Unintentionally Transformative

This winter, I have been taking courses on Adult Learning from the University of Calgary. This is something that I thought might be interesting, so I decided to explore this further. I am also working on my piano teacher certification from the Royal Conservatory of Music at the same time. So, this means that I have been involved in more than one discussion in the last few weeks regarding inspiring teachers and transformative learning. It has gotten me to reflect on how those two things are related, and in particular, the question: “Can a learning experience be effective without it being transformative?”

Inspiring and transformative, as well as transformational, are two adjectives that are used ubiquitously in professional and workplace training sessions. Inspiring is one thing, but transformative and transformational evoke images of massive and cataclysmic change. Transform, the root of those two words, is a strong word. (Newman, M., 2012)

Interestingly enough, there is an adult learning theory that is called the theory of transformative learning. The textbook for the course goes through multiple ways of phrasing it, but essentially, it means that transformative learning refers to learning that changes a person, their viewpoints and how they interact with the world. (Merriam, S., & Bierema, L., 2014)

I have lost count of the number of training sessions and workshops over the years that promise me to be transformative. I have gotten to the point where I cringe every time I hear that promise from a workshop facilitator, particularly if it is a session that has been mandated by management. Am I open to learning new skills and new ideas? Absolutely. As far as cataclysmic change in myself and my viewpoints, that is different. I find it to be very presumptive for a workshop facilitator to believe that they can evoke such a change in myself. In fact, I get very annoyed when I hear a facilitator or a manager tell me that the workshop will be transformative. I was actually pretty happy to see that someone in the academic literature made a comment that was in line with how I felt in those instances. “For instance, many adult learners are not actively seeking to have their perspectives transformed, and it can be intrusive of the educator to try to induce such a daunting and impactful process of disorientation and questioning when the learner was not seeking it out.” (Hoggan, C., & Hoggan-Kloubert, T., 2022)

So, that being said, I have been reflecting on how many teachers, instructors, facilitators, and professors that I have had that I would consider to be inspiring? I am bringing the word inspiring back to the discussion because my most inspiring teachers were also part of a personal transformative experience. I will say that transformative learning experiences are not comfortable. “The outcomes of transformative learning are described in positive terms, and the path for getting there can be painful.” (Cranton, P., & Taylor, E., 2013) I can confirm that my transformative experiences did have positive outcomes, but it was excruciatingly painful to get there.

My list of inspiring teachers and facilitators is a very small list. There are actually less than ten names on that list. That may seem like a high number until you put it into perspective. I have attended four universities as a full time student for a little over a decade of my life, in addition to the public school system. Then there are the random courses and conferences that I have attended as a special interest. I have been working as an engineering professional for over twenty years, and each employer has sent me on various training courses and workshops. I can’t even begin to put a number on the teachers and facilitators that I have encountered. This means that my list of less than ten people is a pretty small percentage. To be generous, let’s say it works out to 2%. Does this mean that the remaining 98% of the teachers and facilitators were ineffective or poor learning experiences?

When I look at my learning experiences as a whole, they did provide a more gradual transformation over the decades as I put the skills and knowledge to use in my everyday life. Have I used every skill or piece of knowledge that I was taught? I would have to say no. As a learner, I make the ultimate decision as to the value of the skill and/or piece of information.

When I think of effective trainers and teachers, the list is definitely longer and far more inclusive of a range of teaching and facilitation styles. I appreciate an effective teacher. Effective teachers have contributed to me as a whole person and have had positive impacts on my life.

For that smaller subset that I consider to be inspiring and transformative, they had the following characteristics:

1. They SAW me. They actually saw the person that I was and not what they wanted to see or what others claimed they saw. Because of this, they were able to see what I needed versus what I wanted.

2. They pushed me to excel and would not accept anything less than what I could do.

3. They were authentic people who did not appear to be trying to connect with me on an emotional level. The relationship was more organic and natural.

And more importantly,

1. They did not try to force a transformation. It just happened by being able to see what I, as an individual, truly needed in that instance.

While my transformative experiences were uncomfortable for me, they were not comfortable experiences for the teacher/facilitator either, given the depth of change. 

So, to circle back to my initial question, can a learning experience be effective without it being transformative? That is a resounding yes. Effective learning will result in change; that is inevitable, but transformative? I think workshop facilitators all over the world need to do us all a favour and drop that descriptor as a goal.

“Transformative education assumes that welling up within the person, forcing their way towards consciousness, are two fundamental impulses, one insisting that the status quo be maintained at all costs, the other calling for an end to the present order of things.” (Boyd, R., & Myers, G., 1988)

References:

Boyd, R. D., & Myers, J. G. (1988) Transformative education, International Journal of Lifelong Education, 7:4, 261-284, DOI: 10.1080/0260137880070403

Cranton, P., & Taylor, E. W. (2013). A theory in progress? Issues in transformative learning theory. European Journal for Research on the Education and Learning of Adults, 4(1), 35–47. https://doi.org/10.3384/rela.2000-7426.rela5000

Hoggan, C. D. (2016). Transformative Learning as a Metatheory: Definition, Criteria, and Typology. Adult Education Quarterly, 66(1), 57-75. https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/10.1177/0741713615611216

Hoggan, C. D. & Hoggan-Kloubert, T. (2022) Critiques and evolutions of transformative learning theory, International Journal of Lifelong Education, 41:6, 666-673, DOI: 10.1080/02601370.2022.2164434

Merriam, S. B., & Bierema, L. L. (2014). Adult Learning. Linking Theory and Practice. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Newman, M. (2012). Calling Transformative Learning Into Question: Some Mutinous Thoughts. Adult Education Quarterly, 62(1), 36-55. https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/10.1177/0741713610392768