Teaching Metaphor
Teaching as Hydropower
A teaching metaphor should capture the essence of who one is as a teacher. This personal style of education relates to my philosophy of teaching, in which I believe the teacher greatly affects the success of her students. When pondering a metaphor that would describe this personal schema on teaching and the education system, after much deliberation, I realized teaching as hydropower encompassed this belief.
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. My metaphor of teaching as hydropower specifically describes the conventional method of power being produced from the potential energy of dammed water driving a water turbine, in which a generator converts this energy to electrical power. Therefore, the teacher is the water and the students are the electrical energy product.
The role of the teacher in this metaphor is the water that is utilized in the hydropower production system. The water is the force that generates the energy. Hydropower is flexible and reliable because the water is a steady and continuous resource. In comparison, the teacher is the constant in teaching as she provides a consistent source of potential energy to produce power in the form of light within the myriad of concepts the students must master. If teaching is utilized correctly, it can be converted to generate a light bulb moment of understanding to brighten the darkness of confusion, frustration, and doubt in students.
This metaphor continues with the water turbines and electrical generators representing the curriculum, lesson plans, and assignments of teaching. The water turbines harness the energy from the water, while the electrical generators convert the mechanical energy to useful electrical energy. Similarly, the curriculum must harness and convert information about the specific subject to applied knowledge that the students can understand and make use of. Lesson plans and assignments are the means in which this conversion occurs. They allow for the teacher to plan and execute how to transfer the material to the students.
The role of the school building is related to the hydropower facility in this metaphor. The hydropower facility contains all the mechanisms of converting the potential energy of water to electrical power including the water turbines, power generators, transformers, and the amount of water released at any time. Likewise, a school houses the components of teaching consisting of the teachers, students, administration, classroom, lessons, etc.
The principal of the school is the manager of the hydropower facility. Both positions must supervise the people below them and employ management techniques to ensure that everything is kept in check and running smoothly. Also, if major problems should arise, they are brought to the principal and he or she must be able to carry out the necessary tasks to find a solution and fix the issue.
At some point all metaphors break down as they are using a concrete example to explain something abstract that does not match up exactly. In my metaphor of teaching as hydropower, one of the main points in which this happens is the students are not in an active role. Even though I believe the success of the student depends mostly on the teacher, students still are in part responsible for their educational experience. Also, with the hydropower example there are not a lot of varieties in the subject that can be related to the multitude aspects of teaching. If there were more varying components of hydropower, the teaching metaphor could incorporate a larger number of comparisons.
In conclusion, the metaphor of teaching as hydropower encapsulates the essence of what I believe for my philosophy of teaching and personal style of education. I believe a teacher’s effort greatly affects the success of her students. Sometimes the motivation for the students has to be provided through the teacher as water provides the means for the production of electrical energy; but in the end the power of electricity can spark the light of knowledge into a student through the positive impact of a teachers’ own energy.
Homework Philosophy
Philosophy of Education
Classroom Management Philosophy
Teaching as Hydropower
A teaching metaphor should capture the essence of who one is as a teacher. This personal style of education relates to my philosophy of teaching, in which I believe the teacher greatly affects the success of her students. When pondering a metaphor that would describe this personal schema on teaching and the education system, after much deliberation, I realized teaching as hydropower encompassed this belief.
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. My metaphor of teaching as hydropower specifically describes the conventional method of power being produced from the potential energy of dammed water driving a water turbine, in which a generator converts this energy to electrical power. Therefore, the teacher is the water and the students are the electrical energy product.
The role of the teacher in this metaphor is the water that is utilized in the hydropower production system. The water is the force that generates the energy. Hydropower is flexible and reliable because the water is a steady and continuous resource. In comparison, the teacher is the constant in teaching as she provides a consistent source of potential energy to produce power in the form of light within the myriad of concepts the students must master. If teaching is utilized correctly, it can be converted to generate a light bulb moment of understanding to brighten the darkness of confusion, frustration, and doubt in students.
This metaphor continues with the water turbines and electrical generators representing the curriculum, lesson plans, and assignments of teaching. The water turbines harness the energy from the water, while the electrical generators convert the mechanical energy to useful electrical energy. Similarly, the curriculum must harness and convert information about the specific subject to applied knowledge that the students can understand and make use of. Lesson plans and assignments are the means in which this conversion occurs. They allow for the teacher to plan and execute how to transfer the material to the students.
The role of the school building is related to the hydropower facility in this metaphor. The hydropower facility contains all the mechanisms of converting the potential energy of water to electrical power including the water turbines, power generators, transformers, and the amount of water released at any time. Likewise, a school houses the components of teaching consisting of the teachers, students, administration, classroom, lessons, etc.
The principal of the school is the manager of the hydropower facility. Both positions must supervise the people below them and employ management techniques to ensure that everything is kept in check and running smoothly. Also, if major problems should arise, they are brought to the principal and he or she must be able to carry out the necessary tasks to find a solution and fix the issue.
At some point all metaphors break down as they are using a concrete example to explain something abstract that does not match up exactly. In my metaphor of teaching as hydropower, one of the main points in which this happens is the students are not in an active role. Even though I believe the success of the student depends mostly on the teacher, students still are in part responsible for their educational experience. Also, with the hydropower example there are not a lot of varieties in the subject that can be related to the multitude aspects of teaching. If there were more varying components of hydropower, the teaching metaphor could incorporate a larger number of comparisons.
In conclusion, the metaphor of teaching as hydropower encapsulates the essence of what I believe for my philosophy of teaching and personal style of education. I believe a teacher’s effort greatly affects the success of her students. Sometimes the motivation for the students has to be provided through the teacher as water provides the means for the production of electrical energy; but in the end the power of electricity can spark the light of knowledge into a student through the positive impact of a teachers’ own energy.
Homework Philosophy
Philosophy of Education
Classroom Management Philosophy