Abstract
As many readers of this journal may know, Patricia Cranton passed away unexpectedly in late July at her home in New Brunswick, Canada. Patricia was one of the foremost scholars of transformative learning theory and was coeditor of this journal from 2014 to 2016. She was known for being an astute thinker, a clear writer, an authentic educator, and a genuinely kind and caring person. Among her many publications, she was perhaps most famous for the way she presented transformative learning theory in such an accessible way—taking the insightful yet sometimes abstruse writings of Jack Mezirow and talking about them in straightforward and practical ways.
On a personal note, Patricia was a good friend. I met her at the Adult Education Research Conference in 2005 when I was a student pursuing a master’s degree in adult education. Watching her presentation, I was struck by her calm demeanor, her mastery of the subject, and the unassuming confidence she exuded. Afterwards, I approached her as she was waiting for the elevator. She was such a big name in the literature, and yet she was so friendly and seemed genuinely interested in my thoughts. After chatting briefly, I asked if I could e-mail her to discuss transformative learning theory in greater depth. It was no surprise when she agreed to receive an e-mail, but it absolutely amazed me when she replied to my initial message with a detailed and thoughtful response and several questions for me. That meeting in front of the elevator began a mentoring relationship that has profoundly shaped my professional career. In the decade since, she read and responded to countless e-mails and manuscript drafts, allowed me to be her teaching assistant when I was a doctoral student, wrote many letters of recommendation, and became one of my dearest friends. Now that this relationship has come to a sudden end, all I can say is that she was the most selfless person I have ever met. Although I am listed as the coeditor of this issue, in truth, this was the last issue that Patricia and John created together before my arrival. It is a joy and honor to contribute even a small part to this, the last issue that Patricia oversaw in her time as coeditor of JTED.
I knew Patricia for many years and we shared a deep interest in the theory of transformative learning as well as in broadening its scope beyond its somewhat cognitive and rational beginnings. I think it is fair to say that we substantially influenced each other’s thinking about transformative learning. When I was first introduced to her, I was struck by her quiet and unassuming manner which, given how incredibly productive she was, I found quite surprising, Patricia cared deeply for the field and for her students, a care that was reflected in her commitment to her students, her teaching, and to the ideas in the field. As she joined me a few years ago as coeditor of this journal, I came to know her in a way that revealed this care and commitment. We “met” about twice a month by phone and we would always start out our conversations by comparing notes about the weather, laughing, and joking about the remoteness of her home. These conversations conveyed her desire for the country and for solitude. Sometimes we would miss a day because, due to violent storms, her power would be out. One time, after a fierce wind storm, Patricia had to wait several days for someone to clear fallen trees from her long driveway before she could get to town for supplies. But I valued those times together, as brief as they were, and I am deeply appreciative of her unselfish willingness to help with the journal.
As with all who knew her, we are shocked and deeply saddened by her passing. At the time of putting this issue together, little did we know that it would be the last formal context for our work together. We are grateful for having known her as a colleague and as a friend. She leaves this world and all of us with a tremendous legacy. We will miss her.
This issue reflects Patricia’s influence on the journal and on the overall discourse surrounding transformative education. It begins with a study by Duckworth and Ade-Ojo that uses a sociological lens to analyze and better understand contrasting experiences between two adult literacy students. Next, Wandera explores the value of strategically planning for “image-language entwinement” in designing instruction to foster transformative education. Dyce and Owusu-Ansah report on the learning outcomes of a diversity course for preservice teachers that explicitly sought to help participants critically reflect on and change their underlying teaching philosophies as well as their identities as educators. Through reviewing literature and providing examples from practice, Bang demonstrates how and why engagement with the arts can facilitate conflict resolution. Lastly, Nye and Clark report on an Undergraduate Research Summer School where students worked closely with experienced researchers and engaged in dialogue and reflection around their identities and possible trajectories as budding researchers.