(This is the third in a series of columns from Northeast State’s Dr. J. Michael Ramey, Evening Coordinator at the Kingsport Center for Higher Education).
“… In contemporary societies, we must learn to make our own interpretations rather than act on the purposes, beliefs, judgments, and feelings of others. Facilitating such understanding is the cardinal goal of adult education.” ~ Jack Mezirow (1923-2014), American sociologist
Previously in this series, we noted that adult learners might resist course content that seems to contradict their beliefs about how the world works. According to transformative learning theory, developed by Mezirow and others, adults have acquired a frame of reference based on a lifetime of experiences. Furthermore, frames of reference arise from two distinct elements: habits of mind and point of view. By helping students to change these elements, instructors can facilitate transformative learning and promote autonomous thinking, a key competency for workforce readiness.
Whereas habits of mind include our default ways of thinking, feeling, and acting that proceed from deeply held assumptions, points of view are how we apply these habits of mind to specific contexts we encounter in our lives. For example, ethnocentrism is a habit of mind in which people regard anyone outside their group as inferior. A resulting point of view, then, would apply the lens of ethnocentrism to specific individuals and groups.
By helping adult learners to think critically, then, instructors are not only guiding them to be thoughtful, responsible citizens (a noble objective by itself) but also preparing them to succeed in a more sophisticated workforce.
Transformative learning can occur by changing one’s frame of reference through two chief means: gradually, by making incremental changes to points of view, or rapidly, by challenging the assumptions on which habits of mind are based. Because habits of mind are more durable, however, rapid change is less common.
To draw upon the previous example, an ethnocentric point of view can shift as a learner builds relationships with individuals and groups. The learner observes that the assumption about inferiority does not hold true for these new friends and necessarily modifies the criteria for evaluation. Ethnocentrism remains as a habit of mind, but as the individual builds more relationships and modifies criteria, the stubborn habit steadily transforms.
In order to address habits of mind more directly, however, a learner can engage in critical discourse with others. By joining the dialogue, participants find their underlying assumptions exposed and examined. In turn, this sets the stage for transformative learning, when we change our frames of reference in response to critical reflection.
In addition to participating in critical discourse, learners can also engage in self-reflective activities like journaling in order to uncover and modify deep-lying assumptions. Through these methods, learners change their frames of reference when they realize that new insights do not fit the old frames.
While critical discourse and self-reflection can (and do) occur outside of formal learning, for many students the structure and accountability of a college course can provide the scaffolding to support these activities. By intentionally weaving them into the fabric of a course, instructors promote transformative learning, and beyond that, help their students to become autonomous thinkers.
As early as 1991 the US Department of Labor recognized critical thinking skills as an essential competency. Accordingly, learning that prepared workers to think as autonomous agents in a collaborative context became prized over educational experiences in which students simply received the ideas and judgments of others without question. This trend has only accelerated over the almost thirty years since then as new jobs increasingly depend on understanding and manipulating information instead of just acquiring it.
By helping adult learners to think critically, then, instructors are not only guiding them to be thoughtful, responsible citizens (a noble objective by itself) but also preparing them to succeed in a more sophisticated workforce. As autonomous agents, these learners will have the advantage over peers who merely receive information without considering the greater implications and connections involved.
(This is the third in a series of columns from Northeast State’s Dr. J. Michael Ramey, Evening Coordinator at the Kingsport Center for Higher Education).
“… In contemporary societies, we must learn to make our own interpretations rather than act on the purposes, beliefs, judgments, and feelings of others. Facilitating such understanding is the cardinal goal of adult education.” ~ Jack Mezirow (1923-2014), American sociologist
Previously in this series, we noted that adult learners might resist course content that seems to contradict their beliefs about how the world works. According to transformative learning theory, developed by Mezirow and others, adults have acquired a frame of reference based on a lifetime of experiences. Furthermore, frames of reference arise from two distinct elements: habits of mind and point of view. By helping students to change these elements, instructors can facilitate transformative learning and promote autonomous thinking, a key competency for workforce readiness.
Whereas habits of mind include our default ways of thinking, feeling, and acting that proceed from deeply held assumptions, points of view are how we apply these habits of mind to specific contexts we encounter in our lives. For example, ethnocentrism is a habit of mind in which people regard anyone outside their group as inferior. A resulting point of view, then, would apply the lens of ethnocentrism to specific individuals and groups.
Transformative learning can occur by changing one’s frame of reference through two chief means: gradually, by making incremental changes to points of view, or rapidly, by challenging the assumptions on which habits of mind are based. Because habits of mind are more durable, however, rapid change is less common.
To draw upon the previous example, an ethnocentric point of view can shift as a learner builds relationships with individuals and groups. The learner observes that the assumption about inferiority does not hold true for these new friends and necessarily modifies the criteria for evaluation. Ethnocentrism remains as a habit of mind, but as the individual builds more relationships and modifies criteria, the stubborn habit steadily transforms.
In order to address habits of mind more directly, however, a learner can engage in critical discourse with others. By joining the dialogue, participants find their underlying assumptions exposed and examined. In turn, this sets the stage for transformative learning, when we change our frames of reference in response to critical reflection.
In addition to participating in critical discourse, learners can also engage in self-reflective activities like journaling in order to uncover and modify deep-lying assumptions. Through these methods, learners change their frames of reference when they realize that new insights do not fit the old frames.
While critical discourse and self-reflection can (and do) occur outside of formal learning, for many students the structure and accountability of a college course can provide the scaffolding to support these activities. By intentionally weaving them into the fabric of a course, instructors promote transformative learning, and beyond that, help their students to become autonomous thinkers.
As early as 1991 the US Department of Labor recognized critical thinking skills as an essential competency. Accordingly, learning that prepared workers to think as autonomous agents in a collaborative context became prized over educational experiences in which students simply received the ideas and judgments of others without question. This trend has only accelerated over the almost thirty years since then as new jobs increasingly depend on understanding and manipulating information instead of just acquiring it.
By helping adult learners to think critically, then, instructors are not only guiding them to be thoughtful, responsible citizens (a noble objective by itself) but also preparing them to succeed in a more sophisticated workforce. As autonomous agents, these learners will have the advantage over peers who merely receive information without considering the greater implications and connections involved.
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