A Case Study of Radical Adult Education and Transformative Learning through a Diverse Adult Learning Workshop

Abstract

This study reports on the transformative learning experience that occurred through a workshop course about adult learning. The course took on a new and exciting angle, with the book, Radicalizing Learning: Adult Education for a Just World. This text set up learning through the lens of democratic socialism, radicalized learning, and critical thinking/teaching. The course structure modeled these characteristics through the activities, assignments, and the instructor’s approach to learning. The diverse backgrounds of the students, including race, sexual orientation, politics, and professions, created a unique opportunity to generate new knowledge together. Building on transformative learning and inclusive pedagogy, the instructor brought the learners into the development of the course from the beginning. The study follows the transformation of each individual and then suggests ways to transfer this to other settings.

Keywords

transformative learning radicalized learning adult education inclusive pedagogy diversity

Adult education seeks to inform learners about how to be subjects in their lives and how to make decisions that strengthen their opportunities to be active and improve society (Freire, 1973). In order to become aware of one’s power and begin to act within the new knowledge, a transformation of learning often needs to occur.

This article describes a case study of the experiences of seven learners who engaged in a workshop-style course in adult learning. By introducing radicalized and transformative learning along with other learning theories, the primary instructor sought to engage the learners and challenge their assumptions about the nature and practice of adult education.

This study draws on the course outcomes and continued reflections and actions of the learners. The article is organized first by describing the theoretical framework for this study. Then information is provided about the course and the methods for data collection. Then the findings are presented through vignettes from each learner, in their own voices. Themes are compiled into a dynamic chronology of the experience, and finally implications for practice are considered.

Theoretical Framework

The framework for developing the workshop, as well as this study included theories of inclusive pedagogy, democratic and radicalized education, and transformative learning with an adult education perspective. These theories wove together the fabric of the class and the collaborative research project. Inclusive pedagogy set the stage for embracing the diversity of learners and their experiences. Democratic and radicalized education provided the content of the class that challenged assumptions and preconceived notions about learning. Finally transformative learning undergirded and supported the experience and outcomes of the learners through this course. Aspects of transformative learning also shaped the analysis of the data in this study.

Inclusive Pedagogy

Adult education serves all people through one form of learning or another. While Freire (1973) and Adams and Horton (1975) among many others have practiced inclusion in their work with community education for decades, the academic discipline of adult education has taken longer to embrace the need for diversity and inclusive practices in the mainstream literature and conferences. The definition of inclusive pedagogy used within this adult education context is framed by the following texts.

In 2001, Sissel and Sheared published the edited text Making Space: Merging Theory and Practice in Adult Education. This book was the compilation of nearly a decade of dialogue and action to have a formal text in adult education that was a representation of diverse and marginalized voices. It challenged the hegemony of the academic field of adult education represented in previous handbooks of adult education and the core texts that had defined the field. Sissel and Sheared (2001) defined inclusion as encompassing “a variety of perspectives and worldviews, cultures, ethnicities, and backgrounds” (p. 8).

Since the development of this text began in 1992, many other volumes have been written to widen the scope and visibility of adult education serving at the margins. In Providing Culturally Relevant Adult Education: A Challenge for the Twenty-First Century, Guy (1999) acknowledges the role of culture “as central to shaping and molding the adult education process” in order to “empower oppressed people to gain greater control over their lives” (p. 1).

More recently, Brookfield and Preskill (2009) published Learning as a Way of Leading: Lessons from the Struggle for Social Justice to examine approaches to leadership that “bring about transforming changes that advance social justice and promote the common good” (p. x). They present examples of nonmainstream and diverse leaders who used approaches to leadership through:

learning to be open to the contributions of others; learning critical reflection; learning to support the growth of others; learning collective leadership; learning to analyze experience; learning to question; learning democracy; learning to sustain hope in the face of struggle; and learning to create community. (p. vii)

In 2010, Sheared et al. edited The Handbook of Race and Adult Education: A Resource for Dialogue on Racism. This text makes explicit the ways race and other aspects of diversity have influenced learning, acceptance, leadership, and theory in adult education. These and other texts informed the design of the workshop to engage, value, and respect the diverse experiences and backgrounds of each learner.

Democratic and Radicalized Education

One of the goals of adult education is to know oneself through critical reflection and radicalized learning (Brookfield & Holst, 2011). The graduate course utilized Brookfield and Holst’s (2011) text as the primary reading. It challenged the students to envision the role of adult education in a more political and socially active context. While, radicalized learning can be a loaded term, Brookfield and Holst (2011) define it as:

Getting down to the roots of something to discover its essence. . . For us the radical purpose and practice of adult education is concerned with organizing education for and encouraging learning about the creation of democracy in political, cultural, and economic spheres. (pp. 3–4)

Yet, the authors do not back away from the political aspects of this approach. They clarify that

Our understanding of adult learning is not . . . to increase knowledge, enhance understanding, develop insight, or develop skill. For us adult learning is inextricably tied to creating and extending political and economic democracy––to equalizing control of and access to wealth, education, health care, and creative work, and to promoting collective and cooperative forms of decision making and labor. Every act . . . will entail alternative and intersecting dimensions…each involved a complex web of actions, choices, and reasoning, with different forms and processes highlighted more strong than others at different times. (Brookfield & Holst, 2011, p. 17)

This radical approach to the purpose of learning and education challenged, yet excited the learners and set the stage for the key outcomes in this study to emerge and learning goals for the course to be achieved.

Transformative Learning

Taylor (2009) reminds us that transformative learning, “involves the most significant learning in adulthood, that of communicative learning, which entails the identification of problematic ideas, beliefs, values, and feelings; critically assessing their underlying assumptions; testing their justification through rational discourse; and striving for decisions through consensus building” (p. 3). In this study, transformative learning acts as a theory that encompasses the content and context of the learning process.

