Innovations in Transformative Learning: Space, Culture, and the Arts- Foreword by Stephen Brookfield

This book addresses the disparity between transformative learning theory as espoused and practiced in the classrooms of the academy, and its application beyond. It articulates new models of transformative education that integrate transformative learning theory with other models of change and development. The three editors and eleven contributors draw on both theory and practice to illustrate how transformative learning has been introduced to a variety of settings and cultures, and synergistically integrated with theories of communication, participatory action research, and communities of inquiry and practice. Organized around the themes of creating space for learning; looking though the lenses of culture, diversity, and difference; and animating awareness through the expressive and performative arts, this collection will broaden awareness and aid scholars, students, and practitioners in using transformative learning as an approach to adult learning and social and organizational change in a range of settings.

The Editors: Beth Fisher-Yoshida, Ph.D., is the Academic Director of the Masters of Science in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution and is on the faculty for the Continuing Education and the Social and Organizational Psychology Program at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is Managing Director of Fisher Yoshida International, a global consulting firm providing customized responses to organizational needs. Fisher-Yoshida is co-author of ‘Transnational Leadership Development’ (2009).
Kathy D. Geller, Ph.D., is Director of Organizational Effectiveness for Stanford University. Prior to joining Stanford, she lived in Asia for 10 years serving as Global Head of Management Development for Standard Chartered Bank and as Managing Director for Areté Leadership International. She has served as adjunct faculty at Columbia University’s Teachers College and Nova Southeastern University. Geller is co-author of ‘Transnational Leadership Development’ (2009).
Steven A. Schapiro, Ed.D., is a professor at Fielding Graduate University’s School of Human and Organization Development, where he coordinates the doctoral concentration in Transformative Learning for Social Justice, which brings together his interests in liberatory education, adult development, and social change. Among his publications are ‘«From andragogy to collaborative critical pedagogy»’, ‘Journal of Transformative Education’, 1(2), 2003; and ‘Higher Education for Democracy’ (Peter Lang, 1999).