Analogies in Teaching Home   
Mark James NAU Website
Teaching Materials  
Using Analogies in Methods Courses   
Infusing Analogies Research Group

Several analogy related teaching resources have been developed for use in teaching methods courses.  If you are interested in examining any of these materials, simply contact Mark James (mark.james@nau.edu) and request a username and password to use at the NAU WebCT download site.  Materials in CD format will me mailed upon request to anyone who has trouble downloading the files.  All of these materials are provided for no charge upon request.  Instructors who use these resources in their classes are simply asked to contribute to the development of these materials by providing feedback on how the materials worked out in their classes.

     DOWNLOAD SITE

Video Clip #1:
Analogies in TV and Movies

This 3-minute video is meant as an engagement to use before the first PowerPoint. It consists of a series of 8 short clips which illustrate analogy use in various contexts. Students are asked to view the clips and determine what they all have in common and they should quickly realize that each clip illustrates a use of comparison between two dissimilar concepts. The 8 video clips are taken from a variety of familiar television shows and movies to illustrate how analogies are commonly used. In the first example, Shrek explains how ogres are like onions. Then television actor Tom Selleck uses the analogy that an actor going out on stage is like a cartoon coyote who has run off a cliff. In the 3rd clip, a television lawyer from “Law and Order” uses an analogy as a basis to create an argument to persuade a judge. The 4th clip shows Jim Carey in the movie “Dumb and Dumber” using an analogy to describe what Aspen is like. In the 5th clip, a biologist uses an analogy to explain tiger behavior. In the 6th clip, an analogy is used to explain the difficulties encountered in developing an antiballistic missile defense system. In the 7th clip, a popular musician uses an analogy to describe his experience performing. And in the final clip, Millhouse uses an analogy to explain Principal Skinner’s relationship with Miss Krabapple to Bart

After students figure out that all the video clips illustrate a use of an analogy, the instructor leads a brief discussion about the function of the analogies in each example. It is interesting how easy it is to find great examples of analogy use in virtually ANY movie, TV show, or cartoon. I like to use the analogy that using analogies is like using our cornea – we are usually unaware that either exists, but we rely heavily on each.

PowerPoint #1:
Analogies in Everyday Life

Video Clip #2:
Weaver Ants

This 1-minute video clip is meant to be shown after the previous PowerPoint to facilitate small group discussions of the use of analogies in explanation. This clip was taken from a PBS documentary describing how Weaver Ants construct nests. During the course of the 1-minute clip, more than 15 analogies are suggested using figurative language. Students are asked to identify as many analogies in the clip as possible and to discuss the meaning and function of each analogy. As is illustrated in the following transcript of the clip, figurative language is used liberally to suggest analogical relationships, leaving the details of the analogy to be considered by the learner. Similar examples could easily be found in any scientific documentary.

“The ants that live up here, quarter-inch long Weaver Ants have to make their nests themselves. They build them out of leaves. They turn the leaves into chambers with floors, walls, and ceilings. The way they do it is with glue. First some of the ants turn themselves into living safety pins, pulling the leaves together and holding them there. That is one team. Next come the weavers. They pick up larvae, their yet unformed little sisters, and take them to the seams and use them like living shuttles, tiny glue guns. They stimulate them to secrete web-like threads of silk that holds the leaves together.”

PowerPoint #2:
Analogies in Science

This presentation was designed to illustrate numerous examples of how scientists have routinely used analogies to help understand new concepts and make discoveries. In addition to providing numerous examples, the presentation also focuses on how scientists use multiple analogies to explain a single concept.  The examples also provide opportunity to discuss the influence of analogy making on the types of language scientists use to describe new concepts and the types of critical questions they are able to generate based on analogical reasoning. The presentation concludes with a brief discussion of the relationship of model making to analogies.

PowerPoint #3:
Teaching With Analogies

This final presentation builds on the pricinples developed in the first two presentations and final provides specific examples and guidlines for using analogies in teaching. Three techniques in using analogies are developed: Using analogies when introducing new topics, specific analogy based lesson planning strategies, and helping students generate critical questions during student centered exploration.

note: There is one analogy based demonstration lesson included in the presentation. More lesson examples are to follow.

Analogy Survey Pre/Post Instrument

This is a survey of teacher attitudes about the use of analogies which was developed at the Summer 04 research symposium in Flagstaff.