Lisa Ann Gilbert EXP 105 Personal Dimensions of Education Instructor: Julie Nideffer May 27, 2013 Four Stages of Transformation Learning Transformative learning is basically changing the way one thinks, feels, acts, and sees life now, as opposed to the past. It can have a small or huge impact on the way they see different aspects of their life. The four stages of the transformative learning process are: Recognizing a specific problem – this is when one would decide if there is a need for change.
They would recognize that there is a problem and specifically what it is.Confronting the problem intensely – They would then avoid apprehension and immediately confront the problem, while remembering to consider all possible solutions. In this step, using critical thinking would be of great value. Finding a solution to the problem - Here they would evaluate and reflect upon the situation while trying to identify the cause.
Once identified, they would consider the steps needed to attempt to solve it. Integrating a new perspective and a new set of assumptions into your life – Last but not least they would see how their views have or have not changed.They would decide how they would handle the situation should they find themselves there again. Also, see what questions they could ask themselves to try and not make the same mistake. In March of 2003 I would make a decision that would change my life forever.
At 30 years of age I thought dealing with divorce and single motherhood would be the toughest challenges I would face. However, all of a sudden I found myself looking down deaths path. Throughout my childhood I always had an issue with being overweight.Finding myself at my highest weight of 350lbs I just knew something needed to change.
Looking back, I was so depressed I am not sure how I made it through each day. I started seeing a new doctor that said the direction I was headed in was one of serious health problems. My family history of heart disease only made the situation worse. I started researching Gastric By-pass Surgery. I had already tried every diet out there and some more than once. I was asking myself, “Is this my only option? What are the risks if I do it and what are they if I don't? The conclusion I came to was this: I wanted to live and I wanted to be there for my daughter for as long as I could.
I decided I was willing to take the risks to ensure that I would be able to accomplish all I had wanted. I had the surgery and lost over 150lbs. Today I live my life completely different. I eat healthy, use proper portions control and exercise regularly.
Of Mezirow’s seven phases, I feel that Self-examination is the one that most pertains to the life experience I shared. Making the decision to have the surgery was only just the first step.I then needed to take a look back and determine what was causing me to struggle with my weight. Through self-examination I found that food was my drug of choice. Just like an alcoholic or a drug addict, I had a dependency.
Having surgery fixed the issue with how much I could eat, but it did not remove my taste buds or the reasons in my life that caused me to want to eat. This is when I needed to take control, go to therapy and learn how to deal with life's issues and not use food to cope. Having the surgery afforded me the opportunity to learn how to deal with my problems and not try to eat them away.
