Giving examples is one of the most
powerful tools we have as teachers for clarifying concepts. Sometimes
we are able to give a definition of a concept. In an English class
we might offer a definition of metaphor such as this one from Webster’s
Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary: ‘a figure of speech in which a word or
a phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place
of another to suggest a likeness or analogy.’ Chances are, however,
that we would immediately add an example, just as the dictionary entry
does: ‘as in drownng in money.’...Furthermore, sometimes concepts do not
have, or do not appear to have, a precise formulation. The term existentialism
in philosophy is an example of a concept without a single precise definition.
In fact, Wittgenstein, a philosopher in this century, argued that many
concepts may not be precisely defined. For such concepts we rely
heavily on examples to indicate what the concepts mean. The use of
examples is thus a natural, and often crucial, element in teaching.
We also expect students to be able
to give examples. We may ask for examples when we are first introducing
an idea to find out what the students already know about the topic.
Moreover, in class discussions, on tests, and in written essays we often
expect students to be able to support their ideas with examples.
In each of these cases, we use their ability to give examples and the examples
they give as measures of their understanding.
In short, examples are instructional workhorses:
they carry a great deal of the burden of teaching and learning.
They help us dig into ideas and plow the land of the abstract. They
help us transport information and ideas from one person to another and
from one context to another. This article suggests ways to improve the
examples we use so that we may communicate more effectively about difficult
concepts.