Create a discussion about Possibilities and Challenges of Transformative Teaching……

Introduction

Learning is an art where we are equipped with the right skills and knowledge that we would use to explore and interpret relationships. One of the key tenets in the development of any country is education. Therefore, In order for us to have the required skills and developed talents we have to be taught.  Learning is a process of transforming one’s relationships with his/her community which constitutes society and nature (Cranton, 2009). Information is wide, diverse and a mirror image of a value system where the learner consistently challenges their location in relation to ideology, technology, culture, nature and power structure. There are various lessons that students have to go through in the learning process these include: traditional lesson where the experiences of learning are based on facts, concepts and skills for the students to internalize and comprehend; liberal lesson where the experiences of learning are based on skills, facts and connections to the student’s interest and transformative teaching in which the teacher acts as a director, mediator and facilitator that is, he has a destination in mind and makes effort on providing the directions to embark on the learning experience .

Transformative teaching is aimed at engaging students in community-based action (Alcantara, 2007).Teachers are seen as crucial elements in the educational system therefore he or she must be empowered and effectively be prepared at all costs to extend the curriculum skills and knowledge to the learner. The goals of transformative teaching are as follows; to advance instructional innovation, to support teaching faculty in their desire to promote learning in and out of the classroom, to bring to attention research about teaching to the society, to offer course development in all areas of enhancing, planning, evaluation and implementation and to create self-critical learners who have great levels of skills in communication, analysis and interpretation. Teaching is a developmental process where the student shifts from less to greater sophisticated abilities and ideologies. Transformative teaching requires an ultimate new approach to learning and teaching which is more self-conscious about its methods and goals. Other than adopting an instructor-centered approach, transformative teaching is geared towards a learner-centered initiative. This paper is grounded on the possibilities of transformative teaching and some of the challenges that occur during this period.

Possibilities of transformative teaching

When the state begins to view teachers as strategic actors in the development process and increase the importance placed upon them and education then, they will have a positive impact in educational planning. Transformative teaching makes it possible for the state to approve the work done by teachers as having positive effect on the lives of the youths in society. Taylor (2007) argued that transformative teaching brings about a positive experience towards individuals who have gone through this process. For example, most individual’s self-confidence has increased as a result of the new relationships and roles formed, states of spiritual growth and personal power are improved, others have had immense compassion towards the people around them, new connections with others are made, discourse are changed and creativity is increased. For example when a freshman from high school joins college he meets with different people from different backgrounds and cultures. Diversity helps the students to appreciate one another and find ways of bridging gaps that may exist between them (Nieto, 2009).

Transformative teaching is centered on the idea of recreating assumptions and thoughts regarding the structures, systems and societies that we belong to. The educator has to bring in preconceived outcomes, methods and intentions which are related to an ethical dimension. He has to be aware of the reasons of transforming the students and needs to be careful that he is not biased towards certain outcomes that make up the transformation process. There can be possibilities that the students and the teachers  will  be transformed  therefore educators ought to be alert and sensitive to their own goals and objectives with regards to transformative teaching to ensures that it does not lead to indoctrination, brainwashing or coercion(Easton,2009). Educators need to consider several factors before attempting this form of teaching. One must be aware of the ethical factors that might arise should he decide to question or problematize the learner’s beliefs, or the ethical consequences that would arise should he decide to present his or her own perspective irrespective of the learner’s. An Educator is not entitled in anyway to push students in any direction that might seem uncomfortable instead they are encouraged to mentor and facilitate them to a reflective destination which has the capabilities to be transformative.

Educators have a sole-responsibility of inspiring learners towards the sensitive yet delicate process of transformation. Education needs to transform an individual to be an impactful and effective member of the society (Cranton, 2009). Therefore teachers and educators has a great role to play in ensuring that the learners are directed, mentored and inspired to be transformational leaders in the society. Critiques need to be included in the status quo of the curriculum to strengthen its validity. When issues are presented under a critical perspective, education then laden with value and students on the other hand are in a position to create their own decisions and judgments on how to live in this world. Transformative teaching makes it possible for a student to make independent choices and take responsibilities for the events and circumstances that occur in his life. Therefore, it is important to include and emphasize on alternative views during lessons. An educator acts as a resource, facilitator and interpretive guide for the learner not a therapist or a close friend.

Transformational teaching is necessary because it transforms an ordinary student into a sustainable citizen and an environmentalist. Transformative shifts will occur apparently if educators teach students about the essence of place and ecology.  This will help the student adapt greatly to a new environment which he or she was not used to in the beginning. A transformative learning that is purposed for freedom of thought and empowerment differs greatly from that which has a certain endpoint in mind. Learners must be empowered towards having a positive interest about a new environment therefore their thought about that certain place will be transformed greatly(Nieto,2008).

Since the process of transformative teaching is intense it may require support mechanisms and experienced educators. Models of academic teaching need to be properly structured and balanced in case of any potential disturbance that might occur during the transformation process of the students. Students especially at the freshman level need to realize that expectations at college differ greatly from those at high school level. For transformative teaching to be impactful students must display a sense of safety and belonging that is they should feel at ease to make mistakes and learn from them without fear of being ridiculed or embarrassment, be at ease while trying out perspectives that are unfamiliar or be at ease to test hypotheses that seem imaginative. Teachers need to be supportive of the new students by proving constructive feedback and less criticisms in an effort to cultivate the student’s self-esteem. Students also need to be aware of the limitations of their previous assumptions, skills and knowledge and be prepared in advance with alternate viewpoints and interpretations (Dirkx 2010). For instance, there is a possibility that this type of teaching will help the student draw a line between his current way of learning from his previous one that is, high school and college expectations.

