Analogies and metaphors in teaching and learning the concept of atom: a brief analysis in textbooks

Abstract

Analogies and metaphors function as cognitive resource, both to understand the teacher's explanation as to explain the concepts presented in textbooks. Our overall objective is to analyze the use of analogies and metaphors presented in two textbooks used by students of 1st grade in two high schools, one public and the other private, about the understanding of the concept of atomic models. The approach of this research is qualitative. We chose this topic considering that its content is extremely important to understand the next levels , but also ,due to the difficulties presented by the students in relation to the understanding of what is been taught , due to the language used by teachers and textbooks. As a result, we believe that the criteria used by teachers to promote learning need to be clear, becoming necessary to use different explanatory forms. If the textbook does not have a diverse language to mobilize  thinking, therefore, the teacher will have it available through other forms that allows  creative imagination . The understanding of chemical concepts without the use of comparisons, is much more complex when the imagination of students fails to establish relationships with previous knowledge. The textbooks need to be more interactive and not just informative.