Situated conditions for transformative learning. Developing Critical Thinking within Family and Workplace, pp. 43-51, 2011. (original) (raw)
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The present paper lays the foundations for an integrated theory of transformative learning. In the essence of transformative learning is found the assumption that a sudden or dramatic event, or even incremental with smaller transformation, may induce changes in individuals, in ways that both themselves and others can recognize. Adult education and learning are inherently intertwined with change, change in knowledge, understanding, attitudes, beliefs, skills and/or behaviors. It is grounded on constructivist - developmental theory, drawing on rationality and cognitive processes as a means of effective perspective transformation. Traditionally, theory and research in adult education have examined learning as a purely cognitive process, while influential transformative learning theories, have been proposed by Freire (1972), Kolb (1984), and more recently by Mezirow (1991). However, recent studies, such as by Clark (2005), Dirkx (2001), Dixon and Baltes (1996), Heshusious and Ballard (1...
The Ecology of Transformative Learning: Transdisciplinary Provocations
Journal of Transformative Learning, 2015
We both step and do not step in the same rivers. We are and are not. Heraclitis …the Dark Philosopher of Ancient Greece Moreover, we step into and out of the river as different beings. Tim Rayner …contemporary change theorist In pondering the human condition, political theorist Hannah Arendt (1958) asserts that all humans are conditioned beings. Yet, the conditions of human existence-life itself, natality and mortality, worldliness, plurality, and the earth-can never 'explain' what we are or answer the question of who we are for the simple reason that they never condition us absolutely. (p. 11) 1 Elizabeth A. Lange (elange@stfx.ca) is Associate Professor of Adult Education at St. Francis Xavier University, Canada. She has 30 years of experience as an educator and facilitator of transformative learning in formal and nonformal settings. Her research focuses on transformative learning, sustainability education for adults, and transcultural learning and immigration. The introductory text The Purposes of Adult Education, 3 rd Edition, 2014, was co-written with Bruce Spencer (Thompson Educational Publishing).
The present paper lays the foundations for an integrated theory of transformative learning. In the essence of transformative learning is found the assumption that a sudden or dramatic event, or even incremental with smaller transformation, may induce changes in individuals, in ways that both themselves and others can recognize. Adult education and learning are inherently intertwined with change, change in knowledge, understanding, attitudes, beliefs, skills and/or behaviors. It is grounded on constructivist - developmental theory, drawing on rationality and cognitive processes as a means of effective perspective transformation. Traditionally, theory and research in adult education have examined learning as a purely cognitive process, while influential transformative learning theories, have been proposed by Freire (1972), Kolb (1984), and more recently by Mezirow (1991). However, recent studies, such as by Clark (2005), Dirkx (2001), Dixon and Baltes (1996), Heshusious and Ballard (1996), Meyer (2012), Michelon ( 1998), and Mulvihill (2003), have shifted emphasis towards more holistic approaches, perceiving the individual as a whole, consisting of mind, body and spirit. More specifically, they assume that rational thinking is basically a Western concept, since researchers in the West tend to ignore the body, emotions, and spirit as valid learning agents, limiting thus learning to a cognitive process that takes place in the mind. In this regard, in the present study we argue that in order a holistic transformation to take place, it requires the involvement of the whole person, entailing mind, body and spirit. Through thorough review of relevant studies, the present paper seeks to point out that transformative theories of learning have traditionally over-relied on rational and cognitive processes in describing perspective transformation, while it makes the assumption that for effective transformative learning to take place, cognitive, somatic, emotional, and spiritual dimensions are closely interrelated. When we come to knowing and learning, linear and fragmented approaches cannot account for the perplexity of the human being, consisting of mind, body and spirit, and therefore all three of them should be taken into account.
Transformative Learning Research Briefing
The term ‘Transformational Learning’ has been used in varied ways and with varied meanings. At its simplest, Transformational Learning is learning that takes knowledge and skills into a different domain, with a step jump in cognitive and affective processes. The theory of transformational learning (TL) has been described as ‘the process of making meaning of one’s experience’. The focus of research into TL has been primarily on adult learners, with the concept of TL representing a major theme of research and theory building in adult education. This context setting summary provides a very quick entry to some of the background thinking and research in this area before the exploration of some key questions at our conference on ‘Researching TL’. • What does the academic and applied research to date tell us about the nature of TL? • How we might go about researching TL? • How might this research inform our approaches to pedagogy and practice? This introduction draws on several useful resources available on the web that provide research summaries and are listed below.
Journal of Transformative Education
Over 40 years ago, Jack Mezirow introduced the idea of transformative learning (TL) to the adult education community. Representing a profound shift in how one thinks and feels about one’s self and the socio-cultural context in which one is embedded, transformative learning has since evolved to reflect numerous theoretical lenses and its framework continues to be extended and elaborated. As TL theory expands within different contexts and across different disciplines, particularly within postsecondary education, the term transformative learning is often employed with scant connection to the theoretical framework in which it was initially grounded. Learners and educators alike frequently describe learning experiences as transformative, yet little consensus exists around a definition of transformative leaning However, if the field is to continue to evolve theoretically, we cannot accept these claims of transformation at face value. The phenomenon must be measured in some manner. The fie...
Transformative Learning in Theory and Practice
Adult Education Quarterly, 2020
This is a response to “The Ethical Knower: Rethinking Our Pedagogy in the Age of Trump” by Elana Michelson. We appreciate Michelson’s critical evaluation of the appropriateness of transformative learning and the use of personal narrative, as well as the frames and tools she offers to help us deal with current challenges such as “epistemological chaos” in the “age of Trump.” Michelson’s distinction between epistemological and hermeneutic analysis, as well as her conception of meaning perspectives as social/cultural foundations of identity, are helpful insights. The educational practices she finds disturbing are indeed ineffective approaches to teaching, and we are inspired by her invitation directed to “us as a community to struggle toward a more honest assessment of how our field might better respond to the phenomena that led to the age of Trump.” In this response, we talk further about some points made in Michelson’s article, elaborating on several issues and offering alternative p...