Creating idea/lism through holistic and transformative learning through the arts

• In Event: Presidential Highlighted Session: The Transformative Potential of Embodied Learning

Proposal

We are living in precarious and challenging times. The future of our world is threatened on multiple fronts. Education has been deeply affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, systemic racism, and divisive politics. We need dreamers and idealists who refuse to give up hope despite the darkness that surrounds us. The arts are fertile ground for generating dreamers and idealists. They provide ample opportunities for creative, holistic, and transformative learning to occur. This presentation will provide an overview of a literature review paper about transformative learning and the arts (Author, 2020).

Mezirow’s (1991) initial approach to Transformative Learning Theory (TLT) focused on the cognitive, rational aspects of TL. Over time, however, extrarational perspectives and research on TL began to emerge, which included more holistic approaches to TL. Many adult educators and researchers have written about aesthetic and extrarational perspectives (for example, Boyd & Myers, 1988; Dirkx, 2001; Yorks & Kasl, 2002). This approach to TL has developed increasing empirical support with the wide array of research on TL and the arts since the mid-2000s.

Artistic Ways of Knowing (AWoK) grew out of the theories on multiple ways of knowing. AWoK in Adult Education (AE) have developed to the point that an issue of the New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education journal was dedicated to this topic in 2005. Lawrence (2005a) discusses the limitations of traditional ways of constructing knowledge in AE. In addition, she talks about art as indigenous knowledge, learning from diverse cultural perspectives through art, knowing self through art, accessing or uncovering hidden knowledge, image making as a way to deepen understanding, learning through the arts, art in the curriculum, and art as a means for social change. All of the articles in this issue included the arts leading to an awareness of self, an awareness of others, a form of community building, a means for social action, and art as a context for learning (Lawrence, 2005b).

Hoggan, Simpson, and Stuckey (2009) note the importance of AWoK, as well as affective knowing, spiritual dimensions of knowing, and imaginal and symbolic knowing. In their edited book, they focus on AWoK in relation to TL in AE. In addition, Gardner (1983) notes in his theory of multiple intelligences that AWoK are a form of intelligence and should be included in education.

According to Hoggan et al. (2009), “Multiple ways of knowing is directly connected to transformative learning in that art and creative expression offer an opportunity for us to engage in alternative forms of expression, which may shift the way in which we view our current situation” (p. 17). Aesthetic perspectives began initially as a critique to TL, when TLT mainly focused on the cognitive, rational aspects of transformation. However, as the theories about TL developed, AWoK began to compliment TLT and research on this topic took off. As the conferences on TL began to grow, so did the conference papers on the arts and TL (Wiessner & Newville, 2005). Hoggan et al. (2009) define transformation as “a kind of deep learning that challenges existing, taken-for-granted assumptions and meanings, and allows us to learn in a holistic way from multiple parts of self” (p. 9).

For this systematic literature review (PRISMA, 2009), I conducted a search of the arts-based TL literature in three databases, as well as the proceedings from the two major TL conferences (Transformative Learning Conference and International Transformative Learning Conference) and TL journals (The Journal of Transformative Education and The Journal of Transformative Learning). I searched in the ProQuest Education Journals, PsycInfo, and Google Scholar databases under transformative learning and the arts, and transformative learning and the arts in adult education. I also found some articles via the bibliographies of other articles. To determine which articles to include in this literature review, I developed the following criteria: (a) the bulk of research articles and conference presentations on TL and the arts began to emerge around 2005, so this literature review covers 2005-2017 (as it was written in 2017), (b) I eliminated articles about TL and the arts in fields not directly related to AE or educational settings, and (c) I focused on articles that used the arts actively, not as by-products in the lesson or research, given the nature of this literature review.

I initially gathered more conference papers than I could cite given the word limit for this paper, so I had to generally refer to some of them instead of citing each one. The total refined literature search documents in my textual document universe before cutting these citations was N = 74. After cutting these citations, N = 55, however I still refer to them in the paper. In developing this textual document universe, I catalogued and organized each study as best I could as an embedded researcher. I analyzed the studies for emergent thematic patterns and relevant emphases, which can be seen in the artistic categories of this literature review. A few studies had more than one artistic theme, however, I catalogued each study based on its most significant contribution to this topic in the field of AE and TL.

I grouped each section by artistic category, including a variety of articles under each heading for particular reasons. The first category encompasses articles that focus on TL through the artistic roots of imagination, improvisation, and creativity. The second category includes articles where the TL occurs through a combination of arts-based learning and activities, rather than through specific art forms by themselves. The third category includes the expressive, embodied and performing arts (i.e., music, dance, and theatre). The fourth category is visual arts and symbols, which includes things like photography and the visual arts. The fifth category is labeled storytelling and film and is separate from theatre because of the focus on transformation through storytelling, rather than the performative aspects of theatre. The last category is titled community arts and social change, which includes articles about community arts programs with a social justice focus. The conclusion includes suggestions for further applications of this topic.

Author

• Jennifer Blackburn Miller, Penn State University