6 We Love Metaphors!
6 我们喜欢隐喻 ！

Synopsis and Important Related Information
概要和重要相关信息

Coming up with a creative metaphor is one of the best ways to learn a new concept or share an important idea. Teachers can use metaphors to help students understand new ideas. Or students can devise their own metaphors.
想出一个有创意的比喻是学习新概念或分享重要观点的最佳方法之一。 教师可以使用比喻来帮助学生理解新观点。学生也可以自己设计比喻。

Remind students that there are limits to the use of metaphors—eventually the metaphor will break down. For example, students can think of school as being like a bus climbing a mountain—the bus climbs higher and higher until the students reach the top (they graduate). But certainly a bus climbing a mountain isn’t like a real group of students in school! Metaphors and analogies just help us to grasp new concepts or key ideas in a fresh way.
提醒学生使用隐喻是有限制的——最终隐喻会失效。例如，学生可以把学校想象成一辆爬山的巴士——巴士越爬越高，直到学生到达山顶（他们毕业）。但爬山的巴士肯定不像学校里真正的一群学生！隐喻和类比只是帮助我们以新的方式理解新概念或关键思想。

Depending on the age level of the students, you may wish to explain the difference between an analogy, a simile, and a metaphor.
根据学生的年龄水平，您可能希望解释类比、明喻和隐喻之间的区别。

Analogy: a comparison of two otherwise unlike things based on certain similarities. The goal of an analogy is to show that if certain things are alike between two things, other things may be alike as well. “The solar system with its planets is like an atom with its electrons.”
类比： 基于某些相似性，对两个原本不同的事物进行比较。 类比的目的是为了表明，如果两个事物中某些部分相似，那么其他部分也可能相似。 “太阳系及其行星就像原子及其电子。”

Metaphor: A metaphor uses one word or phrase to mean another and makes a comparison between the two. The comparison is not to be taken literally. For example, in the sentence “He’s become a shell of a man,” we know the man has not literally become a shell with nothing inside him.
隐喻： 隐喻用一个词或短语来指代另一个词或短语，并将两者进行比较。这种比较不应按字面意思理解。例如，在“他变成了一个空壳”这句话中，我们知道这个人并非真的变成了一个空壳。

Simile: A comparison of two unlike things that is often introduced by like or as. “He’s become like a shell of a man.”
明喻： 对两个不同事物的比较，通常以 like 或 as 开头 。“他变得像个空壳一样 。”

A simile compares two items, a metaphor equates two items. An analogy compares two items with the implication that there may be much in common between those two items.
明喻比较两件事物，暗喻则将两件事物等同起来。 类比比较两件事物，暗示它们之间可能有很多共同之处。

Exercise 6-1 Analyzing a Metaphor for the Brain
练习 6-1 分析大脑的隐喻

Background:
背景：

Students often don’t realize the power of metaphors, and they don’t tend to think in terms of metaphors. This exercise helps students to realize the value of thinking in metaphors, and to get a little practice thinking metaphorically.
学生通常没有意识到隐喻的力量，也不太倾向于用隐喻来思考。这个练习可以帮助学生认识到隐喻思维的价值，并进行一些隐喻思维的练习。

What to do:
该怎么办：

1. Remind students of the importance of metaphors in helping them to learn new ideas and concepts. Give them some examples of metaphors, such as a mammalian cell is like a factory, a pixel is like a piece of tile in a mosaic, or a tectonic plate is like a moving walkway in an airport. Tell them they will be working in small groups for this exercise, and ask them to divide up into groups of three or four students each.
1. 提醒学生隐喻在帮助他们学习新思想和概念方面的重要性。给他们举一些隐喻的例子，例如， 哺乳动物细胞就像一座工厂 ， 像素就像马赛克中的一块瓷砖 ，或者地壳板块就像机场里的自动人行道。 告诉他们将以小组形式进行这项练习，并要求他们每组分成三到四人。

2. Show some pictures of the brain, like these two:¹
2. 展示一些大脑的图片，如下两张： ¹

3. Hand out the nuts, or show pictures of partially shelled and completely shelled walnuts like these:²
3. 分发核桃 ， 或者展示部分去壳和完全去壳核桃的图片 ， 就像这些 ²

4. Ask the students to brainstorm a list of the similarities between the walnut and the brain. Then call randomly on some of the groups to see what similarities they have devised. Typical examples might be:
4. 让学生集思广益，列出核桃和大脑的相似之处。然后随机叫一些小组，看看他们想到了哪些相似之处。 典型的例子如下：

