3. “Transformation Theory’s focus is how we learn to
negotiate and act on our own purposes, values,
feelings, and meanings rather than those we have
uncritically assimilated from others - to gain greater
control over our lives as socially responsible, clear-
thinking decision makers (Mezirow and Associates,
2000, p. 8).”
In the realm of education, Cranton (1994) maintains
that transformative learning occurs when a student
learns something new (e.g. concept or novel way of
thinking) and uses it to make life changes. This
supplements typical classroom learning such as
obtaining trivial facts and skills.
4. “Transformative learning is learning that results in a major shift in
learner perspective and understanding. That is, what is learned is both
profound in terms of new meaning and transferable to new situations.
Most education today still focuses on acquisition of information.
Transformative leaning on the other hand focuses on three areas:
acquisition of informational resources, knowledge, and wisdom. First,
TL emphasizes knowing how to locate and evaluate informational
resources rather than just the information. Second, TL emphasizes
acquisition of knowledge, which means knowing how to apply
informational resources in different situations. Third TL emphasizes
the acquisition of wisdom, which means knowing when to do this to
benefit rather than do harm. In summary, TL is about learning, not
teaching. TL mentors allow students to learn cooperatively in small
groups rather than competitively against each other alone.”
-Daniel S. Janik, MD, Ph.D
5. Assumes that students know how they learn
best
Teacher and student(s) collaborate
Teacher can be considered a mentor
Relationship is more equal then in a traditional
classroom
Teacher tries to promote critical
thinking, writing, speaking, and reflection
As oppose to rote memorization of facts and procedures
6. Teacher is the expert and authority
Teacher assigns books to read, homework to
complete, and then tests what students “learned”
Students are expected to be obedient and not
question the authority of the teacher and
administration
e.g. be quiet, salute the flag, and line up for lunch
7. According to the US National Research
Counsel (2000)
“At different points in history, scholars have worried
that formal education environments have been better at
selecting talent than developing it.”
NRC goes on to state, “Deep understanding of
subject matter transforms factual information into
usable knowledge.”
8. “Talk to schoolmasters, and they say that our
intense specialization, like nothing else on
earth, is dictated by the Oxford and Cambridge
scholarship examinations.” - C.P. Snow (British
scholar, educator, and author)
9. Goethe said, “Every object rightly seen unlocks a
new faculty of the soul,” yet for many people
education has unlocked very little. -J. F.
Gardner (American educator)
“I don’t pretend that any country has its
education perfect.” -C.P. Snow (British scholar,
educator, and author)
10. Administration and Campus President
approved
Graduate Level “Biological Bases of Behavior”
15 classes – 3 direct hours per week
18 Students
The class was not scaled on a “bell curve”
Cooperative Venture: Students could help each
other as much as they liked as long as they did
not plagiarize
11. Professor was not an absolute authority
Professor played the role of a colleague and mentor
At first the students were uncomfortable with this
Frankly, they resisted and questioned the competency
of the professor and teaching assistant
The university’s administration was also skeptical
Perhaps they feared the absence of traditional norms
i.e. the teacher is the expert
12. The students determined their course content
They picked topics the professor would have but
chose a few he would not have – this occurred
without cuing the students
Interestingly, they picked almost the same course
content as the professor would have
The students determined how mastery of the
subject matter would be measured
They chose attendance, a paper, and presentations
13. During typical classes the professor lectured about the
Biological Bases of Behavior (expert authority role)
Students seemed comfortable but not entirely engaged
3 of 15 classes were devoted to the students teaching
themselves in small groups (3 to 5 students)
Students read literature of their choosing and taught each other
in small groups
Cooperation was observed in the small groups
Students seemed engaged and interested
During the final hour of class the students reconvened and the
professor facilitated discussion (again an authority)
The discussion pertained to what was discussed in the small
groups
14. First 2 classes the professor indoctrinated the
learners to the material and the transformative-
style classroom
Metaphoric baseline decreased the first 2 weeks
Eventually, given power (and responsibility for
how they learned), students quickly began self-
regulating behaviors and responding
enthusiastically to the professor's suggestions.
In the weeks that followed, the class’s learning
curve quickly ascended the metaphoric y-axis
15. It appeared to the TA of singular importance that
the professor take the role of mentor rather than
authority. Eventually, the learners came to respect
this and their attitude towards the professor
changed remarkably. As a mentor and co-learner,
they more easily accessed and engaged the
professor, creating even more learning
opportunities than before.
16. On Final Day of Class Students Reported…
They initially did not like the approach but came to
enjoy it
Was “fun” and encouraged critical reading, writing,
listening, and thinking
17. Professor and Teacher’s Assistant noted…
Students seemed to enjoy the class, were interested
in the material, and read on their own not because
they had to but because they wanted to
Surprised by how much unprompted “work” they did
No classroom management problems and all passed
the course
18. Limitations:
Not congruent with standardized tests nor the
memorization of bulk data
Students and administration were initially skeptical
and uncomfortable of transformative learning
Raises ethical questions…
Limited outcome data on transformative approaches
and even fewer ways to quantitatively measure
This presenter is not demonstrating a transformative
learning classroom nor is the audience experiencing
it***
19. Advantages:
Transformative learning is hypothesized to promote
higher level thought and enable students to apply
what they learned to real world situations better
than traditional classroom learning
The students seemed to like this approach and read
because they were interested in the subject matter
not because the professor required it
Did it promote a higher level of
understanding/learning? Further research warranted.
20. Properly employed, transformative learning methods assist learners
in making a distinction between acquiring information verses
knowledge (being able to apply information in different contexts)
and wisdom (knowing when to do so). It is possible that this is not a
purely methodological issue as implied here, but a manifestation of
a more global need to re-examine the fundamental goals of
education in light of the increasing need to integrate information,
knowledge, and wisdom in today's world. I believe that
transformative methods have the potential to address at least some
of these issues, and encourage a proliferation of investigations into
more integrated methodologies of information, knowledge, and
wisdom acquisition invoking the natural curiosity and learning
propensity within all humans to better promote critical listening,
speaking, reading, writing and thinking.
21. • This transformative-style classroom is presented
as a model for future stakeholders
-Outcome data continues to be collected and
analyzed
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Boulder, Colorido, USA: Sentient Publications, LLC.
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Gallo, M. L. (2001). Immigrant workers’ journeys through a new culture: Exploring the
transformative learning. Studies in the Education of Adults. 33(2)
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Institute, Inc. for Adult Education.
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Munich, Germany: Lincom Europa.
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Education.
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classroom. Adult Basic Education, 10(2).
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Washington, D.C., USA : National Academy Press.
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Honolulu, Hawaii, USA: Savant Books and Publications.
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