The Role of Metaphor and Symbol in Motivating Primary School Children

The book investigates and transcends Piaget's dominant child developmental theories and considers alternative theories from psychiatry, not least ideas drawn from the theories of Jung and the works of McGilchrist. Using literary examples from primary school children's work, including prose and poetry, religious narratives, and drama and art based on Jungian archetypal images, the book analyses how creative approaches to lesson planning around metaphor and symbol enable children to achieve higher levels of understanding than had been previously thought possible. Ultimately, the volume evaluates why current practice largely fails to retain the initial enthusiasm shown for learning by young children, and instead offers a wealth of possible new foundations and insights for learning among primary school children.
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