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An exploratory mixed method study on teachers’ creative skill development with metaphor in language, gesture, and pedagogy
Journal article   Peer reviewed

An exploratory mixed method study on teachers’ creative skill development with metaphor in language, gesture, and pedagogy

Ross C Anderson, Mari Livie, Gabriella Schuhe, Nathan Beard, Jessica Land, Tracy Bousselot and Jen Katz-Buonincontro
Psychology of aesthetics, creativity, and the arts
17 Aug 2023

Abstract

Ability Level Concepts Creativity Female Gestures Human Male Metaphor Teachers Teaching Methods Teacher Education
In this exploratory mixed method study, we investigated teachers’ skill in and use of language-based and enactive metaphor in their own learning and in their instructional design. This study represents a rare, and thus early, exploration of creative multimodal metaphor in the educational context, starting first with teachers. This study builds on the premise that skill development in metaphor should support multidisciplinary instructional design and culturally relevant and responsive teaching for educators. The sample of 53 teachers used gestural metaphor in their sensemaking about abstract and complex concepts and ideas in a variety of unique ways, which could translate to the student context. Findings revealed that (a) teacher training in creativity and arts integration may have contributed to creative skill in metaphor generation, (b) teachers were successful at generating a variety of gestural metaphor to represent abstract concepts about creativity, and (c) metaphoric thinking and acting served as a vehicle for instructional design innovations. In this way, familiarity and skill development with linguistic and enactive metaphor is worthy of continued exploration in the educational context and as a research tool for creative thinking and acting in different modalities.

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3 citations in Scopus

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Web of Science research areas
Humanities, Multidisciplinary
Psychology, Experimental
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