Question 3: What is the value of fostering holistic education in a Science classroom?
4.4 Science Lesson 2: A Metaphor for Science (22 March 2018)
Knowledge in itself, no matter the format, is a metaphor as it can be depicted in a variety of ways to students (Sanchez-Ruiz, Santos & Jiménez, 2013). The use of metaphors allowed me to explore linguistics in Science with my students, as an art form. Sanchez-Ruiz, Santos and Jiménez (2013) explained how metaphors formed an important aspect of creativity in Science education as it allowed students to become original and demonstrate different and a new affirmation of the content, perpetuating their understanding. It is for this reason that I selected the study of metaphors in Science education as the focal point for the next lesson.
My second lesson followed from my first, with the exception that it was not so technical in nature. The day was far more relaxed. My students were energized, having just come from a physical education lesson. Once again, the bustle of the previous lesson filtered in, as I waited silently at the front for acknowledgement and only proceeded when I found all eyes on me. I asked my students what they thought of English as a subject. Many felt that it was easy enough but student Ash questioned, “Why do I need to know what Shakespeare wrote about?” and
“Why must I know about parts of speech and metaphors?”, and my personal favourite, “When will I ever use this information when I finish school?”. I wanted a gauge of how they felt about language before I commenced my second holistically- adapted, arts-based lesson. During the topic of chemical reactions, we spoke of the language of Science, and how it was so important to know the type of language we should use. This got me thinking about what students thought about Science, in terms of language. Could they articulate how they feel about Science into a simple language task?
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The metaphor is a language tool or figure of speech used to make a comparison between two things, linking emotion and feeling in your comparison. For example, I could say, “The lady was as beautiful as a rose”. This comparison speaks volumes about what I thought of the lady’s beauty, comparing it to one of the most beautiful flowers known to man. I used this explanation in my class, even though most of them already understood metaphor. The condition was that they had to create a metaphor with regard to Science. They would need to start off by saying,
“Science is as...” and fill in the blanks, based on their emotion or what they compared Science to. The task was simple, but allowed students to sum up all emotions tied to science in a single sentence, which was not easy.
Figure 4.2: A metaphor for Science (I)
93 Figure 4.3: A metaphor for Science (II)
Figure 4.4: A metaphor for Science (III)
94 Figure 4.5: A metaphor for science (IV)
The metaphors in the figures above allowed me to gauge what a task the subject was. Science is complicated, it is challenging but it is doable. Figure 4.2 spoke of how Science was like doing a puzzle in the dark with only half the reference page. It showed me that Science and learning Science came with challenges and not very clear instructions as to how to teach or learn it. Building a puzzle in the dark comes with many challenges, whether you are doing it correctly or if the pieces fit. Building a puzzle with only half the reference means you have to find the solution yourself, often guessing if what you are doing will lead you to the correct picture. Many students find it a problem in understanding how to approach the subject. I have constantly had students tell me they just do not get Science, or do not understand after I have done a section of work. Many times, these students expected to grasp the concept immediately, and only after I used multiple ways, drawings, flow charts to explain, did they start to understand the concepts. The student who did the metaphor in Figure 4.3 clearly enjoyed the subject and saw it as one that entailed a life-long, growing experience. Using a metaphor pertaining to nature and growth made me realise that some students saw science as subject that required nurturing. Much like a plant required tending too, with plenty of water, sunlight and nutrients, science education would require adequate amounts of preparation, insight, guidance and innovation. The student who did the metaphor in Figure 4.4 clearly had no wish to expand on it. Figure 4.4 depicts Science as a subject that should probably not have existed, as wishing Isaac Newton never developed his theories of gravity meant he/she would not have had to
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engage in learning about them years later. They believe there is only one way of doing it, and if they cannot figure that way, it is over. Sir Isaac Newton was considered one of the founding fathers of Science education. He pioneered many ideas and theories, which has formed the basis of the science curriculum that I have and currently teach today. Simply wishing the apple never fell on his head, implied that his very ‘Aha!’ moment would never have existed, which would have had a chain reaction in the abandonment of many scientific phenomena we understand today.