The student answers will probably look something like this:
学生的答案可能看起来像这样：

There are folds and wrinkles in the walnut and the brain.
核桃和脑子里都有褶皱和皱纹。

The walnut has two hemispheres to it, similar to the brain.
核桃有两个半球，类似于大脑。

There is an outer shell on the walnut, just as the brain is encased in the skull.
核桃上有一层外壳，就像大脑被包裹在头骨里一样。

5. Ask the students to brainstorm a list of the dissimilarities between the walnut and the brain. Then call randomly on some of the groups to see what dissimilarities they have devised. Typical examples might be:
5. 让学生集思广益，列出核桃和大脑之间的不同之处。然后随机叫一些小组，看看他们想出了哪些不同之处。 典型的例子如下：

The folds between the walnut and the brain look somewhat different.
核桃和大脑之间的褶皱看起来有些不同。

The actual material of the walnut and the brain are quite different from one another—a walnut, for example, doesn’t have neurons inside of it.
核桃和大脑的实际材料彼此截然不同——例如，核桃内部没有神经元。

You can eat a walnut, but you wouldn’t want to eat brain!
你可以吃核桃，但你不会想吃脑子！

6. At the end of the exercise, remind students that metaphors can provide good ways to visualize or imagine ideas and concepts they may otherwise have trouble understanding. The metaphor is never perfect, but it can help. Whenever a metaphor breaks down, just throw the metaphor away and get a new one!
6. 练习结束时，提醒学生，隐喻可以提供很好的方法来形象化或想象那些他们可能难以理解的想法和概念。隐喻并非完美无缺，但它可以提供帮助。每当一个隐喻失效时，就把它扔掉，换一个新的！

Exercise 6-2: Class activity—Guess who I am?³
练习 6-2：课堂活动——猜猜我是谁？ ³

Background:
背景：

This exercise, like the previous one, helps students to realize the value of thinking in metaphors, and to get a little practice thinking metaphorically.
与上一个练习一样，这个练习可以帮助学生认识到隐喻思考的价值，并获得一些隐喻思考的练习。

What to do:
该怎么办：

Get graphic cards or photos, and sheets of white paper.
获取图形卡片或照片以及白纸。

Then:
然后：

Divide the class into several groups (groups of four are recommended.)
将班级分成几个小组（建议四人一组）。

Each group draws a card that only group members can see.
每个小组抽一张只有小组成员才能看到的卡片。

Each group comes up with four different metaphors about the card and writes them down on paper.
每个小组想出四个关于卡片的不同比喻，并把它们写在纸上。

After each group completes Step 3, distribute one member to other groups to tell the metaphors. Then have all classmates guess what is in the card. For example, if there are five members in group A, each one member will go to group B, C, D, E, F to show and tell their metaphors.
每个小组完成步骤 3 后，分配一名成员到其他小组讲述比喻 。然后让所有同学猜卡片上的内容。例如，如果 A 组有五名成员，则每人前往 B、C、D、E、F 组，分别展示和讲述他们的比喻。

Scoring method:
评分方法：

Four points for a group that has a right guess when the first metaphor was told.
当第一个比喻被讲述时，猜对的小组可获得四分 。

Three points for a group that has a right guess when the second metaphor was told.
当第二个比喻被讲述时，猜对的小组得三分 。

Two points for a group that has a right guess when the third metaphor was told.
当第三个比喻被讲述时，猜对的小组可得两分 。

One point for a group that has a right guess when the last metaphor was told.
当最后一个比喻被讲述时， 哪个小组猜对了，就给该小组一分 。

Two points for the group whose card gets answered. (Yay, you made a good analogy!!)
回答出卡片的小组可得两分。（ 耶 ，你的比喻很恰当！！）

HOMEWORK:
家庭作业 ：

Exercise 6-3 Developing a Metaphor
练习 6-3 构建隐喻

Everyone has something they find a little more challenging to learn—whether it’s in math, language studies, sports, music, art—or anything!
每个人都会发现有些东西比较难学——无论是数学、语言学习、 体育、音乐、艺术——还是其他任何东西！

What to do:
该怎么办：

For this simple exercise, ask a student to think about a new concept they are learning about, that they are having trouble with. The student should devise a metaphor to help explain what they are learning and write it on a sheet of paper (that’s the homework). If the student is stuck in developing a metaphor, they should take out a piece of paper and begin doodling. Doodles can be very helpful
在这个简单的练习中，请一位学生思考一个他们正在学习的新概念，这个概念他们理解起来有些困难。学生应该想出一个比喻来解释他们正在学习的内容，并把它写在一张纸上（这是家庭作业）。如果学生在构思比喻时遇到困难，他们应该拿出一张纸开始涂鸦。涂鸦会非常有帮助。.

