Examining and Understanding Transformative Learning to Foster Technology Professional Development in Higher Education

Abstract

Educators are increasingly encouraged to practice life-long learning. Learning to cope with emerging technologies for educational purposes is, for most educators, a complex process. Consequently, educators engage in critical reflective processes, and consider new views as they learn new knowledge and skills so as how to best apply information and communication technologies to teaching and learning. For educators this process can be intimidating and frustrating. The use of new technologies in education requires educators to reconceptualise traditional educational concepts which means that educators need compelling reasons to dramatically change their teaching and learning practice.This paper highlights the significance of Mezirow's transformative learning theory for teachers' technology professional development and provides insight in teachers' learning processes as they learn emerging technologies for educational purposes. The data discussed in this paper have been drawn from a study at FontysUniversity of Applied Sciences, The Netherlands. The data were collected and analyzed according to a qualitative approach.