A Writer's Retreat as a Facilitator for Transformative Learning

Abstract

Transformational learning is frequently discussed as a desired outcome for students. The authors are five experienced academicians from different disciplines who experienced transformational learning during a writing retreat. The transformations centered on a changed worldview about academia that occured during a phenomenological study focused on “Who am I as a teacher?” An analysis of field notes taken during this 3-day writing retreat reveal five themes: (a) individual transformations, (b) immersion in a retreat setting, (c) a preexisting trusting relationship, (d) a dialogal process, and (e) reflexivity and photography. Changes in the authors' worldviews of academia related to the gendered aspects of teaching and the increased focus on teaching and research in middle adulthood result in a view of academia as interdependent and socially constructed.