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Similes, Metaphors & Analogies to Understand Abstract Concepts

Tags

^21st Century Skills All Ages Strategy

Skills

Flexible Thinking Verbal Reasoning Verbal Memory Abstract Reasoning Visual Memory

Similes, Metaphors & Analogies to Understand Abstract Concepts

If your student is struggling with a new concept, particularly if they have stronger verbal reasoning skills

How To Apply It!

  1. Using figures of speech works equally well in literature as it does in science to help students understand and visualize new information by tying it to what they previously learned and understood.
  2. Use similes, metaphors or analogies when explaining new information to students to help them visualize. Have students explain why you chose the comparison to check for understanding.
  3. As students grow more comfortable, provide the first part of the metaphor and let the student fill in the item of comparison and explain the rationale.
  4. Provide opportunities for students to use these tools to demonstrate deeper understanding. Student responses can give insight into their depth of knowledge.
  5. In reading, compare book characters to people you know or other characters. In history, similes can be used to draw parallels to current events. In science, abstract concepts can be related to physical objects students can see and touch.

Why It Works (the Science Of Learning)!

One of the best ways to understand and remember new, complex information is to tie it to information that the student has already mastered or understood. That means not only showing or explaining something new, but also providing explicit comparisons to familiar materials. The same way writers use simile and metaphor to make stories come alive, teachers and parents can use these same tools to make complex topics interesting and relatable, and deepen understanding. This strategy can supplement using visualization techniques.