When Mezirow (1991) developed the theory of transformative learning, he suggested 10 phases in order to undergo transformation in learning. As transformative learning theory has been applied, debated, deconstructed, and reconstructed, the current literature posits that there are “core elements that frame a transformative approach to teaching” (Taylor, 2009, p. 4). These include “individual experience, critical reflection, and dialogue” (p. 4), as well as “a holistic orientation, awareness of context, and an authentic practice” (p. 4).

Building on the work of Yorks and Kasl (2002), Heron (1992), and others, Taylor (2009) describes the importance of affective and relational knowing—“developing an awareness of feelings and emotions in the reflective process” (p. 10). Heron suggests that holistic learning happens when conceptual processes interact with imagination and intuition. Davis-Manigaulte, Yorks, and Kasl (2006) describe a “taxonomy of expressive ways of knowing” (p. 31). The components of the taxonomy included:

(1) creating a learning environment conducive to whole-person learning, by helping learners be attentive to learning and creating a empathic field; (2) working with learners within that environment by creating a pathway to felt experience and unconscious knowing, codifying new insight so that it is more accessible for future meaning making. (pp. 31–33)

In Taylor’s (2009) summary of this core element to transformative learning, he discusses the value of “establishing meaningful, genuine relationships with students . . . building trusting relationships that learners develop the confidence to deal with learning on an affective level, where transformation at times can be perceived as threatening and an emotionally charged experience” (p. 13).

Through authentic relationships, teachers and learners establish a foundation for transformative learning. Cranton and Carusetta (2004) describe a five-facet model:

A strong sense of self awareness.

A deep awareness of the needs and interest of learners and how they may differ from the interest of the educator.

Fostering the ability to be genuine and open with others.

Developing awareness of how context shapes practice.

Engaging critical reflection and critical self-reflection about practice (as cited in Taylor, 2009, p. 13).

Purpose of the Study

Not all courses in adult education or that serve adults have transformative learning at their core. When developing this version of the adult learner course, the primary instructor sought to engage the learners in an examination not only of learning theories but of the connections of learning theories to power structures within society. It so happened that the diversity of the learners complemented the themes from the text and created a powerful context for learning to occur.

When developing classes that challenge students’ assumptions or may lead toward a transformative learning experience, Taylor (2009) suggests that,

Much remains unknown about the practice of fostering transformative learning, and so it should not be practiced naively or without forethought or planning. It often requires intentional action, personal risk, a genuine concern for the learners’ betterment, and the ability to draw on a variety of methods and techniques that help create a classroom environment that supports personal growth and, for others social change. (p. 14)

Each course has unique qualities and outcomes based on the group dynamics, openness to learning, and other choices made by both the instructor and the learners. When the instructor realized that this was a special class with each student experiencing some level of transformation, the group decided that it should examine the factors contributing to this experience. The study was proposed collaboratively among the learners and instructor prior to the final course meeting. Thus, the group of students and instructors engaged in a critically reflective case study. They began a deeper examination of the course, their learning process, and their personal and collective transformative learning experiences.

Research Questions

This study examined how these diverse learners experienced transformative learning individually and as a collective group through a five-week workshop-style course in adult learning. They were challenged to critically reflect on their assumptions of teaching and learning, to negotiate the curriculum, to work together with respect and trust, and to build a democratic learning community. The research questions that drove this study included:

What factors support a diverse group of learners in order for them to have a transformative learning experience in an adult education classroom?

How did each learner experience transformative learning in this course?

How can the experience of transformative learning be replicated to other courses or settings?

Method

To answer the research questions, a case study approach was developed. Case study is the “analysis of a bounded system” (Merriam, 2009, p. 40). This study was bounded by the 5-week, summer course in adult learning. In this study, there were two levels of analysis. The first level of analysis was each person's experience. Then a cross-case analysis provides the second level of analysis and a web of constructed knowing (Belenky et al., 1997) from all the individual experiences. Constructed knowing is the theoretical perspective that supports this study. Constructed knowing operates with an understanding that knowledge is shaped and formed from the group of learners/knowers. Constructivist knowers understand that they must self-reflect, analyze, and use context to arrive at answers. They understand that situations in life change, and as a result will change what they believe to be true (Jones, 2011).

Description of Course

The workshop course in adult learning offered over 5 weeks in the summer session took on a new angle by using a new book titled Radicalizing Learning: Adult Education For A Just World (Brookfield & Holst, 2011). This text set up learning through the lens of democratic socialism, radicalized learning, and critical thinking/teaching. The course structure modeled these characteristics through the activities, assignments, and the instructor’s approach to teaching/facilitation of learning. As the Brookfield and Holst state, “Critical teaching begins with developing students’ powers of critical thinking so that they can critique the interlocking systems of oppression embedded in contemporary society” (p. 58).

Building on transformative learning and inclusive pedagogy models, the instructor brought the learners into the development of the course from the beginning—negotiating the syllabus on day one. The rhythm and timing of the 5-week workshop-style course provided for an intense experience over three full-day meetings and two interactive online weeks.

Learners were required to research and present learning theories and provide their peers with a more in-depth study of specific chapters from the text and use engaging activities to emphasize key topics. They also interviewed other adult learners to connect people’s actual learning experiences to the theories being explored. The presentations and discussions, both online and face to face, included video clips, web-based tools, instructional games, dialogue, laughter, and support of one another as they learned together.

The learning community that was built through an atmosphere of mutual respect, safety, and trust continues to provide support as these individuals moved through their unique learning journeys.