You can provide some sample metaphors to help students think about what you expect.
您可以提供一些示例比喻来帮助学生思考您的期望。

Electrons are like fuzzy little balls.
电子就像毛茸茸的小球。

History is like a tree, with branches that could go in different directions. What has happened previously in history (the directions of previous branches) makes a difference in the direction a branch goes in. Also, the tree has roots—that is, deeper, unseen influences on how history unfolds.
历史就像一棵树，枝条可以延伸至不同的方向 。 历史上发生过的事情 （先前枝条的走向） 会影响枝条的走向 。 此外， 树也有根—— 也就是说，它对历史的展开有着更深层次、不为人知的影响。

An algebra equation is like a balancing scale that balances on the “=” sign.
代数方程就像一个在“=”号上保持平衡的天平。

Exercise 6-4 The Feynman Method—Teach It to a Toddler
练习 6-4 费曼方法 ——教给幼儿

Richard Feynman was a Nobel-Prize winning physicist who was a master at developing simple explanations. He often challenged the scientists and mathematicians he worked with to explain their ideas in very simple language, almost as if to a toddler. Incidentally, the secret to explaining something in simple terms is often to use metaphors
理查德·费曼是一位诺贝尔物理学奖得主，他擅长用简单的解释来解释问题。他经常挑战与他共事的科学家和数学家，让他们用非常简单的语言解释他们的想法，就像对一个蹒跚学步的孩子一样。顺便说一句，用简单的语言解释某件事的秘诀往往是使用比喻。.

What to do:
该怎么办：

1. For this exercise, the student should devise a simple way of explaining something that they have found to be complex. The explanation does not need to be exact, but it should convey at least part of a key idea related to a concept.
1. 在本练习中，学生应该设计一种简单的方法来解释他们觉得复杂的事物。解释无需精确，但至少应该能部分地表达与概念相关的关键思想。

For example, let’s say that a student is trying to explain the idea of torque. Torque, as it turns out, is just a twisting force—like the twist you would apply to screw the lid off of a jar. A meteorite is like a rock that falls from the sky. Continental drift is like a pie crust that you put on the floor, and then start pulling apart.
例如，假设一个学生正在尝试解释扭矩的概念。 扭矩实际上只是一种扭转力——就像拧开罐子盖子时施加的力一样。 陨石就像从天而降的岩石。 大陆漂移就像放在地板上的馅饼皮，然后开始被拉开。

None of these is a perfect explanation, but they each get across key ideas.
这些都不是完美的解释，但它们都传达了关键思想。

2. The student should then find three students who they don’t know very well. They should tell the concept they are struggling with, along with the explanation, to the three students (they can either do this with all three students together at once, or one at a time to each student).
2. 然后，学生应该找三个不太熟悉的学生。他们应该把他们感到困惑的概念及其解释告诉这三个学生（他们可以同时告诉所有三个学生，也可以一次告诉每个学生一个）。

3. The student should then turn in a paper that describes the concept they are struggling with, the simple explanation, and the names of the three students they have exchanged ideas with.
3. 学生应提交一篇论文，描述他们所困难的概念、简单的解释以及与他们交换想法的三名学生的姓名。

Exercise 6-5: One-on-one activity- guess who I am?⁴
练习 6-5 ：一对一活动- 猜猜我是谁？ ⁴

What you need: graphic cards or photos, sheets of white paper
你需要： 图形卡片或照片、白纸

What to do:
该怎么办：

Select a card or photo.
选择一张卡片或一张照片 。

Come up with three different ways of metaphors or analogies to describe what is in the card, and write these ideas down on a paper.
想出三种不同的隐喻或类比方式来描述卡片中的内容，并将这些想法写在纸上。

Tell the other person the three metaphors, and let he or she guesses what is in the card.
告诉对方这三个比喻，让他或她猜卡片上的内容。

Notes by Barbara Oakley and ESIC Business & Marketing School.
Barbara Oakley 和 ESIC 商业与营销学院的笔记 。

For more information, see Learning How to Learn: How to Succeed in School Without Spending All Your Time Studying; A Guide for Kids and Teens
欲了解更多信息，请参阅 《学习如何学习：如何在不把所有时间都花在学习上的情况下在学校取得成功；儿童和青少年指南》

Credits
致谢

Illustration of neural reuse theory courtesy Oliver Young.
神经重用理论的插图由 Oliver Young 提供。