Theories Of Transformative Learning

Generally, humans learn from their experience as soon as their eyes begin to see the reality around them after they are born. Their raw experiences from their parents, friends, school and the society, as they grow, develop their meaning perspective. Acting on their acquired knowledge, beliefs, moral values and emotional perspectives tended to shape their attitude and character that becomes the person they are. However, since their flawed meaning perspective have not been challenged to undergo transformation advancing in age, therefore, their flawed perspective created wrong values for them that somehow flawed their judgment and character as well. How can this personality problem be dealt with the use of Mezirow’s “Theory of Transformative Learning?

Transformational learning is a procedure that leads students to scrutinize the roots of their assumptions and preconceptions and, as a result, it has deepened their awareness to change their attitude and perception towards life, others and the affairs of the world. Philosopher Maxine Greene emphasizes that meaningful learning involves a process of disclosure, reconstruction and generation. She practically points out that when learners encounter dislocations, and have realized that their old inherited recipe for solving problems are no longer effective, their immediate central concern is to “mentally ordering his own life-world” by looking at the meaning of their experience in light of a new perspective. There are three main mental components of transformative learning, namely: First, the experience; Second, the inner meaning and; Third is the reflection. Mezirow point out that rational thinking and reflection takes place as a response to disorienting dilemma. This mental examination of an experience, serves an opportunity to process imaginative ways of accessing new values, new meaning perspectives that dynamically resolve the problem. Because of this, significant life learning transformation perspective is

Thus, “Transformative adult education” helps to guide the learners to be self-guided analyzing their old deep seated perspectives comparing them with the significant ethical, moral and emotional values connected with their new experiences to create for them new interpretations that may achieve transformative learning that changes their whole perspectives in