ABSTRACT
Where can you find toothpaste, airplane runways, sumo wrestlers, and rocking chairs all in the same place? No, not at an airport in Tokyo, but on the lesson tee of expert golf instructors. Fourteen expert golf instructors selected as Top 100 teachers by Golf Magazine in 2000 or 2001 participated in a study examining how metaphorical language is used during expert golf instruction. Each instructor recruited their own student, and was videotaped teaching a lesson. Following the lesson both the student and instructor were interviewed and participated in a stimulated recall procedure. Results from this study suggest that metaphor is one tool in the large arsenal of teaching strategies for these fourteen instructors. The use of metaphorical language seems grounded within characteristics of expert teachers, and especially one significant facet of expert teaching – an intimate knowledge of students. As a teaching strategy, metaphor use during golf instruction can enhance student understanding in several ways. Several trends emerged during data collection and analysis which suggest that factors such as teaching style, technology, and student ability level may affect when and why metaphors are presented to students during lessons.
