Reflection is a necessary condition for transformative learning. But if it remains confined to theory, it risks losing its generative power. The challenge of education—particularly in re-educational settings—is to translate abstract concepts into lived, concrete, and situated experiences. In other words: to turn words into actions, thoughts into practices, intentions into everyday choices.
In educational pathways for adults in situations of vulnerability, the gap between theory and reality is often pronounced. Experiences of exclusion, failure, or institutional mistrust can make access to deep reflection difficult. Yet precisely for this reason, it is essential that educational practices embody the values they claim to promote. In this context, the educator is not merely a facilitator of content but a mediator between concepts and lived experience.
Strategic games, narrative activities, metacognitive tools, relational workshops—all the elements explored in previous articles can only be activated effectively when rooted in a coherent educational design. It is not a matter of “applying” ideas, but of constructing learning environments where those ideas take shape—through structure, rhythm, and relationships. A workshop based on play, for example, is not effective merely because of its rules: it becomes effective when the facilitator is able to guide the emergence of emotions, power dynamics, and the desire for redemption.
Similarly, to speak of storytelling as a learning tool means to create safe, non-judgmental spaces where sharing one’s story does not expose participants to new forms of stigma. Using metacognition means offering opportunities in which learners can observe their cognitive processes without fear of failure. Teaching soft skills does not mean listing them; it means offering situations in which they can truly be exercised: cooperation, empathy, self-efficacy.
Transformative educational action, therefore, arises from the alignment between what we intend to teach and the environment we build to support learning. This requires the educator to maintain an ongoing reflective stance: designing, observing, listening, adapting, rethinking. In this sense, every educational gesture is already a political and ethical choice.
The shift from words to deeds is, ultimately, what makes education credible. In contexts where trust is fragile, educational language must be embodied. Only then can learning become not a discourse about the other, but a practice with the other. Not an imposed theory, but a shared experience. Not a method to apply, but a relationship to build.
References
- Brookfield, S. D. (1995). Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher. Jossey-Bass.
- Mezirow, J. (2000). Learning as Transformation: Critical Perspectives on a Theory in Progress. Jossey-Bass.
- Schön, D. A. (1983). The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action. Basic Books.
- Vella, J. (2002). Learning to Listen, Learning to Teach: The Power of Dialogue in Educating Adults. Jossey-Bass.
Authored by: SKILL UP
