Andragogy

Overview & Key Researchers

Andragogy is applies specifically to learning theory centered around adults whereas pedagogy applies specifically to learning theory centered around children. The term andragogy was introduced by Alexander Kapp (1833) to describe educational theory of Greek Philosopher Plato. It is about making sure adult learners rise to their full potential. Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy (1925) developed the theory of adult education being derived from necessity and practical applications of learning. Malcolm Knowles (1967), created his theory on adult education by clarifying the distinction between pedagogy and andragogy as being "process driven" instead of "content driven." Knowles included five assumptions about adult learners and four principles to guide the planning of instruction (see images).  Knowles realized that adults learn differently than children and have different motivates for learning. 

Connections to Teaching and Learning

Adults learn differently than children. There are some aspects that may be similar, but at the forefront of adult education are the questions of, "Why am I learning this?" and "How will this relate to or benefit my life or career?" Children also might ask why they are learning something or how it will benfit them later in life. Adults, however, are looking for relevance right now. 

Implications of Andragogy in Instructional Design

There are 6 principles of androgogy that are helpful to consider in instructional design.

1. Need to Know

Adults need to know why they are being asked to learn something and what's in it for them. When adults understand the purpose, they are much more likely to engage.  An instructional designer should share the purpose of an activity or its objectives and let the learner know in advance why how it will benefit them.

2. Experience

Adult learners come with prior knowledge and experience. This experience should be the basis for learning activities. An instructional designer should connect their experience to the new material.  A learner’s experience may also add to the classes’ knowledge base. Leveraging others' experience can be motivational for other learners. 

3. Self-Concept

Adults want to be responsible for their learning decisions and have opportunities for self-direction. An instructional designer can provide learners with autonomy by giving them some choices in their learning trajectory. 

4. Readiness

Adults learn best when they see immediate relevance to a real life issue or problem. Motivation increases in adults when there is an immediate reason to learn. Sometimes adults seek out the learning opportunities and sometimes the opportunity is presented to them by an employer, perhaps for the reason of keeping a job or promoting. An instructional designer should ensure that rich and meaningful content is available for those who are ready to learn it.

5. Problem Orientation

Adults prefer content that is problem-oriented.  They want to learn specific knowledge and skills that solve a problem instead of generic content. An instructional designer can help them identify the problem they’ll solve with the training. This will help them focus on learning as much as they can.

6. Intrinsic Motivation 

Adults learn best when their motivation is intrinsic versus extrinsic. Intrinsic motivators might be learning about something that makes them feel better about themselves or will give them more opportunities to grow professionally. Internal motivators have more long-term motivational power. An instructional designer should provide rich content that actually promotes learning and not just compliance (for example, competency based learning in order to retain one's job).

Opinions On the Strengths and Limitations of Andragogy

Understanding andragogy and it's similarities and differences to pedagogy are important. I come from a heavy background in pedagogy and I have to remind myself that adult learners learn differently. Andragogy helps me better define and consider the different motivators for adult learners.  Adults often have a lot of things pressing on their time (family, jobs, personal life, etc.). Instructional design needs to honor adults' time by making learning relevant and meaningful , but also efficient. No one wants to feel like a learning experience is a complete waste of time. In that case, learners will leave the content in favor of attending to the other things that need their time and attention. Children often aren't worried about how learning a certain concept fits into the big picture of their learning trajectory. Adults, however, need to know why this learning is necessary. It's important for me to think about making purposes and objectives clear to adult learners and then ensuring the learning activities directly connect to those purposes and objectives. 

On the other hand, a limitation to adult learning is that sometimes adults fear not knowing something. They may worry that they will be seen as ignorant or incapable. Sometimes past learned-helplessness has tampered with one's ability to learn new concepts or ideas.  I have see this a lot in coaching and providing professional development to math teachers across grades K-12. When a teacher (especially in the K-5 grades) perceives themselves as "not good at math," they enter a math-based learning experience with the mindset that they may fail the course or won't be able to understand everything being taught. They become intimidated and guarded based on negative past experiences. To combat this, instructional design has to thoughtfully provide varying levels of engagement and choice so that any learner can feel like the content is accessible, enjoyable, and useful. If the content is too heavy-handed for a particular audience, the adult learner may shut down and abandon the learning which defeats the purpose of providing a learning experience. When the learner feels that there are less intimidating choices, they are more likely to proceed with the learning. The challenge is anticipating what choices need to be offered for a wide range of comfort zones.

