The Power of Metaphor in Bringing Clarity for Learners in Learner-Centered Design

The study focuses on guiding students through an exploration of social constructivism model as it relates to the roles of instructor and learner. It explores the use of a metaphor, the dot, to demonstrate that metaphors can support deeper understanding of difficult concepts inherent in learner-centered and constructivist pedagogies. This research was conducted to ascertain whether metaphors provide common reference points for learners that can be used to build and test new assumptions of knowledge. Additionally, the study highlights challenges that learner-centered pedagogy face when identifying preconceived constructs and moving towards the adoption of new thoughts, perspectives, and reasoning. In theory, this study identified the continuing role that metaphors play in the learning theory and how the literature can be explored further. In practice, the study identified student-centered activities, which include the learner as a contributor to knowledge, learning in a community of learners, and empowering the learner to change.