Jack MezirowTransformative Learning Theory

Family

Wife named EdeeSon who is a

captain of a charter sport-fishing boat in Seward, Alaska

Education

Received Bachelor’s (1945) and Master’s(1946) degrees fro U. of Minnesota in social sciences and education

Ed.D from U. of California in adult education

Life WorkEarlier professional life as an adult educatorFocused on fostering social action through

community developmentTaught in adult literacy programs in US and

abroadServed as a consultant in many Third World

countriesTrained professionals in community development

Life Work

Devoted to developing Transformative Learning Theory

Self-proclaimed Social Action Educator

What is Transformative Learning Theory?

Transformative learning develops autonomous thinking, and is the process of effecting change in a frame of reference

Works to transform individual lives by challenging previously held perspectives and limitations

Development

Transformative education/learning developed in early 1970’s

Discovered Paulo Freire’s writings◦Says, “the critical dimension missing from my

work was my lack of awareness of centrality of conscientization”

What is conscientization?

Paulo Friere defines it as: “the process by which adults achieve a deepening awareness of both the socio-cultural reality which shapes their lives

and their capacity to transform that realitythrough action upon it”

Development

His wife, Edee, went back to collegeHe noticed his wife’s transformative

experience

Socio-Cultural Context: Early 1970’s

Economic liberty of women

Key Contributions

Worked to transform lives by challenging previously held perspectives and limitations

Outlined what transformative learning was◦Paulo Freire◦Booker T. Washington

Course Material

Learner’s need to knowReadiness to LearnPrior Experience: Adults have acquired a

coherent body of experience associations, concepts, values, feelings, conditional responses- frames of reference that define their life world. Frames of reference are the structures of assumptions through which we understand our experiences. They set our “line of action”

Jesus?

Although Dr. Jack Mezirow was not a believer, this theory is EXTREMELY applicable to Christianity