Metaphor is essential to human cognition and central to teaching and learning. In this case study, the author documents the use of metaphor in a senior-level course as a strategy to build community, provide a sense of direction, and unite the class around a shared experience. Students who experienced the metaphor as a teaching tool were invited to share their memories and reflect on the impact (N = 395). Through content analysis, three themes were identified in the responses: (1) Appreciating the Journey, (2) Building and Supporting a Classroom Community, and (3) Finding Motivation, Purpose, and Willingness to Face the Unknown. Overall, most respondents remembered and valued the metaphor immediately and, in the months, and years following the course. The use of metaphors is recommended in public health teaching and learning.
Keywords
program planning and evaluation, student centered teaching/learning, undergraduate public health students
Department
Public Health and Recreation
Recommended Citation
Anji Buckner-Capone. "Why I Climb Mountains With Students: Using Metaphor as a Teaching Tool" Pedagogy in Health Promotion (2023). https://doi.org/10.1177/23733799231179234
