Contemplative Pedagogies FIG: Transformative learning in Bernard Lonergan

This interest group supports faculty in applying or improving their application of contemplative practices in their classroom to promote well-being and a compassionate classroom, to further course goals, and to support learning.

We will be meeting regularly for discussion, exploration and guided practice to get first-hand experience with different practices; experimenting to receive peer feedback; inviting members to lead thematic sessions; and potentially co-creating resources to support our practices.

This interest group is for faculty who wish to:

• Intentionally adopt culturally-appropriate contemplative practices in teaching and learning using a trauma-sensitive lens;
• Explore the work of contemplative pedagogy scholars who report on the impact of evidence-based contemplative practices on students and faculty;
• Learn from their peers; and
• Re-energize their relationship with teaching and learning

In this session, we will explore the work of Bernard Lonergan as it relates to the notion of transformative learning, "a process by which previously uncritically assimilated assumptions, values, and beliefs come to be questioned, justified and potentially changed, leading to a fundamental shift in one's perspective and personality." (Tsang, C.D. et al, 2024) Lonergan argues that the limits to our knowing are characterized by (1) our horizons and (2) our biases. These limits are expanded or overcome through a process which Lonergan calls conversion. Conversion is a process which transforms one's capacity for knowing and re-orients one towards a deeper, fuller context of knowing. How might we as educators orient students towards an awareness of the limits to their knowledge? How might we facilitate that expansion of their horizons, the overcoming of their biases, and the deepening of their questioning?