Jack Mezirow

Jack Mezirow (1923- September 24, 2014)^[1] was an American sociologist and Emeritus Professor of Adult and Continuing Education at Teachers College, Columbia University.^[2][3]

Mezirow received his B.A. and M.A. Degree in Social Sciences and Education from the University of Minnesota, and his Ed.D. Degree in Adult Education from the University of California at Los Angeles. He is Emeritus Professor of Adult and Continuing Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, New York,^[4] and founder of the Adult Education Guided Intensive Study (AEGIS) doctoral program at Teachers College, Columbia University.^[5]

Work

Mezirow is influenced by Paulo Freire and Jürgen Habermas.^[6] He is widely acknowledged as the founder of the concept of transformative learning. One of the main points in his work with transformative learning is the division of knowledge into three distinct types:

• Instrumental
• Communicative
• Emancipatory

Where the two former are considered the most common types of technical and practical knowledge, especially the so-called emancipatory dimension proposes that everyone possesses the potential to break free from their own situation to transform their own life. This requires an awareness of one's current life conditions.

Bibliography

• 1990, Fostering Critical reflection in adulthood, Jossey-Bass Inc
• 1991. Transformative Dimensions of Adult Learning, Jossey-Bass Inc
• 2000. Learning as transformation: Critical Perspectives on a theory in Progress, Jossey-Bass Inc
• 2009. Transformative Learning in Practice: Insights from Community, Workplace and Education, Jossey-Bass Inc

References