Should Education Be Transformative?

Routledge, 2021

Transformative approaches to teaching and learning have become ubiquitous in education today. Researchers, practitioners and commentators alike often claim that a truly worthwhile education should transform learners in a profound and enduring way. But what exactly does it mean to be so transformed? What should teachers be transforming students into? Should they really attempt to transform students at all? The Transformative Classroom engages with these questions left open by the vast discussion of transformative education, providing a synthetic overview and critique of some of the most influential approaches today. In doing so, the book offers a new theory of transformative education that focuses on awakening and facilitating students’ aspiration. Drawing on important insights from ethics, psychology, and the philosophy of education, the book provides both conceptual clarity and concrete practical guidance to teachers who hope to create a transformative classroom. This book will be of great interest for academics, K-12 teachers, researchers and students in the fields of curriculum and instruction, teaching and learning, adult education, social justice education, educational theory and philosophy of education.

Educational Theory, 2020

One of the enduring mysteries of the human experience is our capacity to undergo profound changes in the values, modes of thought, self-conceptions, and guiding ideals that have given shape to our lives. Moved by an encounter of sublime beauty in a piece of music, thrust into a new way of life after immigrating to a foreign country, inspired by the courage of a character in a novel, or impelled by the example set by a trusted teacher, we decide to follow a new path for ourselves — one that, just a short time before, was either unforeseeable or seemingly unforgeable for us. We call these experiences transformative, and we often look back on them with gratitude for the person they have made us into and even a bit of awe at the obscurity of their inner workings. . .

This paper is a focused literature review that discusses the power and potential for as well as the dimensionality of Transformative Teaching (TT). Through my analysis of critical and radical scholarship around specific types of teaching, I show I need for adopting this type of education due to calls from academic activists and marginalized communities. My discussion highlights A Call for Transformative Teaching where I show why we should incorporate these practices into higher education curricula. I specifically discuss how Transformative Teaching Counter Standardized Education, Hegemony and Hegemonic Forces, and can be used as a Tool for Positive Social Change. Lastly, I discuss the Dimensions of Transformative Teaching where I describe the core theoretical tenets of these teaching practices. Through this, one can see the multidimensionality of these praxes as well as their function for promoting equity and justice for all students. I conclude by arguing the critical importance of incorporating TT in all institutions. I discuss how educators and institutions might develop strategies with Minority Communities understand their needs and recognize their intellectual significance. In doing so, academic and societal power holders will validate these communities’ previously disrecognized intellectual importance and potential.

