Interconnectedness, place and growth: a visual essay on transformative learning

In this visual essay, personal growth, experienced by the authors, is explored and communicated through combined images and words. A theoretical framework - that of Mezirow's (1994. "Understanding transformation theory." Adult Education Quarterly 44 (4): 222-232) transformative learning - is adapted to structure the essay, and images communicate the transformative growth experienced by the four authors through involvement in a transnational education project. Images were all taken in Bruges, a significant place for all the authors in respect to interconnectedness and growth. Bruges was the location for the culmination of the transnational project, and was a new place to all authors before their involvement in the project. Images are accompanied by captions to add a layer of meaning, but neither image nor caption is truly narrative and represents the growth experienced, rather than illustrating the activities of the project. A reflective conversation, held in Bruges, provided the captions. The visual essay provides a reflection of the interconnectedness between place, experience, growth, words and image.