Perspectives on Transformative Learning
Transformative learning occurs when one gains greater mental awareness through critical self-reflection and consideration of various perspectives and options to make a change (p.84).
What is the Cognitive perspective?
When one learner questions their assumptions about the self or the world and works towards change within oneself and outside oneself (p.91).
What is the individual?
In his 1938 book, Experience & Education, this philosopher developed the principle of continuity, describing how learning in the present draws on past learning and supports potential future learning.
Who is John Dewey? While Dewey recognized the central importance of the learner's experience, he and his contemporaries also acknowledge that past experience can potentially be a barrier to learning, and thus some "unlearning" may also be necessary at times (p. 105-106).
Wagner (1998, 2000), highly credited for this concept, believed this was created everywhere people informally gathered around a common interest.
What is a Community of Practice (p. 120)? “…mastery resides not in the master but in the organization of the community of practice of which the master is a part” (Lave and Wagner, 1991, p. 95 as cited in Merriam & Bierema, 2014, p.121)
One of the main critiques of transformative learning is that is often difficult to verify when and how such learning occurs. The most common method for assessing transformative learning in research and practice is through this qualitative method.
What are interviews (p. 97)? Other methods, such as self-evaluation, narratives, journals, and arts-based techniques may also be used (p.97). These methods largely rely on the learner's own perception that a transformation has occurred.
This theorist developed a 10 step transformative process that begins with identifying a “disorienting dilemma” followed by steps to uncover reasons for the dilemma, devise a plan of action, and work towards solving the dilemma (p.84).
Who is Mezirow?
Learning environments in higher education, where through various methods, students focus on perspective changes from previous held beliefs (p.92).
What are classrooms?
Kolb's foundational 1984 theory on experiential learning is depicted as a cycle comprising these four stages or abilities.
What are: concrete experience (CE), reflective observation (RO), abstract conceptualization (AC), and active experimentation (AE) (p. 108)?
This form of reflection separates the novice from the experienced.
What is reflection in action (p.116)? This is the ability to quickly reflect and respond to unexpected changes and adjust one’s practice in the moment.
Clarke (2012) and Lawrence (2012b), as cited in Merriam & Bierema (2014), suggest that this type of medium may be used to support transformative learning.
Nonrational or arts-based media, such as storytelling, music, drama, poetry, and film, may evoke critical reflection and transformative learning at both the individual and community level (p. 95).
The process of transformation is organic and holistic; it includes emotional insight, cultural-spiritual awareness, and/or psychic energy. The outcome relies on connective relationships that promote interdependence between beings for the greater good (p.87).
What is the Beyond Rational perspective?
Virtual setting in higher education where students explore and reflect on held beliefs and engage in transformative practices to affect change (p.92).
What is online?
This adult educator's expansion of Kolb's model consists of nine types of learning, divided into three routes: non-learning, non-reflective learning, and reflective learning.
Who is Peter Jarvis (p. 111)? Since the development of his original 9-branch model, Jarvis has revised his definition of learning to recognize the role of emotions in processing and creating meaning (p. 112).
Classrooms that utilize case studies, simulation games and role playing are teaching from this perspective.
What is Contextual Learning or Situated Learning? This is the practice of contextualizing the experiences from which one learns (p.119).
In his 2012 article, "Calling Transformative Learning into Question: Some Mutinous Thoughts," this critic of transformative learning challenges the notion that transformative learning is its own type of learning, arguing that "any learning effectively done involves reassessment and growth." (p. 98)
Who is Michael Newman (p.98)? Other scholars have since responded to Newman's criticisms, arguing that his critique focused mainly on the original work of Mezirow, ignoring more recent developments and understandings in transformative learning (p.98).
Based on the work of Paulo Freire, individuals or groups gain awareness of “power and oppression” in their lives. Through dialogue and reflection, they collectively devise ways to improve their circumstances and the circumstances of others (p.88).
What is the Social Change perspective?
Places of employment where people question, and reflect on roles and practices (p.93).
What are workplaces?
Tennant and Pogson (1995) build on Dewey's principle of continuity by describing these four levels of experience that can support adult learning.
What are: prior experience, current experience, new experience, and learning from experience (p. 112)?
Merriam & Bierema (2014) reference Argyris and Schon as defining one theory that reflects your beliefs about your practice versus another that governs your actions.
What is Espoused Theory vs. Theories-in-use (p. 116)? We can believe something to be a best practice but actually perform something very different. For instance, we may believe block play to be the best way to teach math skills but in practice use work sheets.
This contemporary of John Dewey wrote that "the whole of life is learning," and argued for the importance of the learner's experience as central to adult learning.
Who is Lindeman (p. 106)? Malcolm Knowles, a student of Lindeman, later acknowledged the learner's experience as one of the basic assumptions of andragogy (p. 106).
A theoretical framework that delineates how adults respond to dominant constructs of oppressive power and actively work to restore balance and equity (p.89).
What is critical theory?
Group of people in society united by a goal to effect change after having undergone changes in their own perspective (p.94).
What is community?
This theorist conceptualizes experiential learning through five different perspectives: constructivist, situative, psychoanalytic, critical cultural, and ecological.
Who is Fenwick (p. 113)? The constructivist lens views learning as the construction of meaning through reflecting on experience (p. 113). The situative lens considers situational factors, rather than just learning as an intellectual process (p. 114). The psychoanalytic perspective acknowledges the role of learners' unconscious desires and fears (p. 114). The critical cultural perspective considers the influence of cultural norms on the learner's experience (p.114). The ecological perspective focuses on the relationship between learners and the systems with which they interact (p. 114).
Merriam & Bierema (2014) posit the more one engages in this the more expert one will become.
What is Reflective Practice (p.123)? This is the practice of learning through reflection on experience or during an experience and is recognized as a valued aspect of adult learning.
In addition to his model of experiential learning, Kolb developed this instrument to assess learner's preferences for abstraction over concreteness, and action over reflection, among other attributes.
What is the Learning Styles Inventory (LSI, p. 110)? The LSI assesses nine different learning styles; however, some critics have noted shortcomings of the LSI, including issues with reliability, validity, and a failure to account for the social context in which learning occurs (p. 111).