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A conceptual metaphor framework for the teaching of mathematics

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Abstract

Word problems in mathematics seem to constantly pose learning difficulties for all kinds of students. Recent work in math education (for example, [Lakoff, G. & Nuñez, R. E. (2000). Where mathematics comes from: How the embodied mind brings mathematics into being. New York: Basic Books]) suggests that the difficulties stem from an inability on the part of students to decipher the metaphorical properties of the language in which such problems are cast. A 2003 pilot study [Danesi, M. (2003a). Semiotica, 145, 71–83] confirmed this hypothesis in an anecdotal way. This paper reviews the implications of that study and of a follow-up one that is described here as well, in the light of how the metaphorical analysis of word problems allows learners to overcome typical difficulties in word problem-solving by teaching them how to flesh out the underlying concepts and convert them into appropriate representations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Program in Semiotics and Communication Theory, Victoria College, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5S 1K7

    Marcel Danesi

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  1. Marcel Danesi
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Danesi, M. A conceptual metaphor framework for the teaching of mathematics. Stud Philos Educ 26, 225–236 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11217-007-9035-5

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