| The current educational reform movement, with its over-emphasis on scripted, reductionist modes of instruction, threatens to rob teachers of their creative, professional authority by reducing them to deskilled technicians. Changing the way teachers think of themselves as professionals necessitates a change in the way they view their authority. Changing one's view of authority requires a change in one's frame of reference, a process known as transformative learning. Transformative learning moves teachers towards more autonomous thinking as they interact within collaborative contexts. As teachers develop the ability to think autonomously within collaborative contexts, they develop meaningful, creative ways to exercise their professional authority. The purpose of this conceptual study is to synthesize Transformative Learning Theory with the nature and purpose of creativity, offering a re-conceptualization of teacher authority. |
