Transfer Metaphors
Background: Wardle (2007, p. 72) suggested that students leave their Writing Foundation
courses with practice in four areas of writing: 1) organizing material, 2) managing large research
and writing projects, 3) reading and analyzing academic research articles, and 4) conducting
serious, in-depth academic research. She also argued, however, that subsequent courses do not
always ask them to apply these practices.
With a buddy:
Step 1. With a partner, briefly discuss what you think would happen if you asked students in a
writing intensive class to brainstorm what they know or have learned about writing in the past
that they think might be useful for the writing in your course.
Step 2. Review the student-made images (located below) that represents transfer of writing
skills from class to class or beyond.
Step 3. With your buddy, discuss and jot down your ideas in response to the questions below.
How would you complete the metaphor? What works well in this metaphor? How could it
improved? How does it demonstrate student transfer of writing skills and attitudes to or from a
class? What features of transfer of student learning does this image represent? How could you
or your students revise or adapt this metaphor to make it more relevant for your curriculum?
TRANSFER OF STUDENT LEARNING ABOUT WRITING IS LIKE THE TRANSFER OF ENERGY IN
ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS BECAUSE
TRANSFER OF STUDENT LEARNING ABOUT WRITING IS LIKE THE TRANSFER OF DATA FILES ON A
COMPUTER BECAUSE
TRANSFER OF STUDENT LEARNING IS LIKE TRANSFERRING rna OR dna FROM A VIRUS TO A NEW
CELL BECAUSE
What’s Your Metaphor?
Consider the key concepts and terms about transfer we have played with and discussed this
week. Which ones are more relevant to your teaching, curriculum, and/or student learners?
Select at least one key concept or term and create your own image metaphor.
Possible key concepts: genre, transfer, threshold concept, troublesome knowledge,
metacognition, and/or community of practice.

Rather than leaving the metaphor incomplete and left to interpretation of the reader
(see above), finish your metaphor’s sentence with a ‘why’ explaining your metaphor.
 Create or locate a visual representation of your metaphor to help add meaning and
understanding.
 A metaphor that corresponds with your discipline/field would be great! If not, what
other kind(s) of metaphor(s) could assist students in their understanding of the concept?