Challenges of transformative teaching

Teachers have failed in the area of being effective partners with the state. In order for teachers to become suitable partners with the state, they ought to perceive the state as legitimate. They only view themselves as symbols without voices and not subjects to the development process. Transformative teaching lacks the voice and autonomy to create credible factors in the development process (King, 2009).

Transformative teaching and the learning process is not ideal for everyone and is not applicable to all fields or discipline of study. Incorporating these disciplines poses a challenge to most teachers because some students might take time to adapt to a new field of study which varied greatly from the previous studies. Many students are at ease with learning which is subject-oriented as opposed to alternative models for learning suggested in classrooms (Alcantara, 2007). Therefore it takes a lot of time and energy for the teachers to train the students to learn new principles and courses in the proposed curriculum.

Most professors are hardly trained as educators therefore making the art of teaching a complicated method. Practicing transformative teaching in a class can subject teachers into uncomfortable states. Some of them have complained how they have felt vulnerable as educators in the end they give up their position of power of teaching. A number of them worry of the reactions they get from the program administrators and colleagues towards their unorthodox way of teaching. The lack of proper training of teachers and a poor professional framework have usually leaves the teacher de-moralized and less empowered. Repeating of knowledge will be the key aspect of education as opposed to teachers being caretakers and producers of such knowledge (Easton, 2009).

Teachers work in assumptions and beliefs that they view their position as neutral yet educational activities are centered on beliefs that are ideological.  The state has build up conditions for transformative teachers to be passive as they are hardly given the chance to influence decision-making regardless of whether they have the potential or not to impact the society and the youths (King, 2009). Transformative teaching has over the years proven to be time-consuming, complex and uncomfortable because learners hardly develop an understanding of themselves or towards the teaching system. Many adults lack the maturity and skills to be learners who are self-directed or lack the ability to ask creative or inventive questions or lack the ability to critically frame a certain problem and solve it as required (Taylor, 2007).

Transformative teaching requires a perspective towards shifting and this can be accompanied by discomfort or embarrassment since the shifting ideologies makes a majority of the students and teachers feel unsure and insecure about the reflection and outcomes of various events or circumstances ahead of the learning process. Moreover, if teaching and learning becomes a major challenge then we will hardly go through transformative changes in our levels of comprehension.

Transformative teaching is out rightly challenging and constitutes emotional upheavals and has a likely potential to cause severe disturbances within learning institutions.  The learner “questioning personal psychological beliefs and assumptions related to his or her social context can experience considerable emotional upheaval” (Cranton, 2009, p.18). In addition, the alienation which rises as a result of transformative teaching often makes individuals to seek out others who are in the same category. This kind of teaching is often accompanied by reorientation and reintegration of the learner into a “transformed world”. A territory of paradigmatic shifts is what results to disorientation therefore students need to be prepared emotionally and mentally for this form of teaching. They may need ample support in case they are living away from home.

Conclusion

Transformative teaching is necessary for all of us. It helps us achieve numerous aspects in our lives for example, we learn to socialize with people from different ethical backgrounds thus combating isolation whish might exist, our communicative skills are enhanced through listening,responding,negotiating and engaging in discussions, we understand each other’s emotions in the way they think, feel and therefore it strikes a balance in the way we respond to society, we are in better positions of identifying our prejudices and interpreting the human experience. Above all else we are able to apprehend the essence of things and therefore not take anything or anyone for granted. Transformative teachings transform us to be influential people in society and help us to make decisions and judgments that are impactful in our day-to-day living.

Reference

Alcantara, L.(2007). Cooperative inquiry as a tool for transformativeleaming: Stories from            community organizers who transformed their practice. In S. Vlosak,G. Kielbaso, & J.   Radford (Eds.), Appreciating the best of what is: Envisioning what could be. Proceedings       of the Sixth International Conference on Transformative Learning (pp. 5-8).East Lansing:        Michigan State University & Grand Rapids Community College.

Cranton, P. (2009). From tradesperson to teacher: A transformative transition. In J. Mezirow,E.    Taylor, & Associates (Eds.), Transformative learning in practice: Insights from           community, workplace and higher education (pp. 182-190). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-            Bass.

Dirkx, J.(2010). Musings and reflections on meaning, context, and the process of transformative   leaming: A dialogue between John M. Dirkx and Jack Mezirow. Journal of       Transformative Education, 4, 123-139

Easton, P. (2009). Breaking out of the egg: Methods of transformative leaming in rural West        Africa. In J. Mezirow, E. Taylor, & Associates (Eds.), Transformative learning in           practice: Insights from community, workplace and higher education (pp. 227-239). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Hunt, R. (2009). Institutional constraints on authenticity in teaching. In P. Cranton            (Ed.),Authenticity in teaching (pp. 51–63). New Directions for Adult and Continuing      Education, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

King, K.(2009). Evolving research of transformative learning. Charlotte, NC: Information Age.

Nieto, S. (2008). Affirming diversity: The sociocultural context of multicultural education   (5thEdition).Boston: Pearson & Allyn & Bacon.

Taylor, E.(2007). Fostering Mezirow’s transformative learning theory in the adult education          classroom: A critical review. Canadian Journal for the Study of Adult Education, 14(28)

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