You all know that old “what would you wish for if you were given three wishes” scenario.   If the genie appears from the bottle, what do you ask for?  I am always torn between the most life affirming, big ticket items (world peace, for example) and the most practical (someone to clean my house).   Although transformative learning is easier to achieve than world peace, it is not a daily occurrence.  The Big “T” transformative learning is a dramatic change in the way we view ourselves and our world.  We can strive to help our students, employees, and colleagues find transformative learning at key moments in their lives, but we can also use our knowledge of transformative learning to help ourselves and others build opportunities for the little “t” transformations that pave the way for larger change.

Mezirow writes: “All learning is change; not all change is transformative.”  But the change that results from learning can be necessary to our continued success and happiness.  Transformative learning teaches us about the best ways to create opportunities for growth:

• Really Listen: What can you learn about the other person’s reasons for their beliefs or attitudes?
• Ask Yourself Why: When confronted with a strong negative reaction to someone else’s idea or belief, ask yourself what it is you believe that creates this conflict.
• Explore New Roles: Stretch yourself to try out new responsibilities at work, engage with another culture (spiritual, political or social) to see the world through their eyes, or shadow a family member, classmate, friend or colleague for a day to (almost literally) walk in her shoes.
• Discuss Issues: Have informal meet ups with coworkers, join a study group, or start a book club. Talking with others with diverse viewpoints can expand your ways of thinking.

If you are in-charge of a classroom or training situation, incorporate active learning techniques to help those you educate connect with one another and the material.  Some active learning techniques to consider that might help with the little “t” learning include the following:

• Think-Pair-Share: Have participants first think and write about a question, then pair up to share their ideas, and finally have a larger group discussion about what they learned.
• Pass-a-Problem:  Pass out index cards and ask group members to write down one issue or problem they are trying to tackle.  Then groups swap cards with other groups who are then responsible for finding a solution.
• Analytic Team: Ask different participants to play different roles in analyzing.  For instance, one person may be the proponent whose job it is to find supporting evidence for the ideas expressed.  Another may be the questioner who creates questions to be answered before moving forward with an idea. Each person is assigned to a role randomly, creating opportunities for growth and understanding of the various positions.

You can find additional active-learning strategies on the web.  Evaluate the strategies before applying to look for how they might engage a learner in critical reflection, rational discourse, or trying on new roles — three keys to moving from little “t” transformations to the Big T!

 

For more information:

Mezirow, J., & Associates (2000).  Learning as transformation: Critical perspectives on a theory in progress. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.