Description of the Participants

The backgrounds of the students in this small workshop-style course contributed to an environment conducive to fostering a transformative learning experience. This group of six women and two men (including the instructors) was politically, professionally, sexual orientation, and racially diverse. Their ages ranged from 23 to 51, and they came from a broad career range (politics, social services, criminal justice, education, nonprofits, and consulting). Taylor (2009) suggests that, “greater life experience provides a deeper well from which to draw on and react to” (p. 6). With all their differences, the group demographics made for an excellent opportunity to create new knowledge together.

Data Collection Procedures

Data were gathered from written documents submitted throughout and after the course. This course used critical reflection tools throughout as Brookfield (1995) suggests in order to be critically reflective teacher. These included two learning journal summaries where they responded in narrative form to 11 questions related to their own learning experience twice over 5 weeks (Brookfield, 1995). They also completed critical incident questionnaires (CIQs) that were posted anonymously on blackboard each week (Brookfield, 1995). These tools serve as a way to “see ourselves through our students’ eyes” (p. 93) as well as providing a window into the students thinking and engagement level with the course.

Data were also drawn from student writing in the form of introductory posts and individual reflective papers written at the end of the 5 weeks. The learners were instructed to “provide a personal account of activities in class, related to class, and impact in the workplace.” The story can encompass these questions:

What were your expectations for taking this course before coming to the first class?

What were your initial thoughts upon the first day of course meeting?

How did Lyn Jones’ workshop contribute to your experience of the course?

Tell me about the rest of your learning journey provoked by the course––with reading and other experiences that are provoked/required by the course.

Since you have had a few days since the last course meeting––what are your initial reflections of the course?

Thinking about your own context and professional path, how do you see ways to incorporate action based on the learning that happened here?

Summarize your big epiphany/epiphanies that were brought about by being part of this learning community.

After the course was complete, the learners continued to reflect on their experiences and they also were participant researchers in their own learning process. The instructors and three learners gathered a month after the conclusion of the course for a reflective focus group that was recorded and transcribed. Two other learners were interviewed individually about the impact of the course on their practice. The interviews were also recorded and transcribed. All these documents were compiled for each individual learner as well as by type of document for the whole group. Each learner selected a pseudonym to be used to keep the data confidential.

Summary of Procedures for Analyzing the Case Study

Once all the data was compiled the analysis began. The learners were given their own data to analyze, and they were asked to draft a vignette of their experience. The instructor further edited the vignettes for length before including them in this article. The instructors also analyzed each individual’s data as well as larger themes for the whole group.

The instructors and learners served as co-researchers in the analysis of this study. First, an inductive system of open, axial, and thematic coding was used to analyze the data and develop the cases (Strauss & Corbin, 1998). Then each used the constant comparison method while sorting and naming themes and categories (Dye, Schatz, Rosenberg, & Coleman, 2000). In the analysis, the researchers considered what Mostyn (1985) described the five most important guidelines in interpreting qualitative research, including the incidence of occurrence, attitudes presented by participants, what is not being said, indication of salience, and meaning.

After coding, these data points were then presented as meaningful communication both for the individual learner and for the purposes of these research findings. Chenail (1995) suggests several strategies for qualitative researchers to present their findings including one called narrative logic, which he defines as data that are arranged narratively or with an “eye for storytelling” (para. 35). By using narrative logic, the researcher can “plot out the data in a fashion which allows them to transition from one exemplar to another just as narrators arrange details in order to best relate the particulars of the story” (para. 35). While each theme is a part, those parts are part of a much more complex picture” (Jones, 2011, p. 83).

Findings

The data and findings from the study are presented first as individual narratives or vignettes with the student voices first and followed by the guest instructor, Dr. Lyn Jones, who worked with them the first afternoon of the course and then again in data collection and research at the end of the course. Each individual came to the course expecting one thing and concluding the course with something different. In the second part of this section, common themes from the learners’ experiences are discussed. The conclusions and analysis section, then, presents direct connections to the theoretical framework and the research questions.

Vignettes

Lee

Lee lives a dual life as a master’s student and teaching assistant in Intensive English Institute and as a parent of eight children (two natural and six adopted internationally). She took this class to understand more about how adults learn. “If I am more capable in understanding the adult brain and how it learns then I will be better at what I do.” In her introduction, she wrote, “Taking classes is one of the pure joys that I get to experience. Yes, it will hopefully create gainful employment for me when I finish my degree, but the time spent learning and being with other students is purely mine . . . I'm looking forward to this whirlwind.”

As she reflected on the course and the rhythm of events during those 5 weeks, she used words like question, shock, wonder, fear, camaraderie, frustration, glee, cooperation, transformation, and awe. When asked to “summarize the big epiphany/ epiphanies that were brought about by being part of this learning community,” she wrote:

In contemplating and comparing our class to others, I really feel our diverse backgrounds are what oddly enough cemented us together. This course in radical adult education was a case study in itself. If it were full of people only with education backgrounds, I think the radical/novelty concept would have been lost. Too many educators are simply stuck and no longer have the energy or see the need for inclusivity and thinking through their own preconceived notions.

I found it refreshing to see as many adults that absolutely love their work. The care and compassion found in my classmates is not something I see often. I sat around a table with six other individuals that actually care about others and not just about a paycheck . . . These people read, researched, presented, and cared about what they were doing. They gave up money, time, and opportunities to do something else on a few Saturdays to make a difference in other’s worlds . . . Wow.

John

John was the only doctoral student in this course. He is in his mid-30s and newly married. Coming from a background in business and higher education, he is pursuing his doctorate to be a professor in communications with most of his coursework “focused on teaching and learning theories, issues in higher education, and the development of students”. He wanted “to learn about multiple learning styles for adults.”

