Transformative Learning

It is my contention that principles for fostering transformative learning can also be a vital feature of online learning from a Christian perspective. In transformative learning (Mezirow 1991) the most significant learning occurs in the communicative domain which “involves identifying problematic ideas, values, beliefs, and feelings, critically examining the assumptions upon which they are based, testing their justification through rational discourse and making decisions predicated upon the resulting consensus” (Mezirow 1995, 58.) The communication possibilities of the online learning environment provide an opportunity to maximize perspective transformation.

Transformative learning offers a theory of learning that in many ways reflects the biblical witness of how adults learn. It is more than a developmental process; it is “understood as the process of using a prior interpretation to construe a new or revised interpretation of the meaning of one's experience in order to guide future action" (Mezirow 1996, 162). It is grounded in the nature of human communication, which in turn is grounded in the imago Dei.