Past Learning Experiences

Formal

One of my favorite formal learning experiences was obtaining my Master's degree from San Diego State University in Curriculum and Instruction for Mathematics, K-8. I had the benefit of learning from some of the best professors in mathematics education. One such professor, Dr. Randy Phillip, always posed really interesting questions at the beginning of class then used a constructivist method of learning to help us realize the answers through peer collaboration and large group discussion. I always found that his 3-hour classes seemed to go by quickly and I was exhausted afterwards because the content was so thought-provoking and highly engaged my intellect for the entire time. Because he put us through experiences rather than just imparting knowledge and content, and the experiences related closely to the readings we did outside of class, I found that I have been able to apply as well as cite information and techniques that stuck with me, even 20 years later. I was always motivated to attend his classes because I always was curious about what we were going to experience next and eager to learn from him. To me, this is very successful learning. 

Informal

This experience might seem to fall more into "non-formal" but the informal learning that occurred happened to be a residual effect of the situation.

I taught for 4 summers on the Navajo reservation in Monument Valley, UT. The program, 'Ndahoo'aah, was meant to connect Navajo children to their culture and language, as well as 21st century learning. The children met daily with a Navajo elder and learned a native art such as basket weaving, rug weaving, cinch belt weaving, and bead work while only speaking to the teachers (elders) in Navajo. They also met daily with a math/computer teacher (like me) who provided instruction in English around how to digitally replicate their native art using GeoLogo and basic geometry and computer programming skills. 

Through this program, I learned how to weave a rug from a Navajo elder. This task was incredibly challenging, but made even more so by the fact that the Navajo elder only spoke Navajo and I only spoke English. The language barrier was challenging for me to navigate as a novice rug weaving student. My informal learning occurred when I reflected later on how it felt to be the student who did not speak the dominant language in the classroom. I was often uncomfortable because I was so worried I would make a mistake. I was worried I wasn't following the instructions correctly. I was worried that I would upset the teacher without realizing it. All of these feelings and fears are similar to what children feel when they enter a classroom in the United States and speak very little or no English. This informal learning experience dramatically shaped the way I approached instruction with my students who were learning English. Although I successfully completed my rug over the course of 4 weeks (and more than 60 hours of weaving), the most successful learning I had was truly understanding what it meant to be a learner in a classroom where the dominant language was not the same as my native language. I was also the only Caucasian person in the weaving classroom which caused me to reflect on the ways that the elder made me feel welcome and valued as a learner alongside the children. I wondered if I made all my students feel comfortable and valued as learners in my classroom too. 

Why it was memorable

My informal learning was tremendously memorable and valuable because it shaped my approach to teaching. This was my first REAL experience (not textbook or theoretical) with understanding the DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) approach to teaching and learning. I always understood that DEI is important but had never really internalized and FELT why and how it was important until this experience. This was not task-oriented but rather experience-oriented and something I will never forget.

How Key Aspects of Adult Learning Theory Played a Role in My Experience

This was a rich learning experience that had direct, relevant implications for my classroom teaching. I learned through the mistakes and fears that I had while in the weaving classroom. I reflected on my discomfort and sought to understand why I was uncomfortable at times and why I was comfortable at other times. I was motivated to immediately apply my learning from this experience to my classroom teaching. Whenever I taught students who were new to the US and spoke very little English, I understood exactly why they were quiet. I understood exactly why they hesitated to show me their work. I understood why they sought out other students who spoke the same native language instead of trying to fumble through English words. I worked to find ways to lower the affective filter in my classrooms so that students could attend to learning, not because my ESL teaching textbooks had said so, but because I knew how it felt when the affective filter was high. 

This experience was directly connected to the following adult learning principles:

• Principle 1 (A Need to Know)- I was self-directed in the need to understand what it meant to be a learner who did not speak the dominant language in the classroom.

• Principle 4 (Readiness)- I was oriented to this learning because of the direct applications to my classroom teaching experience.

• Principle 6 (Intrinsic Motivation)- I did not necessarily seek out learning what it meant to be a student in a classroom where I did not speak the dominant language. However, I was motivated to research and repeat the experience in future years teaching on the reservation because I found the learning to be so powerful and relevant. There was no tangible reward for doing so. I knew that what I had learned could make my classroom a better place for all learners and that was important to me.

One Principal of Adult Learning Theory and It's Influence On My Future Designs

Principle 4 – Readiness ● "How will I connect the content to immediate real life problems and needs (or better yet, facilitate students making that connection)?"

This principle is apparent in both my formal and informal learning experiences detailed above. Learning must connect the "how" and the "why" for learners. In my experiences, I was able to connect the "how" and "why" in Dr. Phillip's class to become a stronger math teacher. In my informal experience, I was able to connect the "how" and "why" to become a better teacher of students who are learning English while still teaching math content. These were powerful learning experiences for me and I should be channeling them as I create instruction for adult learners. As I design tasks and simulations, or select professional readings, or select and sequence pathways and choices for learners, I should be asking myself what the design will do to connect learning to learners' realities in meaningful ways. If I cannot answer that question, I may need to rethink the instructional choices I am making. Instruction should always connect back to purposes and objectives that are crystal clear to learners.