As the class progressed John began to realize “this course was more about freedom that education brings.” He explained that “I realized this course was going to cover ground that none of my previous classes had covered . . . While other people may have different views on education and ways of freeing their minds, it is great to be exposed to those differences and experiment with them. We can celebrate those differences and learn from each other.” John reflected on some of the key lessons and transformative aspects of the course:

I realize that we were very fortunate to have diversity in the group. We did not have many students, but we were able to learn from experiences, jobs, perspectives, goals, and aspirations. As we became comfortable with each other, we were able to communicate on a level that encouraged and supported openness, questions, disagreements. We were able to talk through many issues and concerns about ourselves and the worlds we live in . . . We were given tools and skills to help us as we each continue to grow as learners and educators.

We learned how to be open to learning from everyday experiences. We also learned how to influence others and in our daily roles outside of the classroom. We had many conversations on claiming our power. Not taking power, or using power over others, but how to use the power and rights we are granted. As citizens, we should claim our power and vote, be active in the community, and be aware and active in the politics of our community, nation, and world.

This course inspired John to take a new perspective and approach in his teaching. He is applying this learning and transformation to his own communication classes at the community college level.

Adult educators must have a pulse on the community . . . If I am going to be a citizen, there are competencies like participation and action that I must embrace and be active in. This class inspired me to teach this way, to give students tools, and show them real world examples of how through communication they can claim their power, and they have the tools then to make real impacts not only for themselves, but on the world.

Bobbi

This course welcomed Bobbi into her master’s program and higher education 10 years after her first degree. Bobbi, in her mid-40s, serves as an outreach advocate for victims of domestic and family violence for a local nonprofit agency. With a background in criminal justice, she also trains police officers how to interact and respond to domestic abuse situations. Bobbi is an avid reader and became excited when she received the textbook. She even wrote, “When I got the book, I was excited by the content . . . Radicalized Learning: Adult Education for a Just World is a book I would have read for pleasure. (If I would have known what Radicalized Learning was).” Her goals for the class included “exploring the different ways people learn and understand new information . . . I expect to come away from this course with a better sense of how to communicate with a variety of people.”

Bobbi expected that the instructor would “present in lecture style and have a strict syllabus with little room for negotiation.” Yet, she described that, “From the beginning it was clear that this course was not anything like I had experienced before.”

The class was very collaborative in nature. We were all seated in a way that encouraged conversation. We began the class with some laughter exercises as an icebreaker. The combination of this exercise and [the instructor’s] positive presence put my mind at ease right away. We negotiated the syllabus and discussed any concerns that we had about the class or materials to be reviewed. This activity gave me some since of control over what I would be learning. Throughout the course, there were times that discussions were lively, and challenging, and other times they were reflective in nature.

Bobbi was surprised that she “learned as much from the discussions and insights of the others as I did from my own personal research and the text.” Varied presentations from each student helped to bond the group together. As a learning theory, Bobbi selected transformative learning theory on which she did quite a bit of research. This theory was very appropriate for her as she “realized that Transformative Learning is what I had been trying to do when training officers in the dynamics of domestic violence.”

Modeling the stages of her own transformation, Bobbi recounts that her “Transformative Learning experience in this class relates to my understanding of what it means to be a trainer/educator.”

Disorienting Dilemma: I had not been overly successful in changing the attitudes of officers in regard to their interaction with victims of domestic violence.

Critical Reflection: Through the text, classroom discussion and research I was able to examine my beliefs about teaching and develop strategies to accomplish my goal of changing officer’s attitudes.

Transformation: I changed my concept of teaching. I changed the way I was presenting the material to the officers. I have started to look at every aspect of my presentations with a greater understanding of the learning process. I am encouraged by the idea that education can be a venue for social change.

Reflecting on the experience, she explained that,

This class was a very positive experience for me. I was able to connect with the other learners in a short period of time. Through their openness and willingness to share I was able to gain a broader understanding of adult education and those involved in it. The diversity of the group provided different perspectives to further examine the concepts presented.

Before this class I had little understanding of teaching and felt that it was as simple as an exchange of information. I now understand how powerful education can be in changing the world. Through the examples in the book, discussions in class and research I can see how education can be used to transform an individual, a group, or organization.

Russell. Russell joined this class as a transfer student from a program in Student Affairs into the master’s degree program in Adult and Community Education. He anticipated that this class “would be based heavily in the lecture format with an expert (teacher) discussing various theories and then us (students) develop who we can place these theories into the context of our daily work. WRONG.” Instead he found that:

This class was set in a Socratic method. We sat openly and created a marketplace of thoughts and contrasting ideas that stirred healthy tension, celebration, and most important per support. We did cover the content of adult learning theory and radicalizing education through an amazing text, but it was almost hidden. It was not until after classes, while driving or working, that I saw an understanding of practical implications of my course work.

As the youngest member of the class, at 23, Russell explained that “I have also learned throughout this class how parallel age and wisdom run . . . I have several book smarts, however, my colleagues have the wisdom gathered through their experiences . . . I must keep my experiences in the back of my mind to draw upon for reference.”

Throughout this 5-week course, Russell’s mother was hospitalized with cancer. Although it was challenging for him to balance the class and care of his mother driving back and forth from Chicago to attend the course sessions, Russell found the class to be a useful distraction. It also helped him to better reflect on his family’s and his own learning processes at this time of crisis. “These rides were full of questioning of my understanding of adult learning and my role as an adult educator—though this course there was some wonderful self-reflection that occurred.” He chose to interview his parents for the assignment about adult learners, where he was able to connect with them at a different level and see them as learners and adults rather than parents for the first time.

Russell, a native American, gay man, was very interested in issues of diversity and inclusion. He mentioned,

This course was quite possibly one of the best courses in terms of being a collective community of scholars and friends. We were able to have heavy discussions about hot button issues. We learned from others about various adult educational topics through self and co-teaching.

The proudest moment I have experienced is through our conversations about diversity and seeing how strongly people advocated for minority populations and human rights. This is very overwhelming as a minority member because it is so rare that I feel supported and backed up.

