Can a Bestiary of Metaphors Help us to See Ourselves in Relation to Sustainability?

Abstract

This paper explores how we may see ourselves as technology educators and how we see technology education in the world of education by the playful but earnest use of animal metaphors.  The paper focuses on the relationship between technology education and sustainability education, and on how metaphors can encourage new ways of thinking.

Inspiration for the paper draws on several threads.  First, there is the circumstance that technology itself is often described as the elephant in the room – ever-present but never talked about. This phenomenon contributes to a general lack of ‘seeing’ technologies for the fullness of their effects on our worlds.  Second, the multi-faceted (and, at times ephemeral) nature of technology education indicates a range of species struggling to co-exist harmoniously.  Third, for a sustainable world, all species should to be protected.  Thus, a fourth thread suggests dilemmas around whether some species of technology education are actually compatible with sustainability education. 

Metaphors can help us comprehend one concept in the light of another concept even when the two concepts seem outwardly quite different. A metaphor can change our conceptual system and can radically modify our perception of a particular situation.  The paper explores a range of animal metaphors (species, traits, behaviours, needs, etc) to reflect on the nature and role of technology education in relation to sustainability; to ask questions about our technology education practices; and, to imagine alternative paths to the future. In order to address the central question of ’Which animal(s) are we?’, the paper invites consideration of four Vs: vanity, victims, vision, and volition.