Miller mentions the use of analogies when teaching thinking as a powerful tool. I do this as well in the classes I teach...however, we have to make sure we use analogies everyone in the class understands! A basketball reference may not make sense to everyone (and a cycling analogy wouldn't make sense to anyone!) We also have to make sure they are relevant and timely- we don't want to date ourselves by using an analogy from the Brady Bunch when most likely few students have seen the show. So it is tricky and something that requires a lot of careful thought to ensure it is useful.
The best way for me to learn difficult topics has been trial and error. I learn best by doing, seeing what worked/didn't work, revise, and try again. I also can learn well by sitting on an idea/topic and thinking through possible outcomes/scenarios and then writing down my thoughts. I think if its something like a process (i.e.: learning Photoshop or ArcMap), then trial and error work best for me.
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