In​ ​ his​ ​ book,​ ​ ​ Education​ ​ for​ ​ Insurgency​ ,​ ​ Jay​ ​ Gillen​ ​ notes​ ​ that​ ​ " imagining​ ​ that​ ​ the​ ​ purposes​ ​ of​ ​ schools​ ​ are settled​ ​ is​ ​ a​ ​ way​ ​ of​ ​ hiding​ ​ the​ ​ political​ ​ role​ ​ of​ ​ young​ ​ people " ​ ​ (2014,​ ​ p.​ ​ 50).​ ​ We​ ​ might​ ​ add​ ​ to​ ​ Gillen's analysis​ ​ that​ ​ such​ ​ an​ ​ approach​ ​ also​ ​ neutralizes​ ​ the​ ​ role​ ​ of​ ​ teachers​ ​ in​ ​ paradoxical​ ​ ways—both underscoring​ ​ teacher​ ​ agency​ ​ and​ ​ denying​ ​ it​ ​ simultaneously—since​ ​ once​ ​ the​ ​ goal​ ​ of​ ​ school​ ​ is​ ​ made​ ​ clear, isn't​ ​ it​ ​ the​ ​ teacher's​ ​ job​ ​ merely​ ​ to​ ​ make​ ​ sure​ ​ that​ ​ students​ ​ reach​ ​ it?​ ​ In​ ​ other​ ​ words,​ ​ seeing​ ​ the​ ​ purposes​ ​ of schooling​ ​ as​ ​ fixed​ ​ and​ ​ unchangeable​ ​ quickly​ ​ leads​ ​ to​ ​ " imagining​ ​ that​ ​ what​ ​ remains​ ​ to​ ​ do​ ​ is​ ​ simply​ ​ the implementation​ ​ of​ ​ proven​ ​ technologies​ ​ for​ ​ the​ ​ production​ ​ of​ ​ accepted​ ​ social​ ​ purposes " ​ ​ (50). Gillen​ ​ tells​ ​ us​ ​ that​ ​ this​ ​ understanding​ ​ " misrepresents​ ​ the​ ​ sociological​ ​ and​ ​ political​ ​ problem, " ​ ​ and that​ ​ " the​ ​ problem​ ​ is​ ​ that​ ​ the​ ​ social​ ​ and​ ​ political​ ​ purposes​ ​ of​ ​ the​ ​ country​ ​ are​ ​ contested,​ ​ and​ ​ young​ ​ people are​ ​ already​ ​ participating​ ​ in​ ​ working​ ​ toward​ ​ a​ ​ settlement​ ​ of​ ​ the​ ​ contest,​ ​ even​ ​ while​ ​ their​ ​ political​ ​ role remains​ ​ unacknowledged " ​ ​ (p.​ ​ 50).​ ​ In​ ​ this​ ​ way,​ ​ too,​ ​ the​ ​ role​ ​ of​ ​ teachers​ ​ in​ ​ public​ ​ schools​ ​ is​ ​ also​ ​ contested. What​ ​ makes​ ​ a​ ​ good​ ​ teacher​ ​ and​ ​ how​ ​ should​ ​ one​ ​ approach​ ​ working​ ​ with​ ​ young​ ​ people?​ ​ The​ ​ answers​ ​ to such​ ​ questions​ ​ are​ ​ difficult,​ ​ messy,​ ​ and​ ​ filled​ ​ with​ ​ uncertainty. Yet,​ ​ suggesting​ ​ that​ ​ the​ ​ purposes​ ​ of​ ​ school​ ​ and​ ​ the​ ​ role​ ​ of​ ​ the​ ​ teacher​ ​ are​ ​ settled​ ​ is​ ​ precisely​ ​ how neoliberal​ ​ education​ ​ reformers​ ​ have​ ​ framed​ ​ the​ ​ remaking​ ​ of​ ​ public​ ​ schooling​ ​ as​ ​ a​ ​ market-driven proposition,​ ​ ignoring​ ​ the​ ​ contribution​ ​ and​ ​ potential​ ​ of​ ​ students​ ​ and​ ​ teachers​ ​ to​ ​ collaborate​ ​ as​ ​ fully​ ​ human agents​ ​ capable​ ​ of​ ​ defining​ ​ their​ ​ needs​ ​ and​ ​ interests.​ ​ This​ ​ commodification​ ​ of​ ​ education​ ​ negates​ ​ the potential​ ​ and​ ​ promise​ ​ of​ ​ public​ ​ education​ ​ by​ ​ denying​ ​ the​ ​ humanity​ ​ of​ ​ those​ ​ involved​ ​ in​ ​ this​ ​ work​ ​ and omitting​ ​ different​ ​ ways​ ​ of​ ​ knowing​ ​ and​ ​ doing.​ ​ Synonymous​ ​ with​ ​ a​ ​ discourse​ ​ of​ ​ common​ ​ sense,​ ​ the discourse​ ​ of​ ​ neoliberalism​ ​ valorizes​ ​ freedom,​ ​ choice,​ ​ efficiency,​ ​ accountability,​ ​ character,​ ​ progress​ ​ and self-​ ​ improvement​ ​ (development)​ ​ tied​ ​ to​ ​ economic​ ​ incentives​ ​ and​ ​ the​ ​ rule​ ​ of​ ​ market​ ​ forces. All​ ​ of​ ​ these​ ​ ideas,​ ​ as​ ​ David​ ​ Harvey​ ​ (2005)​ ​ argues​ ​ in​ ​ ​ A​ ​ Brief​ ​ History​ ​ of​ ​ Neoliberalism​ ,​ ​ appeal​ ​ to our​ ​ instincts​ ​ and​ ​ intuitions,​ ​ as​ ​ they​ ​ build​ ​ on​ ​ traditions​ ​ of​ ​ individual​ ​ freedom​ ​ and​ ​ dignity.​ ​ Wrapped​ ​ in​ ​ the logic​ ​ and​ ​ efficiency-speak​ ​ of​ ​ science,​ ​ technology,​ ​ and​ ​ business,​ ​ this​ ​ rhetoric​ ​ helps​ ​ to​ ​ mask​ ​ the​ ​ problems and​ ​ contradictions​ ​ inherent​ ​ in​ ​ neoliberal​ ​ policies—ones​ ​ that​ ​ reshape​ ​ the​ ​ purposes​ ​ of​ ​ public​ ​ schooling, diminish​ ​ the​ ​ work​ ​ of​ ​ teachers,​ ​ decrease​ ​ funding​ ​ for​ ​ social​ ​ services​ ​ in​ ​ urban​ ​ areas,​ ​ privatize​ ​ public schools,​ ​ and​ ​ ignore​ ​ the​ ​ political,​ ​ economic,​ ​ and​ ​ social​ ​ conditions​ ​ that​ ​ ensure​ ​ the​ ​ continued​ ​ dependency​ ​ of such​ ​ schools​ ​ and​ ​ the​ ​ surrounding​ ​ communities​ ​ on​ ​ outside​ ​ forces​ ​ in​ ​ order​ ​ to​ ​ function.The​ ​ effects​ ​ of​ ​ the

