Understanding and Promoting Transformative Learning : A Guide for Educators of Adults

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Summary: Transformative Learning-- by Patricia Cranton
Review: Book Review
The book, Understanding and Promoting Transformative Learning by Patricia Cranton not only provides an in-depth account of transformative learning theory, but also offers the reader the opportunity to reflect on his or her own adult learning experiences. Cranton describes transformative learning as a three-step process, (a) subject-oriented, (b) consumer-oriented, (c) emancipatory. She compares these systems with Habermas and Mezirow who have also developed similar transformative learning theories. For example, Habermas defines transformative learning as, (a) technical, (b) practical, (c) emancipatory knowledge.
Cranton's book is organized into ten chapters separated into two parts. Part one defines the transformative learning process; part two describes how the educator can apply transformative learning in the educational process. The book is prefaced by concerns, needs, purpose, and reader audience. Each chapter is summarized and contains information of the preceding chapters. A detailed reference section concludes the book. The organization of the book was extremely helpful to me, as I was able to build concepts within contextual reading.
Researchers define adult education in different ways. Human characteristics are diverse, and it is not possible to generalize the adult learner. Therefore adult learning is classified within a larger system: positivism and constructivism. The former is subject-oriented; Habermas equates this learning to technical knowledge; Mezirow uses the term instrumental domain. Consumer-oriented learning is within the positivism and constructivism domains and hard to define. Habermas equates consumer-oriented learning to practical knowledge (interactive process of learning and individualized learning) and Mezirow to the communicative domain. Emancipatory learning belongs to the constructivist system as the learner becomes empowered often through a difficult process. Habermas and Mezirow call this level emancipatory as well. Mezirow adds a societal process to this learning domain.
The following chapters describe transformative learning within its theoretical context. Mezirow stands out in his goal to determine the true meaning of emancipatory learning developed through critical self-reflection. He depicts various meaning perspectives (how do adults see the world). As the adult learner gains experiences, he or she creates personal and social meanings and interpretations of information. Mezirow divides the meaning perspectives into epistemic (knowledge), sociolinguistic (social perspective) and the psychological meaning perspective. As educators are planning programs for the adult learner, it is important to keep Mezirow's theory in mind, as he stresses the learner's perspectives and the practitioner's experiences with the learner. Although I have often through my own experiences come to assess knowledge and social perspectives while planning, Mezirow's definition and Cranton's explanation clarify questions I have had in building concepts diverting a teaching environment into a meaningful learner-centered environment.
Cranton suggests various levels of self-reflection and critical thinking. She believes that transformative learning is not one process but a myriad of interwoven processes as diverse as transformative learning itself. The ultimate goal of transformative learning is to achieve learner individuation and empowerment ultimately resulting in critical self-reflection. My self-analysis questions how competent and effective I am and have been as a planner for the last ten years. Although I have attempted to follow different learning levels, I did not always understand that effective learning will lead to empowerment and emancipatory knowledge in the adult learner.
Cranton includes Jung's model of psychological types in her book to assist the educator in understanding the individuation process. Jung describes people as extravert or introvert. He also differentiates between an individual's rationale to judge either through values of thinking (logic) or feeling. Although Cranton states that transformative learning is better suited for the thinking function, the thinking types are not most likely to revise their meaning perspectives (Cranton 119).
The second part of the book goes beyond the process of transformative learning and reflects on the learner and the educator's role within the transformative learning process. Cranton believes the educator has three categories of power over the learner, (a) position, (b) personal, (c) political power. Empowerment is a pre-requisite of critical self-reflection and transformative learning. Empowerment should be the outcome of an educational experience. Cranton believes that for learner empowerment to occur the educator needs to relinquish position power while maintaining personal power. It is critical for the learner to have control over his own learning to reach empowerment or political power through .critical self-reflection. The educator needs to pose thoughtful and critical questions to raise the learner's consciousness and to stimulate higher level discourse. Because of varying learner types, each leaner exhibits an individualistic approach to empowerment.
In conclusion, as the educator plans a program, he or she needs to plan to include different learner's beliefs and assumptions. Learners require continued support as they mature and understand self-reflection. Learner assistance can come from the educator himself or from his or her social environment. The educator must stay a self-reflective learner to maintain the meaning of self-concept. I find this of utmost importance. A stagnant educator will become inflexible and not be able to understand the needs of the learner. According to Cranton professional development leading to personal growth and empowerment must be designed to include not only skills training, but also focus on personal growth and ultimately self-reflection as a life-long learner.
As the educator is planning a program, it is essential to consider various factors. The planner must discern the context of the learning process, consider the values, beliefs and assumptions of the learner, ensure the program will go beyond the skills level to include personal growth for all participants regardless of psychological profile types. The program will ultimately result in critical self-reflection and emancipation. Caffarella, in her twelve-step interactive model, includes many of these factors. This book was valuable as it allowed me to think about different types of learners and learning styles. It complemented Caffarella's text in that it filled in my own gaps to better understand her initial chapters of discerning the context and the assumptions and beliefs.. A program can only be successful if all learners benefit from the program implementation and take away what is important for that learner to achieve empowerment and andragogical values.

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Summary: Cranton's Expertise Talks!
Review: Cranton gives us great strategies for developing self-awareness as educators. We can become aware of our assumptions by trouble-shooting our own ideas with a suggested list from Cranton: write critical incidents (episodes in our own lives that created new perspectives), keeping journals, writing life histories, conducting criteria analysis, and engaging in a crisis-decision simulation. Cranton says discussions with colleagues and friends may be enough of an impetus for explicating assumptions. When we question the what, how and whys' we can become reflective practioners. The next step is integrating these assumptions into an informed theory of practice. Personal growth for the practioner and the adult learner is our goal. Cranton uses simple language to tell us what the needs of the adult learner are. Her book defines educators themselves as "transformative learners". Today's ideas of educators as facilitators is not just a trendy idea for Cranton. She gives us great ideas on how to revamp our teaching. We are exposed to the different types of adult learning. Cranton explains subject learning, consumer-oriented learning and emancipatory learning. As a fundamental goal of education, emancipatory learning defines the role of education in society. We see Cranton's name a lot in adult learning materials and she in considered an authority. You won't be disappointed with her matter-of-fact way of presenting information. She does not hoard information, she shares everything available to cover the topics at hand. In this "information age" Cranton is out there "fighting the war".