The Metaphor Of The Reed And The Fish Applied To Education

The metaphor of the reed and the fish extrapolated to the world of education shows us the importance of the student being an active agent in the teaching-learning process.

The latest educational trends are intended to promote student autonomy through active student participation. The metaphor of the cane and the fish applied to the world of education teaches us the importance of offering meaningful learning experiences that promote student empowerment.

The Rod and Fish Metaphor: A Learner-Centered Approach

This Chinese proverb has long been reflected on issues of economy, development and poverty, and has been put into practice with greater or lesser success. However, while it does not always guarantee success, it has sometimes yielded positive results, such as in education.

Applying the metaphor of the cane and the fish in education means favoring the autonomy of the student in their teaching process, offering meaningful learning experiences in class .

That is, to give meaning to what has been learned in class and for students to be able to extrapolate it to reality. This is achieved with what is currently understood by active learning methodologies.

Using methodological options such as project-based learning or service learning, we ensure that the student is the protagonist of their own teaching-learning process. That is, it becomes an active agent in their education.

In this way, if we do not advance and overcome the classic PowerPoint explanations in which only information is transmitted, the fish, that is,  the students, will participate in a passive way in their learning.

However, if these explanations are accompanied by debates that encourage critical thinking in students and exercises and practical work in which the student can apply what they have learned in class to their context; we will be generating meaningful learning experiences.

Ideas for generating meaningful learning experiences

• Use prior knowledge. As Helen Hanesian and Joseph Novak of Cornell University Ph.D. in educational psychology point out, people learn through the concepts we already have. In this way, it will be easier for students to build new knowledge if they can use their own knowledge as a basis.

• Carry out activities that require direct contact with the environment. Active methodologies, such as service learning, are very useful for generating meaningful learning, because they involve the student in their own context. It makes them aware of their own reality and they can associate what they have learned in class, giving it meaning.
• Involve emotions in learning. There is no doubt that emotions determine that a situation or anecdote becomes significant if they have been intense, thus generating a deep memory. In addition, if we carry out learning experiences that involve the experience of emotions, we will not only be favoring the students’ learning, but we will also be able to take advantage of the moment to guide them in emotional management.
• Active participation. It is true that discussions and reflections promote meaningful learning as well as help develop critical thinking in students. However, attending this type of activity passively does not guarantee that the student is having an adequate learning experience.

On the metaphor of the reed and the fish in education

Thanks to this approach that places the student as an active agent of their own learning, we will promote their autonomy at the same time that the students will develop a series of positive competencies and abilities for their proper development in society.