Assignment Two, Andragogy

Andragogy, which “is a set of assumptions about how adults learn”, was originally used by Alexander Kapp in 1833 and then more recently by Malcolm Knowles (Fidishun).  Malcolm Knowles, in 1967, “emphasizes that adults are self-directed and expect to take responsibility for decisions” (Culatta 2011).  Adult learning needs to be structured to follow these important points.

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There are five assumptions that Knowles makes about the adult learner.  They are as follows:

1.      Self-concept, which refers to when a person becomes an adult and starts to perceive himself as being self-directing.

2.      Experience means that adults learn better through experiential ways like discussion and problem solving

3.      Readiness to learn happens when an adult sees the need to learn in order to handle everyday problems and tasks

4.      Orientation to learning means that when we become adults we are more apt to want to learn something immediately so as to solve problems

5.      Motivation to learn describes how adults have incentives to want to learn such as job upgrades, self-esteem, and quality of life. 

Andragogy has been used to help design organizational training programs for adults. The term andragogy differs in definition from pedagogy.  Pedagogy refers to being a leader of, as in a classroom where the teacher is the decision maker of “what is to be learned, how it is to be learned, when it should be learned, and if it has been learned” (Nadler).  As Jarvis states (1985), “perhaps even more significantly is that for Knowles education from above is pedagogy, while education of equals is andragogy” (Smith, 1996, 1999).

Culatta, Richard. "Andragogy." Instructional Design. Innovative Learning.com, 2011. Web. 22 Sept. 2011. <http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/andragogy.html>.

Fedishun, ED.D, Dolores. "Andragogy and Technology: Integrating Adult Learning Theory As We Teach With Technology." Middle Tennessee State University. Web. 23 Sept. 2011. <http://frank.mtsu.edu/~itconf/proceed00/fidishun.htm>.

Jarvis, P. (1985) The Sociology of Adult and Continuing Education, Beckenham: Croom Helm.

Nadler, Leonard (1984). The Handbook of Human Resource Development. New York: John Wiley & Sons

Smith, M. K. (1996; 1999) 'Andragogy', the encyclopaedia of informal education, http://www.infed.org/lifelonglearning/b-andra.htm.