The other impressive learning that I discovered in this course was how support of classmates can help with personal struggles . . . My professor and classmates created an environment where I could share my pain and struggle and it was never met with anger or doubt. I was consoled, supported, and encouraged. For all those people I will be forever grateful. This course was quite simply––life changing.

Veronica

Veronica took this course to meet a requirement in the master’s program for Executive Development for Public Service. With a background in politics and work experience with the U.S. Senate in Washington D.C., she currently serves at the Indiana Statehouse as a media director for the conservative party. In her introduction she wrote,

I manage a staff of 17 adults, and didn't consider myself an adult educator, until I took [the introductory course in adult education]. This will be my second course in the field of adult education. I hope that I will be better able to engage my staff through this course and also learn how to communicate more effectively in my job.

Veronica was pregnant with her first child during this course and stated, “She has not only taken over my body, but is changing every aspect of my life and is causing me to certainly think in a different manner than I ever have.”

As Veronica read Radicalized Learning and prepared for class, she was concerned about the content and political nature of the textbook. At first, she worried that her political perspectives would not be accepted by the group and that her grade would be affected. After the first class, she wrote, “I am trying to have an open mind, but it is excruciatingly tough.”

Yet, during the second week and after completing the text, she realized that “I had been taught the same training mechanisms, just on the far right. I began to understand the value of the book and the lessons learned.” She also reflected that, “I realized that just as I thought others would judge me because of my political make-up they may be uncomfortable too, thinking that I am judging them. I need to be more open. I feel as if I psyched myself out last week.”

During the third week of the course, Veronica attended a baby shower put on by friends from out of state. This personal learning was something she had not expected, she explained that, “It was most helpful for the moms to share tips on how they used a toy to either soothe the baby or multitask, something that I had not considered until I was sitting there. I felt so much more confident about being a mother after the shower.”

In the third week, she also wrote a book response paper and conducted the adult learning interviews. She stated that she “anticipated different results in my interviews.” She interviewed a journalist from the statehouse and Abby, the Parent and Adult Community Coordinator for the local public schools. Veronica was “surprised by how much I enjoyed my interview with Abby. I had not realized how out of touch I am with the world of poverty.” Abby recommended a book by Dr. Ruby Payne that she read for her adult learning theory assignment.

This interview and book was transformative for Veronica. As a mother to be, she was open to connecting with others and empathizing with their life circumstances. She also thought about how to reach this audience professionally. She exclaimed,

Shocking. I can’t believe how much I have ignored the entire poor community in communicating and messaging. I did not expect to learn this much, especially on this subject. I had no idea that such a large part of adult education relies on communication. When I first started this class I thought, “how could I possibly apply this to what I do?” That question has been certainly answered.

In her reflective writing at the end of the course, Veronica told the rest of the story this way:

By leading me to this assignment, the teacher led me to a book for my next assignment. She thought that it would be best if I started with something basic and asked that I read, Understanding the Framework of Poverty, by Dr. Ruby Payne.

The book reaffirmed what the educator told me, and expanded my knowledge into an entirely different field. I began to reflect on all of the Town Halls that my department did messaging for, I thought of the meetings at public schools that were conducted and the handouts that we passed out. I thought of parents at certain schools jumping into conversation and interrupting a legislator—it wasn’t out of disrespect as I previously thought, it was because that was their social norm.

I finished the book. The next day I entered the Chief of Staff’s office.

“We’re doing it all wrong,” I proclaimed.

I went on to address my over dramatic entrance. I discussed with her the findings from the class and in addition to that of Dr. Payne. I told her that I was going to come up with some talking points and present it to my staff so we know how to prepare messaging and media better for the legislators. She listened and encouraged me to dive deeper into understanding this messaging.

Today I will be teaching the House Republicans Media Department the findings of this educational journey. I will be introducing concepts learned from the interviews conducted, I will be having them understand the differences of language and social norms for different classes, and collectively we will discuss how we can apply this with communicating in a more efficient manner.

I listened.

I learned.

And now . . . I teach.

Kaye

Kaye is a computer software professional who is at the exploring coursework in adult education. She is interested in issues of community service and education to improve people’s lives. Kaye is African American and comes from a military family, so she expected a traditional course format as well. She is comfortable with the use of technology and enjoyed the power point presentations, as well as the guest instructor, Dr. Lyn Jones.

Reflecting on the course, Kaye spent much of her time discussing how emotionally she connected with Dr. Lyn’s activity called I remember. This was a short workshop the first day when the students began a memoir writing exercise thinking about key moments in their lives. Kaye became very emotional when thinking about her recently deceased father and all that he meant to her. She explained that she was slowing beginning to take courses.

Again it has been small steps at a time because that was to get me over the hurdle of what I thought I was over with, with my dad’s passing. I should have known because I took a class on death and dying, to know some people will grieve for five years or more depending on how close that family member was.

She wrote that “when Lyn did the activity, I thought maybe I can trust this. I talk to others and that is an emotion I haven’t had to have. I thought I can make it through.” It was “very helpful but painful. You push the feelings aside, bury those down. If I could look past that, of what I might have brought up, was not suffering, it would not have been as painful.”

Kaye did not expect the explicitly political nature of the book that was used in the course. She said:

Signing up for the class was one thing, but when I read the book was another thing. I did not foresee the social justice aspect of it . . .. So I was very shocked. It was a very different book than I expected. When reading it, the author lent so much on the social justice aspect of it. I thought, why isn’t this more balanced? In retrospect, he had to let his audience, the adult learners know, his field is very vast, and it has more than just three or four dimensions. It is not just about learning theories.

Kaye explained that her biggest lesson from the course was:

That this [adult education] is multidimensional. It is not like basic arithmetic. There are no boundaries yet in adult education. Whether you are talking about self-directed, transformational. It is still ever changing. I would say adult learners need to keep an open mind and I would say an open heart. Sometimes it is not all intellectual. Feelings will come into play as well.

