Andragogy
Learning is a process continued throughout an individual’s life. From the time people are born they learn to understand the world in our own unique way. Children are put into grade school and are taught by teachers all the way through high school. Some students choose to continue higher education while some do not. Pedagogy is the process in which children learn and andragogy is the process in which adults learn. Essentially children and adults learn in different ways. Children start out learning everything new whereas adults should already have a foundation. Depending on age there are different ways people learn.
The adult learning theory was created because of the need to better understand how adults learn. Since most learning
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Adults Have the Need to Know Why They are Learning Something Adults need to know why they are learning something. If adults understand why they are learning something and how it is important they be more motivated to learn. In an article on adult learning Wuestewald (2016) stated:
Compared with pre-adult students, Knowles noted adults bring experiential knowledge to the classroom, are prepared to learn based on a self-recognized need, are highly task- and goal-oriented, and have internal and external learning motivations. These attributes offer educational opportunities that can fundamentally change classroom dynamics (pg. 71).
Adults have a need to be self- directed. Learners become progressively more self-directed as they age according to Knowles. Self-directed learning is widespread and used by many adults which do not need to learn from a teacher they teach themselves (Merriam, 2001). With the internet self-directed learning is becoming increasingly easier to do. If someone does know how to do something they can simply Google it or watch an instructional YouTube video. The internet is valuable resource for learning. There are even online classes which is a type of self-directed learning. Some adults prefer to learn independently. Self-directed learning may possibly be the most effective way a person learns. Everybody’s learning style is
Merriam, S.B., Caffarella, R.S. &Baumgartner (2007) Learning in Adulthood: A comprehensive guide, san Francisco, CA:Jossey-Bass
Adults are self-motivated. They learn best by building on what they already know and when they are actively engaged (Lindeman, 2010). The approach of adult education revolves around non-vocational ideals and is based on experience rather than subjects (Lindeman, 2010). It helps adults gain knowledge about their powers, capacities, and limitations (Funnell et al, 2012).
Mirriam, S. B., Caffarella, R. S., & Baumgartner, L. M. (2007). Learning in adulthood: A
One theorist that is relevant to this study is Malcolm Knowles’s theory of adult learning. Though Malcom Knowles may not be the first one to introduce adult learning, he was the one that introduced andragogy in North America. (McEwen and Wills 2014). Andragogy means adult learning. The core concept of Knowles’s Adult learning theory is to create a learning environment or awareness for adults to understand why they learn .Knowles developed six main assumptions of adult learners. Those assumptions are the need to know, self- concept, experience, readiness to learn, orientation to learning and motivation. (McEwen and Wills, 2014)
The learning process for adults is never ending and can be very challenging. As an adult educator, teaching adult learners you will face many challenges in the learning process. It is our responsibility to keep the learners engaged, and to help them to realize their full learning potential.
Andragogy is the way adults learn as opposed to pedagogy, the way children learn. The term was first introduced by Alexander Krapp in 1833. It was later popularized by Malcolm Knowles as he described his theory of adult learning. He had 6 theories as to how adults learn:
Having known that adults are supposed to be self-directed, internally motivated and goal-oriented in the learning process, it is believed that Expectancy-Value Theory proposed by Wigfiled and his colleagues might be fruitful in explaining adults’ learning motivation in this case study.
Endless studies conducted on flashbulb memories, raise a few eyebrows on the accuracy of our memories stored in our brains. When speaking about memories, we have different kinds of memories that are involved in our everyday thought processes. One in particular memory is flashbulb memory. Flashbulb memories consist of our own confidently accurate memories that contain specific details that include: time, location, thoughts, surroundings, smells and tastes of one’s current doings, during significant events that happened in our lives. The theory of a flashbulb memory is set a part from ordinary memories because of the emotional impact it has on the person, during the event that occurred. This is why flashbulb memories are a part of a special mechanisms
Analysis: having been through the adult learning experience I have realised the roll of learner and teacher in this approach. An effective teacher can facilitate the development of independence, self confidence, learning satisfaction and help students (the learner) to critical think. This experience has taught me that there are different styles of learning and teaching that I can adopt in my future.
Teaching the adult student is a great and unique responsibility; Andragogy preaches that teaching the adult learner takes a certain skill set and approach in order to be highly effective. The adult teaching theory and approach is based off the characteristics of the adult student. Andragogy views the adult learner as a very highly motivated student, a student ready and prepared to learn, and a student that comes to class with expectations of learning (Knowles 1984, pg12). With such a capable learner in the classroom the teacher must make the necessary adjustments. When teaching the adult learner, the teacher will have respect for their students and respect the fact that each student will have their own individual learning style. The teacher will also allow the adult student to experie...
Within the andragogical model described by Knowles, Holton, and Swanson (2015), adults need learning experiences that are different than those found in the pedagogical model. Instead of waiting for experiences that are directed and controlled by a teacher, adults need to have a clear rationale and understanding for the learning, feel past experiences are valuable, and have a developed internal system for motivation in order to help a learning experience be successful. The connection and orientation to the learning task, the readiness to learn, and self-concept are other important ideas to adult learning.
Adult learning does not occur in a vacuum. What one needs or wants to learn, what opportunities are available, the manner in which one learns-all are to a large extent determined by the society in which one lives. Whenever adults are asked about their learning, they most often mention education and training programs sponsored by the workplace, colleges and universities, public schools, and other formal organizations. They first picture classrooms with “students” learning and “teachers” teaching in a highly structured format. Yet when we ask these same adults about what they have learned informally over the last year, they typically respond with descriptions of learning activities outside these formal settings. They discuss, for example, remodeling a house, which has involved everything form reading and talking...
As we know, human being keep learning though all their lives, Sometimes I am thinking how we adult learning. In this book, I found them--some related concepts about adult learning and ways to Self-Direct Learning(SDL). Before reading this book. I already knew what is the adult learner is. In China, students who are over 18 years old are the adult in General Principles Of the Civil Law. In some perspectives, University education can be called adult education. It is new for me to learn this knowledge, so I chose the first eight chapters of the textbook.
Adults have other motivational factors for learning than children do. There are so many important aspects now the I am the adult. My self-independence, I am independent of my parents, I am my own caretaker, decided what I want to dress and eat, I do not to go to boring events anymore, I can drive now, so when I want to go somewhere I do, my mother does not tell me to eat all my vegetables anymore, I can eat a big bowl of ice cream without my mother being afraid to take to emergency room, no more curfews I take my own decisions. But with adulthood come hundreds of new responsibilities and duties. I must get up every morning and go to my job, made sure I am on time if not I will get fired and get financially unstable. I should be responsible for my duties at work, be responsible to assume the consequences of my actions and cope with the stress of work and finances behind. Being adults mean that you have experience that you know your identity, who you are as person or still working on it. I do not want to be like everyone else. I know my identity I do not want to be like all those crazy actresses on television, but I still sharpening to improve
...necessity to develop their classes to attain learning desired by adults (McAnally-Salas et al., 2010).