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The Use of Analogy in Teaching and Learning Geography  

Lee, Jong-Won (Department of Social Studies Education, Ewha Womans University)
Harm, Kyung-Rim (Department of Social Studies Education, Ewha Womans University)
Publication Information
Journal of the Korean Geographical Society / v.46, no.4, 2011 , pp. 534-553 More about this Journal
Abstract
Analogical thinking is a problem-solving strategy to use a familiar problem (or base analog) to solve a novel problem of the same type (the target problem). The purpose of this study is to provide new insight into geography teaching and learning by connecting cognitive science research on analogical thinking with issues of geography education and suggest that teaching with analogies can be a productive instructional strategy for geography. In this study, using the various examples of analogical thinking used in geography we defined analogical thinking, addressed the theoretical models on analogical transfer, and discussed conditions that make an effective analogical transfer. The major research findings include the following: a) the spatial analogy, indicating skills to find places that may be far apart but have similar locations, and therefore have other similar conditions and/or connections, can provide a useful way to design contents for place learning; b) representational transfer, specifying a common representation for two problems, can play a key role in solving geographic problems requiring data visualization and spatialization processes; and c) either asking learners to compare/analyze similar examples sharing common structure or providing them examples bridging the gap between concrete, real-life phenomena and the ideas and models can contribute to learning in geographic concepts and skills. The spatial analogy requiring both geographic content knowledge and visual/spatial thinking has the potential to become a content-specific problem-solving strategy. We ended with recommendations for future research on analogy that is important in geography education.
Keywords
analogy; transfer; analogical transfer; spatial analogy; schema; representational transfer;
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