Transference

One of my favorite former professional experiences was to serve as the global studies coordinator at another independent school. I helped design and implement experiential opportunities for students to “learn by doing” in locations that were somewhat unfamiliar to them, ranging from the local woods, neighborhoods in our own communities, and even cities in other states or countries.  

I have many positive memories of crossing creeks with students, helping with school construction in indigenous communities in Central America, getting lost on the “T” in Boston, and listening to late-night salsa music on Havana’s Malecón.  

The last two years at Seven Hills have added to those experiences as I navigate the cultural novelties of Cincinnati (Skyline Chili, anyone?).  

New experiences, such as travel, camping, changing jobs or schools, or even trying something for the first time, enrich our lives in so many ways. But it’s not just about having the experience, taking the photos, or even creating memories.   

Deep learning occurs when we engage in the process of transference — when the new experience fundamentally transforms us in some way by becoming part of who we are.  

Like many of you, I have a shoebox full of old photos, but it’s the core experiences that have changed how I see the world and have fundamentally transformed me as a human being: The emergency meeting on the top floor of a hotel in Santiago, Chile, after receiving sad news from home in which we had to decide as a group whether we should stay or all return home. 

The impromptu dance party on the streets of Boston when we decided we weren’t taking enough appropriate risks.  Riding public transportation in Cleveland with students who had never done so and making friends with fellow passengers. And then finding the required time to reflect, process, and make meaning of how these and other experiences might change interpretations and interactions in the future. 

I may have lost the photos of those moments, but my perspective has been fundamentally changed.

In 1984, David Kolb, an internationally renowned experiential educator, shared the following,   “Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience.”  

As we enter the last stretch of another school year, I’ve been thinking about this concept a lot.  There is so much wonderful teaching and learning that happens within the walls of Seven Hills.  And yet, we realize that the clock is ticking, and 25% of our community will soon leave us as they graduate and move on to their next phase, to be replaced by a new group of learners. 

Our sincere hope is that our graduating students fully arrive at the “transformation of experience,” beautifully referenced in our Portrait of a Learner, to which Kolb aspired.

I saw strong evidence of this last month, when we welcomed back several graduates from the Class of 2025 to share their stories with our current  seniors.  Each spoke of their preparation, which allowed them to thrive, and the transformation that has occurred in the last year.  

They had learned by doing, and the foundations of their Seven Hills experience prepared them to take risks, learn more, lead, and transform into even better versions of themselves. Isn’t that what education (and life) is all about?  

Challenges fall away, replaced by growth and meaning, as we take the adequate time to appreciate, reflect, and realize the magnitude of the journey we have experienced. Let the transference begin!