Uncertainty, story-telling and transformative learning: An instructor’s experience of TEFI’s Walking Workshop in Nepal

ABSTRACT

This article recounts three stories from TEFI’s walking workshop in Nepal: the construction of a road through what was once a trekking path; a dance-floor encounter at a Himalayan  party; and the arrival of one participant, fatigued by jet lag and disoriented by the new surroundings. These stories of confusion, discomfort and fear are linked by one common theme: the potential of uncertainty to foster deep reflection and nuanced conclusions. The premise that uncertainty is to be valued and even cultivated has been explored in educational theory, spiritual traditions, and research on transformative learning. These sources affirm the role of uncertainty in the process of knowledge creation. However, accepting this role can be challenging for educators because it requires they assume a new identity, one which they may perceive as being at odds with their status as “teacher” the identity of learner. One way for the educator to address this challenge may be through recounting their own stories of uncertainty. Stories of being immersed in unfamiliar situations that challenge, confuse and even frighten – stories, in other words of being a tourist – can foster reflection on an intellectual, emotional and spiritual level, engaging the “whole” person, and thus initiating the educator/learner’s transformative journey.

KEYWORDS:

• TEFI
• uncertainty
• story-telling
• transformative learning
• tourism education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. The Nepal Field Course has been offered twice, so far: May 2017 and May 2018. The idea of the course was first conceived during the May 2016 TEFI Walking Workshop. As indicated, the stories presented in this article took place over all three years. They are presented here, in first person, by one of the faculty participants.

2. I discovered a few days later that my Nepalese hosts were expecting me to be a man, based on my name’s similarity to “Jon”, hence the reason for the mix up in the room assignments.