Dr. Darolyn “Lyn” Jones, Guest Instructor

During the summer of 2011, the primary instructor had a herniated disk in her back that made her uncomfortable if she sat for too long. During the first meeting of the Adult as a Learner course, she invited her former doctoral student, and recent graduate, Dr. Lyn Jones, to co-teach the afternoon session. As the former Education Director of the Memoir Project at the Writers’ Center of Indiana, she was able to facilitate an exercise in memoir writing, focusing their memories on their adult and community education roots.

Lyn noted the diversity among the class members. The students were male and female, students who were young and old; African American, White, and native American; students who were gay and straight; and students who were new to the program and university and students who were not. For example, one student was young, under 25, and just out of his undergraduate programs. Another student was pursuing his doctoral degree. One student worked for social justice, saving women from domestic violence. Another student was pregnant who worked for the Republican party and who was committed both personally and professionally to her party’s agenda. The group included a single mother who was returning to school to get her master’s degree in Linguistics and wanted to learn more about adult learners since her graduate assistantship was to work with international adult students. Another woman worked in corporate training in the software field, and a young man worked at the national level for a fraternity.

Lyn was intrigued and excited to hear what memories this group would share. How had they all arrived here? Why did they want to be in this course, in this program? What was their journey?

After introductions, Lyn began by asking the group to describe the characteristics of an adult learner, creating specific individual words. Next, she reminded everyone in the room that they were not only studying adult learners but also adult learners and adult educators. “Knowing and identifying your own characteristics, strategies, and motivations as an adult learner is critical,” she explained to them, “before delving into adult learner theories and models. And a productive and powerful way to access that information is with a transformative reflective writing model—memoir.”

Lyn reminded them that a memoir is…

Not THE––but A story of a part of a person’s life.

A more condensed life story and may focus on one important period of that person’s experience.

Focused on what the writer believes is important in his/her life

A collection of certain moments in a person’s life.

After leading them through several prompts generating sentences and paragraphs of memories, they began constructing. She explained,

We wrote more, we stopped, we re-read our list, we talked about what we wrote and why we wrote it, we read what we wrote out loud, we laughed often, and sometimes cried, we passed and chose not to share certain people, places, times, or events that were difficult to speak out loud, and equally chose to celebrate and share memories of people, places, times, and events that had shaped us.

Each student talked about applications to their own context and audience.

We talked about how memoir writing could be used with Republican party lobbyists to help them remember why their work is important, with police officers who would benefit from remembering their own difficult work with domestic violence crimes and for the women who are victims to be able to write, with computer technologists as a training session assessment tool, with young men to remind them they are not just living but leading in their fraternity houses, and with new international students to help them connect their former educational experiences with their very new and different ones they are encountering at the university.

Lyn explained that:

I am a writer and I have taught hundreds of courses on organized and formal memoir writing so I am never surprised by the transformation that I almost always see when folks get the chance to reflect and remember, write, and frame those stories that have made them who they are. But this particular group had not voluntarily signed up to write their memoirs. They were not a group who knew each other. They were not expecting to share such deeply personal information with each other. After all they had just met and the one thing they knew for sure was that they were very different from each other.

She reflected that it was those wide differences that created space for them to talk. They were able to explain who they were by talking through their memories and find that they had more in common than they realized. They talked about mothers and fathers dying and how they were the reason they were in this room today. They talked about bullying and abuse and how they had to work hard to push past those unfair challenges. They talked about their love of teaching and how they wanted to do that but did not and now were trying to make it happen.

When the session was over, the students hugged Lyn, they hugged each other, and they talked about each session how this session was part of their transformation. Leading adult theorist, Phyllis Cunningham, noted that she did not set out to be an educator but a spacemaker, someone who created space for transformation (Armstrong, Nabb, & Czech, 2006). The instructor gave Lyn the time. She created the space, and the students chose to transform.

Themes

Through the use of the constant comparative method, we examined each line of the written work and transcribed interviews and assigned codes to key words and concepts. After that initial assignment of codes, we then collapsed and expanded those codes into themes (Chenail, 1995; Denzin, 1989; Glaser & Straus, 1967). The themes and codes naturally took on one of two lines of analysis––(1) the environment of the course and (2) the process of the course. The thematic codes related to the environment of the course include:

progressive, liberal, and even radical text;

assumptions about course;

negotiated curriculum;

social issues and globalization;

diversity of fellow peers;

learning strategies: reflection, writing, collaboration, interactive presentations, and discussion;

more than a class: A community;

Transformation and application.

As we sought to define codes for the process of the course, we used Mostyn’s (1985) suggestion of “condensing, excising, and even reinterpreting the data, so that it could be written up as a meaningful communication” (p. 138). To refine and clarify those themes, the learners then entered the analysis using cross-case analysis to seek common themes in the codes.

Students refined and clarified the codes by highlighting their words from the journals and interview exchanges that reflected those repeating or recurring themes. The chronological list of themes can be found below. It is far more salient in terms of meaning and does much more than simply “report the findings,” which Mostyn (1985) warned researchers does not allow us to “see behind rationalizations” (p. 140). While the following list of themes feels like a script, it came from the ebb and flow of the course, and the formal written and spoken words of the participants.

We know what this course is about. We looked at the title.

Wait. What’s this book? Is it the right one?

We’re doing what in class? You’re joking, right?

Hey, this isn’t so bad. Others did it, too.

You do what for a living?

The reading was really off the wall––radicalized Marxism?

I’m still not sure this is the place for me. What does it have to do with adult education?

We get to negotiate the curriculum.

Wow, that was a neat presentation. I get it, now. It’s important to remember our roots.

Dr. XXXXX’s surgery put us on Blackboard, but I really want to talk to these people.

