communicating for
LEARNERS
SUM
MER
2011
featured in this issue
Transformational Learning
Did You Know?
Hot 5
New Learning Communities
Visionary Status
Transformational Learning It’s the secret desire of every educator—that “aha!” moment when a student suddenly “gets it,” when he or she begins to see self, the world, or ideas in an entirely different light. Such moments are usually preceded by “cognitive dissonance,” the failure of a student’s current knowledge and perspective to explain phenomena. Suddenly, the student must unlearn what seemed like common sense and rethink what seemed like truth. This is transformational learning. The Theory
Jack Mezirow, in his book Transformative Dimensions of Adult Learning (1991), defines transformation as “the process of becoming critically aware of how and why our assumptions have come to constrain the way we perceive, understand, and feel about our world; changing these structures of habitual expectation to make possible a more inclusive, discriminating, and integrating perspective; and, finally, making choices or otherwise acting upon these new understandings.” Transformational learning is radically different from assimilative learning—the process by which students simply take on new information that fits easily into their current structures of knowledge. The real question, of course, is how educators can create conditions in which students are more likely to have these transformational experiences. Transformational learning happens as the result of these conditions: • An event/problem that highlights the limitations of the student’s current paradigm or approach
• An opportunity for the student to identify and articulate the assumptions that underpin the current knowledge • An opportunity for the student to reflect critically on the origin and limitations of those assumptions
• An opportunity for the student to discuss his/her assumptions and alternative assumptions with instructors and peers • An opportunity for the student to apply the new knowledge Teaching Strategies for Transformational Learning
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To create the cognitive dissonance that starts the process, instructors can use readings that embody conflicting viewpoints
or case studies/demonstrations/experiments that conflict with students’ expectations. It is only when students experience the failure of their current paradigm that they will be motivated to change. One strategy to help students identify their assumptions is to encourage them to identify and articulate someone else’s assumptions before tackling their own. Here, again, readings and case studies can be very useful. Educators can encourage critical reflection by having students keep journals or answer targeted questions about how their perceptions have changed. One great idea suggested by Kelly McGonigal of Stanford University’s Center for Teaching and Learning is to have students create a perspective history timeline. “For any given topic, from critiquing art to analyzing the ethics of business, ask students to reflect on life experiences and academic experiences that have influenced their current perspectives. When was the first time they remember forming an opinion about this topic? What people and events shaped their assumptions? Have they changed perspectives over time? What people and events triggered this change?” Well-structured online discussion forums offer ample opportunity for the kind of ongoing discussion that promotes transformational learning. In order to allow students to apply new knowledge, educators can return to the original problem that created the cognitive dissonance and approach it with the new knowledge paradigm. Various exercises that ask students to “try on” points of view different from their own can also help them get the “feel” of transformative learning. Role plays and debates are good strategies that can help students learn to abandon their typical ways of perceiving. In general, whatever strategies educators employ to foster transformational learning, it is important to create a climate in the classroom in which students feel free to express their opinions. A combination of challenge and support will make all the difference.