Transformative Teaching

Transformative teaching is an innovative educational approach grounded in decades of educational research and theory.  The Center for Academic Innovation focuses on how faculty can create transformative teaching experiences in their classrooms.

Jack Mezirow, considered the father of transformative learning theory, established that meaningful education occurs through "perspective transformation" - when learners critically examine and revise their assumptions and beliefs through reflective discourse and experience.

Through various Center for Academic Innovation activities like Brown Bag events, faculty colloquia, New Faculty Academy, the Adjunct Certification program, and pedagogy groups, we serve the need for transformative teaching across A&M-SA. Transformative teaching equips faculty with an array of valuable skills that enhance their instructional practices and overall effectiveness. Some of these skills include:

• Innovative Pedagogy: Faculty learn to integrate emerging technologies and creative teaching methods to engage students more effectively.
• Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Faculty attending CAI events develop the ability to work across disciplines, fostering a more holistic and interconnected approach to higher education.
• Student-Centered Approaches: Faculty emphasis is placed on understanding and addressing diverse student needs, promoting inclusive and equitable learning environments.
• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: Faculty are trained to design curricula that encourage students to think critically and solve real-world problems.
• Reflective Practice: Faculty learn to continuously assess and refine their teaching strategies through self-reflection and feedback when engaged in pedagogy groups or reading groups.
• Effective Communication: Faculty participating in Brown Bag events or colloquia build skills in clear, empathetic communication that are honed, which lead to facilitating better interactions with students and colleagues.

These skills collectively contribute to a more dynamic, engaging, and impactful educational experience for both faculty and students.

When faculty serve as guides who facilitate powerful learning experiences, students develop deeper critical thinking skills and greater self-awareness. Transformative teaching equips faculty with an array of valuable skills that enhance their instructional practices and overall effectiveness. These skills collectively contribute to a more dynamic, engaging, and impactful educational experience for both faculty and students.

The CAI Calendar provides a range of events each month that faculty can attend.  The CAI Calendar provides a range of events each month that faculty can attend in these various areas. Faculty can also offer to lead Brown Bag events and faculty colloquia, create pedagogy groups that focus on cross-disciplinary idea exchanges, or establish reading groups that can be cross-disciplinary or within a departmental topic area.

Through faculty developing carefully crafted learning experiences that challenge students’ existing assumptions, students discover new perspectives and become confident, independent learners prepared for academic success and meaningful societal contribution.

Transformative teaching is both challenging and deeply rewarding. As faculty embrace these principles, they create ripples of change that extend far beyond the classroom walls. Students emerge not just with enhanced disciplinary knowledge and skills, but with the capacity to think critically, engage meaningfully with complex challenges, and contribute to positive changes in their communities.  By committing to transformative teaching practices, faculty don't just teach; they encourage and solidify students’ lasting personal and societal transformation.