As I was trying to come up with a perfect metaphor for learning I started thinking about things that I have heard, my favorite hobbies, and research I have done. I narrowed it down to cooking and sewing. I decided to go with sewing a quilt. I don’t know if it is a perfect metaphor but it definitely works for me.
Quilting as a metaphor for learning:
Learning as the process of stitching and weaving together different patches and pieces into something new. The quilt starts with many different pieces or patches of fabric. Each of these pieces or patches of fabric are stitched together with many threads. As the pieces or patches are stitched together the quilt begins to grow into what is consider the top layer of the quilt. The top layer is then stitched to the padding layer and the backing to firmly bind the three layers together.
Not one home made quilt is the same. They are completely different just like every person learns in a different ways, have different experiences, and think completely different. The individual pieces of fabric are like pieces of information or knowledge. The threads are the connection or association we make with the previous knowledge or information. The top layer is our growing body of information or knowledge. The padding is our deep understanding of that information or knowledge. The backing is our native reactions or our stream of consciousness.
I look at my quilt (learning) as one that continues to grow or at least as long as I am on this earth.
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