Figures of Thought, Figures of Action: An Embodied and Enactive Exploration of Metaphors in the Instructional Practices of Science Teachers

Educational research has a long tradition of examining the role of metaphors in teaching and learning science. However, much of the existing research has narrowly focused on verbal manifestations, thereby failing to acknowledge the rich, non-verbal dimensions metaphors can assume in instructional contexts.

In this talk, I will first present a study integrating perspectives from embodied cognition, enactivism, and the social semiotic theory of multimodality to explore how five middle school science teachers used metaphors in their speech, gestures, and other embodied modes during authentic lessons. We found a prevalent use of metaphors primarily during the introduction of new, abstract concepts and the explanation of complex phenomena. These metaphors were often expressed multimodally, where teachers utilized gestures, drawings, and material objects to cue the source domains.

We identified distinct patterns where enactment and modelling gestures initially communicated the metaphorical meaning before teachers transitioned to oral and more abstract representations. Some teachers established sustained use of gestures to maintain metaphoricity over time.

These results illustrate that metaphorical performance in science teaching is a dynamic, embodied, and enacted process. I argue that a deeper understanding of the dual function of metaphors - as figures of thought and figures of action - can significantly enhance instructional practices in science education.

I will then use this study as an illustrative case to reflect on the role of the body and embodiment in science education more broadly. By contrasting these findings with practices in mathematics education, I wish to explore how movement patterns and embodied gestures serve as cognitive tools across disciplines, reinforcing the idea that patterns of movement often underpin patterns of thought. In doing so, I aim to offer interdisciplinary connections, building bridges between educational research and fields such as psychology and cognitive science.