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Overview of Andragogy

Andragogy is the term coined by Malcolm Knowles to distinguish the principles and practices of teaching adults and to contrast it from the theories and practices utilized to teach children, pedagogy. This theory was founded on the assumptions he postulated about what supports adult learning and the subsequent principles for developing adult learning experiences.

 

The Assumptions are:

 

  1. Self-concept - Adult learners want to choose what they learn, when they want to learn it and how they will learn it.

  2. Experience - Adult learners have a wealth of life experience and thus can contribute significantly to learning experiences. It also means they may have some beliefs and experiences that can interfere of limit learning. Either way, this experience needs to be accounted for.

  3. Need to learn & readiness - How relevant something is to the learners current of future life circumstances and roles will influence readiness to learn.

  4. Problem centered - Adult learners like to see the immediate application of learning. Solving real and relevant problems enables this.

  5. Intrinsic motivation - Is a big driver of an adult’s motivation to learn. They learn because it fulfills some internal need or desire.

  6. Adult learners need to have an answer to the “why learn this” question, they need to know what’s in it for me?

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The Principles are:

 

  1. Involve learners in the planning & adaption of their instruction

  2. Leverage experience, including mistakes supports learning

  3. Ensure relevance of the material to their lives

  4. Integrate problem solving for relevant problems 

 

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My conclusion:

 

Andragogy, as proposed by Knowles, allows for the utilization of other learning theories: Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructionism, Connectivism and the learning approaches Project-based learning, Problem-based learning, Experiential learning and Gamification in the design and development of programs for adult learners.

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Application of Andragogy

Application of Andragogy to an Emotional Intelligence Course

 

Course Topic: Increasing your emotional intelligence to create more effective working relationships

 

Activity

 

I will create a survey to be used in part or in whole during the social media marketing or on-boarding pre-class activities for this Emotional Intelligence course. The survey might be used to get a better sense of the market for Emotional Intelligence, to assist potential learners in assessing their interest in the course and potentially to design different versions of the course based on what I discover about the profiles of interested learners.

 

The Survey will include questions regarding:

 

  • Knowledge about emotional intelligence as a concept and as an experience

  • Their experience dealing directly with strong emotions in themselves  

  • Their experience dealing directly with strong emotions in others

  • Their experience with positive and negative emotions

  • The problems they see with how they have handled emotions

  • The problems with how other people have handled emotions

  • The benefits they see in increasing emotional intelligence

  • Offer three learning options: the options may vary by depth, scheduling or in person and online.

           

Completing this survey will allow survey participants to answer the following questions which will establish a basis or not for them enrolling in the course and if enrolled for their engagement and ultimately success.

 

  1. Is this something that I am choosing to learn and what are the conditions I’ll like to do that learning?  

  2. What is my experience with this topic?  

  3. Is this relevant to my current life role and circumstances?  

  4. What problems could be addressed by this course?

  5. What is are their intrinsic motivation?

  6. Why they would learn this?  

References:

 

The Adult Learning Theory– Andragogy– Infographic.  Retrieved from https://elearninginfographics.com/adult-learning-theory-andragogy-infographic/?utm_campaign=elearningindustry.com&utm_source=%2F9-tips-apply-adult-learning-theory-to-elearning&utm_medium=link

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The Adult Learning Theory - Andragogy - of Malcolm Knowles. Retrieved from https://elearningindustry.com/the-adult-learning-theory-andragogy-of-malcolm-knowles

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Gutierrez, K. (2018, April 24) Adult Learning Theories Every Instructional Designer Must Know. Retrieved from https://www.shiftelearning.com/blog/adult-learning-theories-instructional-design

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