Learning as Transformation, Critical Perspectives on a Theory in Progress

Jack Mezirow & Associates. (2000). Learning as Transformation. Critical Perspectives on a Theory in Progress. San Francisco: Jossey Bass, 371 pp. ($39.00)

Jack Mezirow's fascination with learning as transformation goes back to his early career as an adult educator, an encounter with the writings of Paulo Freire and Ivan Illich, and the phenomenon of "consciousness raising" in the woman's movement. Already an award-winning writer in education, Mezirow now teams with 15 authors to define and explore Transformation Theory and its implications in Learning as Transformation, Critical Perspectives on a Theory in Progress. This work marks a momentary plateau in the development of Transformation Theory.

Mezirow reconnects education with over 2,000 years of its history by stressing two truisms from Socratic times: An unexamined life is not worth living (an "untransformed" life) and Know thyself ("critical self-reflection"). Using the metaphors of graduate seminars (for questioning and reflective dialogue) and puzzles (for connecting pieces in a set frame), he and his associates further explain that "Transformation Theory's focus is on how we learn to negotiate and act on our own purposes, values, feelings and meanings rather than those we have uncritically assimilated from others-to gain greater control over our lives as socially responsible, clear-thinking decision makers" (p. 8).

The book is formatted into three sections and 12 essays and includes author biographies, a readable preface by Mezirow with short descriptions of each essay, a history of the theory (including conferences), and a name and subject index. All of the writers maintain theoretical precision while also following principles that guide good communications with non-technicians. Thus, they help define legitimate integrative scholarship connecting theory with professional practice.

In Chapter One, Learning To Think Like An Adult, Mezirow clarifies Transformation Theory while his associates' later chapters analyze, critique, explore implications, and...