Abstract
This paper explores the psychological shadow--the disowned self--as one of the hidden, unconscious elements in adult and continuing education, often underlying those inexplicable emotional reactions that transpire in instructor/learner interactions. Drawing on the literature related to the psychological shadow, teaching/learning, and adult development, as well as on personal experience as an educator, the author examines the manifestation of the shadow in the classroom. Unacknowledged, the shadow can disturb the learning environment and severely inhibit learning. But when the shadow is brought to light it can actually serve to enrich student learning and promote the teacher's personal and professional development. This paper suggests ways in which educators and students alike can begin the process of reclaiming and integrating their shadow.
Highlights
In his well-known poem “The Shadow,” Robert Louis Stevenson portrays the shadow as that cast by the body, and by the mind
The shadow may reside in those inexplicable emotional reactions that occur between instructor and learner or be revealed through the traits and qualities that teachers and students “see” in and attribute to one another
Unacknowledged, the shadow can unsettle the emotional climate of a learning environment and severely inhibit learning
Summary
In his well-known poem “The Shadow,” Robert Louis Stevenson portrays the shadow as that cast by the body, and by the mind. The shadow is a powerful element in the human personality and in human communication In counselling, it can confound the counsellorclient relationship and the outcome of the therapeutic process (Daniels, 2000; Page, 1999). I explore the shadow as a hidden dimension in adult and continuing education, as it relates to its central tasks of creating positive learning environments, promoting instructor effectiveness, and supporting adult development in both learner and instructor. Drawing on my experience as an adult educator of graduate and continuing education students and my interest and research on adult development, I consider the possible costs of the unacknowledged shadow to teaching and learning, as well as the personal and professional benefits that can arise from “owning” one’s shadow. Revue canadienne de l’éducation permanente universitaire Vol 29, No 2, automne 2003 work of adult educators Daloz, Mezirow, and Brookfield, who have innervated the field of adult education to the challenges and possibilities of its deeper dimensions
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