When I first encountered the phrase transformational learning, my first thought was: “Isn’t all learning transformational?” I was not attempting to be facetious; to me, the process of learning something – even something as simple as a new word or as a complex as a mathematical equation – fundamentally changes the person who learns it. The brain makes new connections in the learning process, facilitating the learner’s ability to make new connections between concepts and therefore broaden their knowledge, skills, and even horizons. In fact, the more I thought about the concept, before reading Cooper’s (n.d.) article, the more I felt like calling something transformational learning was being unnecessarily repetitive.
However, having read Cooper’s (n.d.) article, as well as one by Kumi-Yeboah and James (2012), I have an entirely new perspective on both traditional ideas of learning and on transformational learning itself. I understand now that traditional ideas of learning could be said to be more about intellect – about broadening one’s factual understanding of the world. However, transformational learning is something deeper, more integrative. While one may in fact learn a new piece of information or a new fact, the change to the learner is deeper and integrative. It’s not just, “Now I understand mathematics better.”
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It’s much more, “Now I understand myself, the world, and the connection between the two better.” Traditional learning focuses on turning the unknown into the known; transformational learning focuses on how the process of turning unknown into known impacts the learner and the learner’s future experiences. In other words, how does learning the new word affect how the learner understands themselves, their place in the world, and their future learning experiences? The transformational learning process goes beyond answering questions and into changing points of view, perspectives, and into fundamental aspects of a person’s understanding of themselves and the world.
This is important to me, understanding this interdependence. As Kumi-Yeboah and James (2012) point out, “in the present diverse and globalized world, there is interdependency with the environment, where people face constant life changes” (p. 171). In other words, just being able to solve a math problem is insufficient to help an individual cope with their daily lives and responsibilities. The individual needs to understand why learning to solve a math problem is meaningful and how that process affects them and how they view the world. Being able to understand how learning something impacts me and how that impact is transferred to the world in which I live is very important to me. Kumi-Yeboah and James (2012) note that “adult learners are better prepared than children to evaluate the soundness of their understandings, beliefs, and the dependability of their way to make meaning of new experiences” (p. 171). Being able to understand how that occurs – i.e., the process of transformational learning – means that I am even better equipped to deal with change and to incorporate what I learn into my daily life and responsibilities.
In considering examples of transformational learning experiences I can’t help but think of Frodo’s experiences delivering the One Ring to Mount Doom in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. In a very real way (in the story) the process of carrying the Ring to its destruction fundamentally changes Frodo. He had grown up in comfort and wealth and had not known hardship; the biggest problem he faced personally was a certain restlessness. However, when the Ringwraiths began looking for the One Ring, Frodo realized that he had to leave the comfort and familiarity of his home and village. While there is a measure of ‘greater good’ and sacrifice in this act, it goes deeper than that. Frodo experiences hunger, danger, violence, betrayal, and the loss of his mind.
Though he survives the experience, when he returns home he has been changed. He realizes that the world that he thought was safe and homogenous was not; that the comfort and opportunities he had been afforded prior to his experiences were not universal. Before, all that mattered to him were walks in the woods and several meals a day. Afterward, connections with other people and helping others meant more. He was not one to regard his servant Sam as a person for confession and confidence before; however, Sam’s support and friendship throughout their adventure sustained him and taught him that everybody has the potential to be great and to be a great friend. Unfortunately, the experience also meant that his quiet life at home, which he valued before and after the experience, eventually stopped being sufficient, and he had to seek out new experiences, much like his uncle Bilbo.
In considering Frodo’s experience in the context of transformational learning, it becomes readily apparent that learning, regardless of whether it’s transformational or traditional, is not always going to be a pleasant experience. We tend to think of learning as a good thing, and in general it is. However, there are bad experiences that change us fundamentally and how we view the world, and Frodo’s experiences are prime examples of that. Cooper (n.d.) discusses how personal experiences, particularly those which are dramatic/traumatic, affect our meaning perspectives, and I think no one would disagree with how those events change us. But those experiences also represent learning experiences. In a way, we recognize them as learning experiences, but I appreciate that Mezirow wanted to formalize the concept in order to make the most of it. This formalization of the concept allows us to appreciate how the personal can be applied to broaden the ‘learning power’ of an individual which is invaluable.
