Drawing on Linguistics:
Concepts, Metaphors and
Colored Pencils
Kristen Precht-Byrd
The Problem
• Integrating complex information into students’
existing schema.
Existing background
knowledge
METAPHOR
New integrated
knowledge
Set-up
• Describe metaphors
for linguistics
• Focus on relevant
content
Content
Set-up
• Have students use colored pencils and playdoh to create their own metaphor for a
linguistics concept
• Students scan or photograph their work.
Writing
• Students describe their metaphor:
– Extend it from their own knowledge to the
course material
– Describe relationships between elements in
the metaphor
– Discuss implications/
conclusions
• Students upload picture and
paragraph to BbLearn.
Online Interaction
• To get students to engage in discussion, direct
them to:
1) Ask questions,
2) Make their responses full of thought,
insight and analysis, and
3) Connect to the real world and the course
content.
Online Interaction cont.
• Instructor should model thinking/integration
in a sample discussion post.
• Students read others’ metaphors and
comments, and integrate others’ points more
easily because they’re linked to familiar
concepts.
Connecting Personally
Initially, I was thinking of something similar
conceptually, being a musician of how there
are progressions I can write that no one else
has, and equating that to new words.
Extending the Metaphor
I'm glad you included grammar in your
metaphor. In my drawing, I focused on the
building blocks of language, but the idea of
"binding" these blocks together to make one
universal shape definitely takes it one step
further.
Student Feedback
Students reported that they enjoyed the project.
Specifically, they said they were able to:
• think creatively and innovatively
• think critically
• allow for expression of abstract thought
• analyze
• interact with peers in a way that was enjoyable
and helpful
• get feedback from peers and instructor which
allowed them to see multiple perspectives
Drawing a Metaphor
• Flexible tool for helping with conceptual
complexities
• Appropriate in just about any discipline
• Effective at many different levels
• Effective in student appreciation of concepts
• Highly interactive online activity
• Students liked it
Sum It Up
• Conceptually chewy areas
• Students develop metaphors with colored
pencils and play-doh
• Write up the metaphors
• Interact around those metaphors on the
discussion board
• Give insightful feedback