You got transformative learning in my critical pedgogy! Connecting two theoretical perspectives to inform our instructional identities and praxis

Critical information literacy and transformative learning theory grow from the same roots: Both are founded in examinations of power structures, critiques of cultural systems, and aims of emancipation. However, librarians haven’t considered whether transformative learning theory can support critical practices in our teaching, nor have we explored how critical library instruction can shape our own transformative experiences around who we are as educators. In this conference paper, I connect these complementary theoretical approaches to consider our instructional identities in more critical ways, create conditions where students may experience perspective transformation, and provide pathways for true and meaningful praxis.