Pedagogy and the Adult Learner

As I pondered Alex's blog post on the differences between the teaching models of andragogy and pedagogy, I thought of just how restrictive the pedagogical model is.  It is teacher lead with much focus on students following the mandates of the teacher in order to receive or earn extrinsic rewards such as grades and teacher approval.   In this video, Marco Torres gives an illustration of how some students view the pedagogical model used in US school systems.  Within the first two of minutes of the video, Torres shares how the top percentages of high school students have "figured out" the system.  He goes on further to discuss the importance of keeping learning relevant and helping (high school) students to make their own decisions around their own learning experiences and making connections to the world around them.  I agree with Torres assertions in this
video.  To further enhance his points, he could have given specific examples or read the letters of some of the high schools students he referenced in the video.

I believe that we need to begin using the andragogy model with the high school learner to help make the transition to college more seamless.  Later on in the educational journey, successful
learners become more self-directed and have other reasons for pursuing education outside of extrinsic rewards.  Therefore, when we try to force a teacher-centered model on an adult
student the results can sometimes be unprofitable.  Adults, who have become self-aware, are less
likely to appreciate this method.  If the adult learner does not feel like the instruction is relevant to their needs, and they don't have a say in their own educational experience, they "vote" with their feet and may stop-out or drop out of the course(s) they are taking.

If we begin the transition to a more self-directed approach earlier rather than later, the outcomes of students in the first year college experience will help them to persist through goal completion and/or degree attainment.

References:

Mezei, Razvan Alex (2015) The Adult Learner Blog http://the-adult-learner.blogspot.com/2015/01/andragogy-how-to-value-true-potential.html


Keeping Schools Relevant, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-cl=85114404&v=Uiaw0ZSiLw4&feature=player_embedded&x-yt-ts=1422579428