Cranton Classroom Management Cranton, Patricia.

Cranton Classroom Management Cranton, Patricia. Professional development as transformative learning. Jossey Bass, 1996. Patricia Cranton's book Professional development as transformative learning addresses what she sees as an underserved aspect of educational literature, namely the role of the educator as a lifelong learner. While it is common to stress the need for teachers to add to their qualifications by obtaining master's degrees or pursuing additional formal certification, Cranton attempts to address the idea more broadly, in terms of teachers' personal and transformative enrichment.

As well as gaining additional credentials, simply getting feedback from other instructors can also be an education for teachers. Educators also must seek out transformative opportunities: the type of education that transforms one's sense of self, and unlocks a sense of new possibilities, transcending preconceived notions. To transform student's lives as learners, educators must be transformative teachers of themselves.

Educators often do not have the ability to talk about their experiences as teachers or learners, and the act of speaking about one's experiences is often one of the most critical aspects of learning. Educators often lack effective and objective feedback about their performance in the classroom. Cranton discusses her experience with 'Tim,' an older science professor who was convinced he had nothing to learn from the evaluative process, even though he was somewhat concerned about written student feedback that indicated he could be intimidating and aloof.

After being videotaped, Tim was able to modify his performance and become more accessible to students. Despite the fact that he was at the end of his career, learning was still possible, and the videotape provided an 'ah-ha' moment in Tim's education that previous written student evaluations had not. By seeking to educate themselves, educators become more aware of the learning process.

This type of self-reflective practice is essential, given that more and more teachers are being called upon to educate adults, not just in the classroom but in the workplace and in other environments. Understanding one's self as an adult learner can be a valuable part of creating a meaningful classroom experience for adult students. Adult education often lacks a coherent sense of philosophy, given that it often not as institutionalized as the education of young students.

To better help her readers understand their own personalities and learning orientations, Cranton offers a brief overview of Jungian personality types, so her readers can examine how their learning style does or does not measure up against the dominant learning style of their students. No human being is completely one Jungian type or another. Most individuals exhibit certain tendencies in one direction or the other. Jung divided personalities into categories of extroverts and introverts; thinkers and feelers; judgers and perceivers; sensors and intuitive types.

A good educator will be able to tailor his or her lesson to suit the needs of students, which may vary depending on whether they are, for example, more comfortable learning in groups or alone. No student can be allowed to entirely remain within his or her comfort zone, of course, but the teacher, keeping in mind the Jungian typology, can have a better sense of why some students might be more comfortable with certain assignments than others. Self-awareness is also critical.

An extroverted teacher like Tim, for example, might not have any problem with debating a particular issue in front of a classroom, but failing to appreciate that some of his students may be more introverted and need coaxing to articulate themselves could result in him bullying rather than actively engaging with shier students. Cranton cautions that quantification of personality types can be dangerous if not undertaken with the right mindset.

Any type of assessment, whether it is personality-based, or a standardized assessment of ability, should be used to inform and guide learning, rather than to limit students. Adult students may have more formed personality traits and a greater wealth of life experiences, but they are still capable of change and growth like younger students. Furthermore, adults are often more willing partners in the learning process and better-equipped to engage in self-directed learning to realize a goal.

Educators themselves are on a learning journey and "if educators see self-directed learning as the goal of their work with learners but not themselves, there is a discrepancy in their perspective." Cranton offers practical suggestions to the educator so he or she can become a transformative teacher, as well as engage in transformative education of the self.

Keeping a journal, writing down one's philosophy of practice, contrasting one's philosophy with other educators, and viewing one's self in action on video are help the teacher to continually assess and transform his or her methods and attitude.

This enables teachers to continually take inventory of their assumptions, assumptions they might not be otherwise aware of, just as Tim was unaware of the fact that he viewed certain scientific concepts to be self-evident -- an attitude that was borne out in his attitude and manner towards his less confident, newer students. The stakes, Cranton states in no uncertain terms, are high for educators. Through using transformative processes in the classroom, and upon themselves when engaged in their own learning, they can enact real change.

Ultimately, the goal of transformative learning is to change society, one learner at a time. "Increased participation in social reform of various kinds is a goal of educator development." By seeking to educate adults, concrete change in the world can be achieved. While the young are often the focus of most calls to transform the world through education, adults must add to their skills and scope of knowledge of the world.

Cranton's examples of this are particularly pertinent today, given that the recent recession has lead to calls for more widespread job training.