What is Andragogy
Andragogy is "the art or science of teaching adults" (see http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/andragogy), as opposed to pedagogy which is described as "the art and science of teaching children" (Knowles, 1973, p. 42-43). Andragogy tries to explain the motivation of adult learners, and the need to approach adults differently than we approach children.
As opposed to the pedagogical model which emphasizes content, the andragogical model emphasizes processes. Its foundation lays on top of six main assumptions as described below
The Six Assumptions about Adult Learners
http://secondgrade211.weebly.com/uploads/1/2/0/9/12096453/9729044_orig.jpg
[through google search]
[through google search]
- The learner's self-concept. An adult learner is usually more independent and self directing compared to a child, or even to a young adult. This calls for teaching strategies where student has to be treated as an adult and hence as equal to the instructor, a partner. The student needs to be considered as capable of taking responsibility and ownership of his/her own education. A mutual respect and trust is essential in adult learning. Therefore the instructor facilitates learning, rather than dominates it. The instructor will value the true potential of the adult learner.
- The life experience of the learner is an integral part of his/her identity, and a great resource that should be employed in the act of learning. The instructor will value and include the learner's life experience as a way to initiate the learner interest and get him/her involved in the act of learning.
- The readiness to learn is another important aspect of adult learners. Being independent, the adults get to choose their own path and hence they usually have an interest in taking a particular course. When they take a course, they are usually ready for it. The reason may be motivated by a career/job-related interests, or personal interests (to satisfy their curiosity, or their ego, etc.).
- The adult learners are usually more problem-centered than a younger learner, and they usually seek immediate applications of what they are about to learn.
- Internal motivation is stronger to adult learners than the external ones. "Increased job satisfaction,..., enhanced self esteem, improved quality of life, and personal fulfillment" (Merriam, 2014, p. 54) are great motivators for adult learners.
- As adults, and hence more independent persons, these learners need to know why a topic is relevant for them. They need to know where and how will they apply the concepts they are about to learn.
An Open Question
There is a lot of debate about "whether andragogy is a theory, a philosophy, a teaching description, a scientific discipline,..., or a strategy to help adults learn" (Merriam, 2014, p. 56, italics not in the original text). Although it provides a very valuable insight into adult learning, there is still a lot of debate about many of the assumptions mentioned above, and there are many divergent opinions about the conceptual framework provided by andragogy.
References
Knowles, M. S. (1973). The adult learner: a neglected species: Houston: Gulf.
Merriam, S. B. and Bierema, L. L. (2014). Adult learning: linking theory and practice. San Francisco, CA: Josssey-Bass.
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/andragogy, retrieved Jan 28th, 2015
Alex, I liked your graphic and your analysis of the assumptions about adult learners. As a teacher at the college level, my students are considered to be adult learners based on their age, but are lacking in many of the areas that define the adult learner. I am realizing more and more that my job is top help them make that transition.
ReplyDeleteBased on my observations over 20 years of teaching (mostly) college freshmen, I am going to modify your 6 assumptions about adult learners to apply to this "transitional" learner.
1. Self concept -- while some young adults have a strong sense of what they want to do, many are just trying to figure it out. It will be important to stress the general applicability of a course/topic to these students since they may not have a reason to take ownership otherwise.
2. Life experience -- many college students come to college straight from high school. This is their first time on their own and they are very much lacking in the life experiences that can help to motivate their learning.Teaching in such a way as to broaden the minds of the students and help them to gain life experience may help motivate them in the classroom.
3. Readiness -- many college students are in college for reasons other than learning a specific skill for a specific job. They may be in college because they want to continue playing a sport or because they know it will help them get a better job (but they don't know what). The readiness to learn of the adult learner may be missing. If a student isn't ready to learn, finding a different motivation may be useful (for example, I am investigating gamification as a teaching method for this reason).
4. Problem-centered -- A lack of "real-world" experience in the typical college student can result in a lack of understanding of the problem. In this case, a problem centered approach won't necessarily be useful unless you can teach the problem to the student as well. For example, I teach Microsoft Access as a database management tool to my students. Most of them have never had to manage a large amount of data, so it is hard to get them to see the relevance of this program.
5. Motivation -- when I see strong motivation in my young adult learners it is usually in this area. They know that they want to improve themselves and they can use what they learn in college to do this. For those students who have not yet made this connection, helping them to find motivation can be a challenge.
6. Need to Know -- this is another area that is a good fit for the young adult learner. If they understand why they need to know something it is easier to get them to take it seriously. The trick is being able to explain the need to know to them because they aren't always in a position to figure it out themselves.
Jenny, what a great "take" on Alex's 6 Assumptions! Your post shows great insight into the mind of the freshman student, along with the importance of the instructor trying to offer a balanced classroom that meets the needs of all students - a very difficult task, indeed!
DeleteYou have given us quite a bit to ponder :-) thank you!
After reading Alex' blog on chapter three, I was very interested in the question that he posed, which is
ReplyDelete"There is a lot of debate about "whether andragogy is a theory, a philosophy, a teaching description, a scientific discipline,..., or a strategy to help adults learn" (Merriam, 2014, p. 56, italics not in the original text). Although it provides a very valuable insight into adult learning, there is still a lot of debate about many of the assumptions mentioned above, and there are many divergent opinions about the conceptual framework provided by andragogy. "
At this point in my understanding of online instruction and working with adult learners, I see this as a strategy. One that gives teachers a rubric, if you will, on how to view the adult learner and also how to meet their needs and challenge them as they begin their journey of self improvement.
Looking at the scenarios at the beginning of the chapter, I was saddened to see in Scenario One that the adult learner when to two classes to find out about income taxes only to tleanve and not come back when her needs were not met. By using the andragogy as a strategy or as a rubric for your teaching, you will be more likely to reach your adult students, which would keep them in school helping them to reach their goals.
I found a video that could be used as a resource for instructors who are teaching this concept or who want to keep Malcolm Knowles' model in mind as they prepare a lesson.
http://youtu.be/fdI0JXSealg
I like the simplicity of the video. It is long enough to cover the basic concepts and keep the viewers interest. I also really like this video because they used PowToon. PowToon is a wonderful and easy tool to utilize for awesome videos. I wonder if they could have put a few more specific examples in the video. I would like to see more variation of the graphics that were used.
Referrences
Merriam, S. B. and Bierema, L. L. (2014). Adult learning: linking theory and practice. San Francisco, CA: Josssey-Bass.
Mezei, Razvan Alex (2015) The Adult Learner Blog http://the-adult-learner.blogspot.com/2015/01/andragogy-how-to-value-true-potential.html
6 Tips for Adult Learning, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdI0JXSealg