Journal of Transformative Education, 2003

This article proposes a rationale for a transformative approach to education against the backdrop of an analysis of the current political scenario marked by neoliberalism and the effect of this ideology on educational policy and practice. The author looks at some of the intellectual influences that, in his view, continue to abet this process and the larger process of capitalist restructuring, all of which have an effect on educational policy making and practice. What signposts should one explore for a transformative education, based on ideals of social justice, bearing this scenario in mind? The article will tentatively propose some of the ingredients for a transformative process of education and then proceed by providing a critical reflection on two "on the ground" projects taking place in the author's home country. Downloaded from 40 Journa l o f Tr a n s f o r m a t i v e E d u c a t i o n / J a n u a r y 2 0 0 3 Tr a n s f o r m a t i v e A p p r o a c h t o E d u c a t i o n 41

Teaching and Teacher Education, 2002

Greater governmental control over the curriculum and an increasing emphasis on education as instruction towards pre-determined outcomes have generated new interest in the question whether schools should only instruct or also have a pedagogical task. In this paper, it is argued that schools do have a pedagogical task but that this task should not be understood as the teaching of norms and values. A transformative conception of education is presented in order to argue that the pedagogical task, conceived as a concern for the whole person of the student, is the proper and allencompassing task of education. r

Collins, A. (2013) Teaching sensitive topics: transformative pedagogy in a violent society. Alternation (9) 128-149., 2013

This paper explores problems and possibilities in teaching courses that raise deep emotional issues for the participants. Two courses were developed to examine violence in South Africa, and provide social and psychological support for victims. It became clear that most of the students were themselves survivors of violence, and that the courses triggered powerful emotional reactions and shifts in self-understanding. This presented a danger that the participants would be overwhelmed by negative emotional responses to the course materials in ways that could be psychologically traumatic and also undermine their potential learning experiences. The challenge was thus to develop a teaching model which allowed more positive emotional engagement with the course materials. This entailed exploring critical pedagogy as personal transformation and empowerment, and integrating the psychotherapeutic idea of providing a safe space for emotional healing. This allowed students to engage with the materials in a deeply personal way while maintaining a supportive environment that fostered increasing intellectual and emotional self insight and autonomy.

Educational Theory, 2020

In this essay, I make an unlikely case for a certain kind of value stability, arguing that people should almost never aspire to become radically different and that, given this, some people should be reluctant to pursue educational experiences that wildly broaden their life possibilities. My account is developed and structured around two borrowed examples, one literary and the other historical. Wendell Berry, his novel Hannah Coulter in particular, is the source of the first example; Jonathan Lear, specifically the case of Native American resettlement he develops in Radical Hope, provides the second. The essay contains three parts structured around three related ideas. Part one explores the rationality of wanting to be a different person. Part two explores the rationality of wanting to be the same person while doing entirely different things. And part three explores the rationality of desiring an education that teaches you to be suspicious of being anything in particular.

This proposal supports a reflexive autoethnographical inquiry into what transforms in transformative education. Generative listening supports contemplative noticing what unfolds in the everyday, allowing me to see what is unvoiced, unconceptualized in transformative learning, and opening space to consider not only the present, but the emerging future. This inquiry aims to add to the academic discourse in education through an autoethnographical narrative of the lived experience of transformative learning as a way of knowing, privileging a less abstract and more emergent and grounded language.

Our nation is suffering from an epidemic of materialism, which keeps us trapped on the hedonic treadmill, chasing after thing after thing after thing, looking fruitlessly for happiness. This unfulfilling cycle of emotional avoidance and pursuit, perpetuated by advertising, mass media, and our misguided families and peers, is harming us, the people around us, and the environment in which we are embedded.