John Mezirow studied how adults viewed learning after returning to college in the 1970s. He defined transformative learning as using prior interpretations to develop new understandings to guide future actions. Transformative learning involves experiencing a disorienting dilemma, critically reflecting on assumptions, and developing new perspectives that lead to a change in behavior. It is a process of social change and involves both critical reflection and experience.

1. Presented by:
April L. Turner
Walden University
Richard W. Riley School of Education and Leadership
EdD Student
EDUC 8101

3. o John Mezirow was interested in how adults
viewed learning after returning to college
after an extended hiatus during the 1970’s.

5. o Mezirow defined Transformative Learning as
“the process of using prior interpretation to
construe new or a revised interpretation of the
meaning of one’s experience in order to guide
future action”

6. o First National Conference on Transformative
Learning was held in 1998
o Continues to be a topic of discussion during
this bi-annual event

7. o A disorienting dilemma
o Sudden death, loss of job, going back to
school, moving or illness.

8. o A self examination with feelings of
guilt or shame
o Dealing with feelings of fear, guilt
and/or anger.

9. o A critical assessment of assumptions
o Critical reflections on prior experiences
within society and family after disorientating
dilemma.

10. o Recognition that one’s discontent
and the process of transformation
are shared.

11. o Exploration of options for new roles,
relationships, and actions
o Looking at how you can fit new
experiences and ways of thinking into
life.

12. o Planning a course of action

13. o Acquiring knowledge and skills for
implementing one’s plan
o Gaining skills to begin developing a plan

14. o Provisionally trying new roles

15. o Building competence and self-
confidence in new roles and
relationships

16. o A reintegration into one's life on the
basis of conditions dictated by one's
new perspective

17. o Transformation occurs during life experiences
or journey
o It is more holistic and intuitive
o Life long personal develompent

18. o The teacher is the mentor
o The mentor may or may not teach a class but is
more engage in a one on one relationship with
the student.

19. o The role of the mentor is to teach, guide,
challenge, support and encourage the
student through their journey or trip through
personal development.

20. o A journey or trip occurs throughout his or her
life. It can be educational, social, mental,
spiritual or physical.
o The journey does not take away our old
experiences, as often feared before embarking,
but give new meaning to the experiences.

21. o Story telling is a good tool because it
transform our vision of the possible, provides
us with a map for the journey ahead, and
can reconnect things when there is a loss of
sense of meaning in the world

22. o Focused on social change
o Illiteracy, oppression, and poverty
o Two different types of education
o Banking
o Problem Posing

23. o Banking education - served the oppressor
because it domesticates the oppressed
o Banking education was teacher-centered and the
teacher is “all-knowing” and deposits knowledge
into passive students who are considered
receptacles for this knowledge.
o The goal was to change their consciousness but not the
situation. This is how they were able to remain
dominated.

24. o Problem posing education
o Problem posing education allowed people to develop
their power to perceive critically the way they exist
in the world with which and in which they find
themselves.

25. o Experience
o Critical Reflection
o Development

26.  Conscientization
o Knowing oppressive forces that are in your life
and becomes a part of social change process.

27. o Defined as the process of doing and seeing
things and having things happen to you.
o Experience is very important when it comes
to learning.
o Comes in different dimensions that helps link
learning activities with prior knowledge
o Can be used as a resource for his or her
learning.

29. o Examining the underlying beliefs and
assumptions that affect how he or she
makes sense of the experience.

31. o Brookfield’s Phases of critical reflection
o Trigger event – something unexpected happens
o Appraisal – self-evaluation of the experience,
finding others with similar experiences
o Exploration – examining new an d different ways
of explaining or accommodating the experience
o Alternative Perspective – attempting new ways of
thinking and behaving about the experience
o Integration – putting the new ways of thinking
and behaving into the fabric of his or her life.

32. o Mezirow’s Three types of critical reflection.
o Content reflection – thinking about the actual
experience
o Process reflection – thinking about ways to deal
with the experience
o Premise reflection – examining long held and
socially construed assumptions, beliefs, and
values about the experience or problem.

33. o The outcome of transformative learning
o A process of expansion of the real freedoms
that individuals enjoy
o Implies a sense of direction.
o Occurs in different dimensions

34. o Spiritual and Emotional
o The learner experiences an intrapersonal
conversation with the spirit.
o Emotional connection to what is being learned.,
i.e. rage, anger, sadness, happiness, joy, fear,
anxiety.

35. o Technology
o Provides access to an online dialogue to learn
different perspectives of transformative learning

36. o Formal Setting
o Journaling – writing learning experiences and
ways thinking changed as a result of the
experience
o Creating activities , such as simulations or role
plays, that can lead to critical reflections of the
experience

37. o Non-formal setting
o Story telling – using a story to tell of a journey or
trip that changed his or her way of thinking
o Develop mentor/student relationship – a more
one on one relationship occurs and the individual
learning needs and styles of the students are
met.

38. o The use of community centers and examples of
classes that can be offered.
 Empowerment
 Parenting
 Nutrition

39. o Transformative learning is a continuous cycle
o The learner always have experiences throughout
life
o After the experience, critical reflection does
occur
o Development is a result of the critical reflection
and the change in thinking and doing occurs
o Things to consider
o After each new experience, does your way of
thinking and doing change?
o Ways that you can apply this learning theory in
your teaching practices

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S.B. Merriam & A.P. Gace (Eds), The Jossey-Bass
reader on contemporary issues in adult
education (pp.20-32). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-
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41. o Merriam, S.D., Caffarella, R.S., &
Baumgartner, L.M. (2007). Learning in
adulthood: A comprehensive guide (3rd ed.)
(p. 130-158). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
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Books