Transformative learning

For the human condition, being sentient, experiential, it is imperative to forge meaning from experience; to operate in any other manner would run counter to the essence of humanity. The rapid progression of human evolution is testament to this fundamental drive. The fingers that once traced the delineations of the arbitrary pinpoints of light that bespeckle the night sky also found the need to bring shape, narrative and so prescribe meaning to these desolate, disparate stars. These same fingers shaped the early maps of the world through reading and interpreting the night skies, thus bringing shape and definition to the word about us and lands reaching far beyond prior comprehension. These lands were ascribed through terminology, named according to custom, plunder or subjugation. Whatever the provenance of these titles, their identification brings meaning and context; by baring names they acquire familiarity; they become meaningful, tangible objects.

Jack Mezirow is steadfast in his belief in the propensity for man to ‘understand the meaning of our experience’, although he is willing to submit to the fact that ‘for some, any uncritically assimilated explanation by an authority figure will suffice.’ (Mezirow 1997, p.5) But with regard to contemporary man, Mezirow asserts that it is imperative to reject the concepts, values, opinions and theories held by others, and to fashion new interpretations of meaning through experience: ‘Transformative learning develops autonomous thinking.’ (Mezirow 1997, p.5)

From In search of the untethered mind: thinking, thought & reflective practice in education in progress

Mezirow, J., 1997. Transformative Learning: Theory to Practice: New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, No. 74 [online]. Available at https://www.esludwig.com/uploads/2/6/1/0/26105457/transformative-learning-mezirow-1997.pdf [Accessed 25th September 2017]