Metaphors are devices that people employ for both poetic purposes and rhetorical elaboration and belong to the realm of extraordinary language. Metaphors are used to connect abstract ideas and information to more concrete experiences, thus making these experiences more familiar and easier to understand. Moreover, metaphors are more than symbolic intellectual processes; they influence the conceptual understanding of our experiences and help define our everyday realities. For education, there is an important and relevant practical connection between the metaphors that teachers employ and their beliefs about teaching and classroom practices. This stems from the notion that metaphors guide one’s mental framework. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the metaphors influencing teachers in gifted education, this study specifically asked teachers to describe both their metaphors concerning gifted students as well as those influencing their teaching. In this study, nine different themes were identified. This research demonstrates a clear connection between reported metaphors and how gifted students receive their education from teachers. Participants’ answers demonstrate a strong connection between their metaphors and their classroom practices. However, strict adherence to one’s root metaphor increases the chance for dogmatism in the classroom and can lead to potentially incoherent classroom differentiation and a potential disconnect between classroom practices and the actual pedagogical needs of the gifted learner.

中文翻译：

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天才隐喻：探索天才教育中教师的隐喻及其对天才教育的影响

隐喻是人们用于诗歌目的和修辞阐述的手段，属于非凡的语言领域。隐喻用于将抽象的想法和信息与更具体的体验联系起来，从而使这些体验更加熟悉和易于理解。此外，隐喻不仅仅是象征性的智力过程；它们影响对我们经历的概念性理解，并帮助定义我们的日常现实。对于教育而言，教师使用的隐喻与他们对教学和课堂实践的信念之间存在重要且相关的实践联系。这源于隐喻指导一个人的心理框架的概念。为了更深入地了解影响资优教育教师的隐喻，这项研究特别要求教师描述他们关于天才学生的比喻以及影响他们教学的那些比喻。在这项研究中，确定了九个不同的主题。这项研究表明，所报告的隐喻与天才学生如何从教师那里接受教育之间存在明显的联系。参与者的回答表明了他们的隐喻和课堂实践之间的紧密联系。然而，严格遵守一个人的根本隐喻会增加课堂上教条主义的机会，并可能导致潜在的课堂差异化和课堂实践与天才学习者的实际教学需求之间的潜在脱节。确定了九个不同的主题。这项研究表明，所报告的隐喻与天才学生如何从教师那里接受教育之间存在明显的联系。参与者的回答表明了他们的隐喻和课堂实践之间的紧密联系。然而，严格遵守一个人的根本隐喻会增加课堂上教条主义的机会，并可能导致潜在的课堂差异化和课堂实践与天才学习者的实际教学需求之间的潜在脱节。确定了九个不同的主题。这项研究表明，所报告的隐喻与天才学生如何从教师那里接受教育之间存在明显的联系。参与者的回答表明了他们的隐喻和课堂实践之间的紧密联系。然而，严格遵守一个人的根本隐喻会增加课堂上教条主义的机会，并可能导致潜在的课堂差异化和课堂实践与天才学习者的实际教学需求之间的潜在脱节。