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PSYC 401: Learning Through Life (Rev. C3) Report a Broken Link

This course is concerned with how adult learners make meaning of their experience. It examines the transformation theory of Jack Mezirow and looks at learning through the creation of meaning schemes and meaning perspectives. One of the main themes in PSYC 401 is the role that beliefs and assumptions play in adult learning and how they underlie the basis of experience. In addition, the course examines what happens when assumptions are distorted, the contribution of reflection, and the dynamics through which adults come to see the world in a different light. The course combines elements of sociology and philosophy with a psychological base to provide a more holistic approach to the study of life experience.

Supplementary Readings

Chapter 2

Meaning Perspectives: How We Understand Experience
These supplementary readings are based on Jack Mezirow's Transformative Dimensions of Adult Learning.
Foucault, M. (1972). The archeology of knowledge. New York: Pantheon.
Goffman, E. (1974). Frame analysis. New York: Harper & Row.
Goleman D. (1985). Vital lies, simple truths: The psychology of self deception. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Shapiro, M.J. (1981). Language and political understanding. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Wittgenstein, L. (1958). Philosophical investigations (3rd ed.). (G.E.M. Anscombe, Trans.). New York: Macmillan.

Chapter 3

Intentional Learning: A Process of Problem Solving
These supplementary readings are based on Jack Mezirow's Transformative Dimensions of Adult Learning.
Bateson, G. (1972). Steps to an ecology of mind. New York: Basic Books.
Glaser, B., and Strauss, A. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory. Chicago: Aldine.
Habermas, J. (1984). The theory of communicative action. Boston: Beacon Press.

Chapter 4

Making Meaning Through Reflection
These supplementary readings are based on Jack Mezirow's Transformative Dimensions of Adult Learning.
Boud, D., Keough, R., & Walker, D. (Eds.). (1985). Reflection: Turning experience into learning. London: Kogan Page.
Brookfield, S. (1987). Learning democracy: Eduard Lindeman on adult education and social change. London: Croom Helm.

Candy, P. C. (1989). Constructivism and the study of self-direction in adult learning. Studies in the Education of Adults, 21, 95-116.

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Dewey, J. (1933). How we think. Chicago: Regnery.
Knowles, M. (1975). Self-directed learning: A guide for learners and teachers. New York: Cambridge Books.
Polanyi, M. (1967). The tacit dimension. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.
Schon, D.A. (1983). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. New York: Basic Books.

Chapter 5

Distorted Assumptions: Uncovering Errors in Learning
These supplementary readings are based on Jack Mezirow's Transformative Dimensions of Adult Learning.
Freire, P. (1970). Cultural action for freedom. Cambridge: Harvard Educational Review.
Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York: Herder & Herder.
Gould, R. L. (1978). Transformations: Growth and change in adult life. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Kagan, J. (1980). Perspectives on continuity. In G. Brim and J. Kagan (Eds.), Constancy and change in human development. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Kitchener, K. S., & King, P. (1990). The reflective judgment model: Transforming assumptions about knowing. In J. Mezirow and Associates (Eds.), Fostering critical reflection in adulthood: A guide to transformative and emancipatory learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Chapter 6

Perspective Transformation: How Learning Leads to Change
These supplementary readings are based on Jack Mezirow's Transformative Dimensions of Adult Learning.
Basseches, M. (1984). Dialectical thinking and adult development. Norwood, N.J.: Ablex.
Boud, D. , & Griffin, V. (1987). Appreciating adult's learning: From the learner's perspective. London: Kogan Page.
Bridges, W. (1980). Transitions: Making sense of life's changes. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

Bruner, J. (1957). On perceptual readiness. Psychological Review, 64, 123-152.

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Bruner, J. (1973). The relevance of education. New York: Norton.
Greene, M. (1975). Curriculum and consciousness. In W. Pinar (Ed.), Curriculum theorizing. Berkeley: McCutchan.
Perry, W. G. (1970). Forms of intellectual and ethical development in the college years: A scheme. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
Wildemeersch, D., & Leirman, W. (1988). The facilitation of the life-world transformation. Adult Education Quarterly, 39, 19-30.

Chapter 7

Fostering Transformative Adult Learning
These supplementary readings are based on Jack Mezirow's Transformative Dimensions of Adult Learning.
Brookfield, S. (1986). Understanding and facilitating adult learning. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Collard, S. & Law, M. (1989). The limits of perspective transformation: A critique of Mezirow's theory. Adult Education Quarterly, 39, 99-107.
Gould, R. L. (1990). The therapeutic learning program. In J. Mezirow and Associations (Eds.), Fostering critical reflection in adulthood: A guide to transformative and emancipatory learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Greene, M. (1986). In search of a critical pedagogy. Harvard Educational Review, 56, 427-441.

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Mezirow, J. (1978). Perspective transformation. Adult Education, 28, 100-110.

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Mezirow, J. (1981). A critical theory of adult learning and education. Adult Education, 32, 3-24.

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Mezirow, J., and Associates. (1990). Fostering critical reflection in adulthood: A guide to transformative and emancipatory learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Tennant, M. (1988). Psychology and adult learning. London: Routledge.

Academic Integrity Tutorial Video

Athabasca University. (2011). The adventures of Ruby [Video file].

Required Video Viewing

Ehrlich, J., & Goldsmith, R. (2009). The most dangerous man in America. [Motion picture] Berkely, CA: Kovno Communications.

You will need to enter this password: Danger447