The interviews brought in other inspiring spirits and questions that we didn’t know we were going to ask––or conversations that we didn’t know we were going to have.

I can see why you say that, but what about . . .

I totally get what you are talking about and I didn’t even read the research.

Presentations were really great.

I trust what you are telling me to be true.

Through reflection and group discussion we learned so many things that we didn’t know, we didn’t know.

I can’t believe this class is almost over.

It was intense but had it been longer we may not have been so involved. My classmates and I went through a storm together, not trusting ourselves and ending up trusting each other.

The fact that we are from different backgrounds helped us see that adults are different as students as well. Our diverse backgrounds are what oddly enough cemented us together.

We all have different reasons for having been in the class––just as all other adults have reasons for attending their classes.

Our presentations were different, about different things, but that is OK because we are individuals with a common goal.

I miss these people and their insight.

Analysis

The research questions can be answered the examining the data and findings. The previous vignettes and themes from the course provided examples of a transformative learning experience for each learner. Some transformations occurred within the 5 weeks of the course, while others took a bit more time to be realized, yet each learner had transformed over the course of the study.

Transformative learning involves a deep, structural shift in the basic premises of thought, feelings, and actions. It is a shift of consciousness that dramatically and permanently alters our way of being in the world. Such a shift involves our understanding of ourselves and our self-locations; our relationships with other humans and with the natural world; our understandings of relations of power in interlocking structures of class, race, and gender; our body awareness, our visions of alternative approaches to living; and our sense of possibilities for social justice and peace and personal joy (O'Sullivan, Morrell, & O'Connor, 2002, p. xvii).

Research Question 1: Factors that support transformative learning experience in adult education classroom.

The ebb and flow of the course was consistent with each of the learners, although their paths were different. Each learner entered the workshop from a space of vulnerability within their own lives. With that vulnerability came openness and flexibility as the group negotiated the syllabus and supported each others’ growth and life’s challenges.

When considering the course, they expected another theory-based traditional course. They were surprised (some happily and some fearfully) when they purchased and began reading the textbook, Radicalized Learning: Adult Education for a Just World (Brookfield & Holst, 2011). When meeting for the first time, barriers were broken down as laughter and yoga exercises served as the icebreakers. As we introduced ourselves, it was obvious that all the learners had unique profiles and reasons for participating in this course. In the first afternoon the learners completed a self-reflective activity (I remember . . .) and were shown technology tools that use symbols to illustrate chosen words for their teaching (like Wordle.net and Prezi).

The learners were surprised at the beginning. They began to explore new ideas, examine personal assumptions, and connect the new knowledge with their practice. In the following weeks, the learners gave presentations related to the chapters, interviewed learners, and engaged in multiple deep conversations. Trust was established early on, and the learning community was built based on the diversity and authenticity of the group. As the course was completed, the group felt bonded with each other and wanted to continue to work together. One learner expressed that this community was stronger than his previous cohort-based master’s program. While courses in higher education usually have prescribed objectives and outcomes, it was rare to have a mix of students and teachers who each felt a significant transformation.

Research Question 2: How Did Each Learner Experience Transformative Learning in this Course?

As described in the vignettes, each learner had his or her own transformative experience. Lee gained a greater understanding of adult education practices to use with her English as a Second Language (ESL) students as well as with her large family. She also was refreshed to understand that not all people simply work for a paycheck. Bobbi realized that education was different from training. She was able to immediately apply adult education techniques in the police officer training about domestic violence. John found a voice as a communications teacher. He now adds components of nonviolent resistance as means of speech into the course, as well as framing the act of speaking as a political and powerful act. Russell realized that adult education can be applied to the fraternity men with whom he works. He also found a supportive community of learners, as he faced his mother’s cancer and illness. Veronica shocked her colleagues with a new understanding about communicating with the masses (thanks to Payne, 2003) and not just the wealthy constituents. From her protected upbringing, she also will now bring up her child with a broader vision of the world. Kaye realized that she had not fully grieved for her father and that social justice can be a driving force for adult education. Dr. Lyn Jones was surprised that a group who just got to know one another would open up so quickly and share such deep and meaningful memoir stories.

As a group, these learners and the instructors bonded. They constructed new meanings together through a trusting space that enabled them to connect emotionally, intellectually, and physically. They experienced new learning, reflected on it, practiced it with their peer, and translated it into their own perspective and practice. Their transformative learning over the course tracks closely to Mezirow’s (1991) phases of transformation, which begin with a disorienting dilemma and is completed by a “reintegration into one’s life on the basis of conditions dictated by one’s new perspective” (p. 169).

Research Question 3: Replication of this experience to other courses.

The question about how can the experience of transformative learning may be replicated to other courses or settings is more difficult to answer. This was a unique group of learners in a small group engaged in a very intense 5-week workshop style course. Yet, there are themes that align with Taylor’s (2009) discussion of core elements for transformative learning to occur. The core elements were found in this course and can be applied to other courses.

Individual experience

Each learner came into this class from a diverse, unique perspective, culturally, professionally, and academically. Their rich experiences provided for a fertile ground to cultivate new learning and find personal transformation.

Critical reflection

Throughout and after the course, there was ample opportunity for critical reflection. Learning journals, CIQs, and other assignments provided space for written reflections about the learning process. During the class sessions as well, the learners reflected on their readings and challenged previously held assumptions about power, society, and education for social justice and change.

Dialogue

The dialogue between the learners and instructors was intense, with the learners really listening to and seeking to understand each other. Responses did not always conform to expectations and at times, there were respectful, yet heated discussions.

Holistic orientation

This class utilized a holistic approach to teaching that supports strong affect (connecting with emotions) and relational (caring about the whole person) ways of knowing (Taylor, 2009). The group connected during the first morning by doing yoga and laughing together and in the afternoon by working on their memoirs. Throughout the course, the students were encouraged to be creative in their projects and engage all parts of the mind and body in the learning process.

