Sociocultural Perspectives in an Online ESL Professional Development Program: Are There Transformative Features?

Colleges and universities across the country are looking for ways to increase accessibility as broad of an audience of learners as possible and are expanding into online formats (Allen & Searman, 2010). This is especially useful for programs designed for both working and non-working adults, who require a more flexible schedule for coursework, or who may not be able to attend courses located at a geographic distance. These institutions of higher education also maintain the larger educational objectives of their programs, including increasing the understanding of the world by the learners and expanding their ―habits of mind‖ (Cranton & King, 2003, p. 33). Academics are often likewise interested in maintaining the ―ideals of transformation and social change and the importance of these constructs for the public—outside of the university‖ (Moore, 2005, p. 77), indicating interest in transformative learning and critical reflection (Mezirow & Associates, 2000; Taylor, 2007)

Fostering Transformative Learning in an Online ESL Professional Development Program for K-12 Teachers

This qualitative study examines evidence of transformative learning surrounding sociocultural issues in the K-12 classroom of in-service teachers, while participating in an online English as a Second Language (ESL) professional development program. Using inductive data analysis, precursors and catalysts to transformative learning were identified to understand the ways in which 24 purposefully sampled participants experienced learning. Areas explored included ways in which the candidates participated in critical reflection of their own perspectives, ways in which this process affected their meaning making of their experiences, potential for action in changing their practice as ESL educators, and transformative learning features present throughout their learning experiences. Findings reveal evidence of perspective shifts in this context that complement the professional dispositions identified as important for K-12 teachers: the importance of carefully choosing resource materials in professional development, and the necessity to encourage critical reflection in course activities

Adult Education Research: Can It Advance Social Justice?

Social media as a site of public pedagogy has been attributed with the rise of the Arab Spring, the spread of the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements, and the political movements of MAGA and #Resist. If social media platforms are tools that can be used to promote confrontations with a wide variety of social injustices, then it is important to examine the process of learning that occurs when engaging with these platforms. Key to learning is one's ability to reflect, yet the cognitive overload often experienced when using social media platforms questions if social justice causes can be served on these corporate-owned platforms. This reflection essay considers the role of learning through reflection in the dynamic and algorithmically driven context of social media platforms. Further, this essay will consider how reflection to now-accessible amplified fringe ideas and concepts may be influencing and changing the values of social justice