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Abstract: The study of the types, functions and pragmatics of metaphors in different kinds of discourse (educational, medical, military, technological, political, etc.) is a promising area in contemporary science. The goal of this research is to describe the main achievements of Russian and foreign pedagogical metaphorology, to single out its main branches and to classify its methods and heuristics. The article presents a new classification of research works in pedagogical metaphorology according to the subjects of speech (teachers and children), addressees (metaphors referred to children, and metaphors addressed to colleagues, parents and the society), types of discourse (scientific, mass media or educational), belonging of the research to psycho-pedagogical or philosophical paradigms. As different from traditional research, contemporary studies are connected primarily with two aspects of metaphorical semiotics: cognitive and pragmatic — in the first case the analysis of metaphors is a key to understanding conceptual worldview that exists in the minds of the participants of educational process; in the second case, a metaphor is a means of manipulation, and, at the same time, a tool to arouse teachers’ and parents’ interest. The research concludes that the system of pedagogical metaphors depends on traditions, social conditions and educational system, philosophical views and personality of the author, their interpretation of education, relations between teachers, students and parents. The main fields where the results of this research may be useful are the studies of peculiarities of the mental worldview of teachers and students, the choice of the most efficient methods of teaching with the use of metaphors, identification of individual and national peculiarities of metaphor comprehension and the analysis of historical dynamics of pedagogical views.