Awareness of context

Taylor (2009) describes this as “developing a deeper appreciation and understanding of the personal and sociocultural factors that play an influencing role in the process of transformative learning” (p. 11). Each learner in the group was vulnerable in some way. This vulnerability made them more open to embracing each other and changes that occurred personally through this learning. For example, two members had recently lost close family members; two were caring for ill parents; three were brand new to taking courses in this discipline and program; two were redefining their roles within their families (as an expecting mother and as a new husband); three were redefining their roles professionally and in the community; and even the instructor had a significant surgery during this 5-week workshop.

Authentic relationships and practice

The instructors deeply engaged with the learners through negotiation of the curriculum, engaging in honest and open dialogue, personal sharing, listening without judgment, and constructing new knowledge together. The instructors were transparent in the activities and methods used. They respected the learners opening opportunities for mutual understanding and trust. One learner noted that “If someone else were wishing to replicate our experience I think they would find a totally different soup than the one we created together, but it is the blend that gave the class its flavor.”

These characteristics are not unique to this class and can be applied in a variety of settings. Also these qualities are interdependent and do not stand alone. As Taylor (2009) explained, “they are connected and rooted in the framework of transformative learning theory” (p. 5). This is further discussed in the conclusions and implications.

Conclusions and Implications for Practice

Langan, Sheese, and Davidson (2009) state that their “research has made us aware that achieving student transformation is dependent on students’ overall experience in a course, as much as on their specific investments in understanding the course content” (p. 54). The same can be said of the findings and conclusions from this case study. The learners support five values that Langan et al. (2009) assign to their transformative teaching environment: “collaboration, deep learning, reflections, engagement, and caring” (p. 49). This course in adult learning also “orchestrated a social environment that enhanced the teaching-learning processes and ultimately facilitated transformations in worldviews” (p. 50).

Transformative learning, defined by Mezirow (1991) is “learning through action” and that action can only happen by deciding to choose an alternative meaning perspective (p. 36). Transformative learning requires “mindfulness,” not passivity on the part of the adult learner (p. 116). To be an agent of change, the adult learner must participate and be meta-cognitively aware of the learning transformation. Cranton (2009) explained that in the “mindful” acts of questioning and critically reflecting, adults revise their “value, belief, assumption” and emerge with a “broader perspective” (p. vii). The participants in this course acted out and upon their new knowledge. They also were conscious of the changes in their thinking and reflective about their practice.

Transformation can occur individually or collectively in formal or informal learning settings and can be in “response to marginality” (Cranton, 2009, p. 174), thus creating a “transcendent experience” (p. 187). But the goal of transformational learning theory is to emancipate adult learners, “to help learners move from a simple awareness of their experiencing to an awareness of the conditions of their experiencing” (p. 197). While the argument of whether transformational learning can be taught or not wages on among academia, we must remember that “there is no such thing as a value-free educational experience” (p. 203) and that transformation is a very personal and social process, which cannot be demanded or dictated. Each participant learned from their own experience, but they also learned through the eyes or each other, trusting the knowledge to be authentic and truthful.

This study has direct implications for community-based learning in a nontraditional course, such as this, and in distance education utilizing both online and face-to-face aspects. Specifically, trust is key to establishing an environment where change is not as risky and learners are willing to experiment with new ideas. Next, the learners should have input into their own learning through negotiation of the curriculum and the projects or subjects that they will research, related to the course objectives. Third, the learners should be encouraged to be creative and use multiple dimensions of knowing as they present and engage with the material and other learners. Finally learners need to reflect critically on the new learning and dialogue about ways to test, apply, and implement their new ideas.

In terms of designing opportunities for adults to engage in transformational learning, Mezirow (1991) suggested instructional methods that allow for critical meaning incident reflection such as “life histories, journal writing, literature” explored through “reperitory grids, metaphor analysis, and conceptual mapping” (p. 219). Very little has been written about the role of writing in transformative learning, and very little has been written about transformational learning in informal learning (Taylor, 2007, 2008). When designing a course, one might consider the design and inclusion of learning strategies revealed in our analysis which included reflection, writing, collaboration, interactive presentations, and discussion.

Adult education, like transformative learning theory, “strives to foster reflective learning” and that reflective learning results in “transformed meaning perspectives” for adult learners (p. 6). To transform, we must reflect and reflection can be represented through language. Mezirow (1991) explained that, “Dialogue or communicative action allows us to relate to the world around us, to other people, and to our own intentions, feelings, and desires” (p. 65). Mezirow (1991) referred to this reflection as “emancipatory learning” (p. 65) because it frees the individual learner to explore distorted and authentic language and choose an interpretation to then articulate and shape. Hoggan (2009) suggested that it is “through symbolic knowing, we are able to see alternative perspectives” which allow for transformation in learning (p. x).

We know from Brookfield’s (1995) work, Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher, how important it is to have time to think and then write about what was learned. The act of writing to learn or writing reflectively is a formative act where the thinking continues as the learner writes. According to Graves (1985), “writing is a medium with which people communicate with themselves and with others” (para. 16). When we write, we write to learn what we know because we do not know fully what we mean until we order the words on paper. Graves (1985) explained “Then I see. . . and know. Once it is seen, then the writing becomes summative.” “Writing makes sense of things for oneself, then for others” (para. 16). The learner bring his or her literacy and lived experiences to the writing.

Taylor (2007) urged researchers to explore educational settings outside of traditional higher education by explaining that “There is a definitive need to explore other settings particularly, where the teaching contexts are more informal, less controlled by the instructor, and more susceptible to external influences” (p. 186). This workshop style course and the methods used by the instructor and students can be used as an example for building community in a democratic way over a short period of time.

Footnotes

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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