Andragogy

Question 1

Slide: Andragogy

(Intro to Module)

Answer 1

Thanks, David. Our first major module for this training is going to consist of a walk through and discussion of the concept of andragogy together. We are going to

1) start by defining our terms
2) cover some of the history of the theory,
3) give an overview of the concepts in the theory
4) along the way, we’ll discuss some applications to tutoring as well

But before we launch right in…

Question 2

Slide: Andragogy: What do we know?

(Intro to KWL exercise)

Answer 2

I’m going to ask you to turn to the KWL worksheet in you packet, which we’ll use for different exercises in this class. These are called KWL exercises, and they are actually great for using with students in tutoring sessions if you have the time.

The idea is to write down both what you already know about a concept and what you would like to learn; then, after reviewing the material, jot down a quick recap of what you did learn.

Question 3

KW Exercise: Andragogy

Answer 3

For the first of the three terms on the worksheet, that is andragogy, I’ll give a few minutes for you to jot down both what you believe you already know about this concept (it’s okay if you are totally unfamiliar, just write that…). Then in the same row, 2nd column, write down what you would like to learn about andragogy, from what it is down to nitty-gritty details that you might be curious about. So we’ll take about 5 minutes for that now…

Question 4

Slide: Andragogy: What it is (and What it isn’t)

Answer 4

So now that we’ve had a chance to do some preliminary reflection, we’ll turn to the andragogy worksheet in the packet (should be the very next doc). Please feel free to fill in the blanks and complete the short answer questions as we move through this module together.

Question 5

Andragogy Definition Brainstorm

Answer 5

As with any discussion grounded in theory, we’ll want to begin by defining our key terms, not the least of which is andragogy itself.

So what is andragogy? Any guesses? (write ideas on whiteboard)

Question 6

Andragogy Defined

Answer 6

There is more than one definition of andragogy in the field of educational research, but for our purposes, we’ll define it very simply as:

The theory and practice of teaching adults.

The term has its origins in the Greek word “Andragogos”, meaning “Leader of Men”.

Interestingly this term does not go back to ancient Greece, but more on that in a moment.

Also, the root of the term refers to men, but we are referring to all adults when we use it. Maybe in the future, it will be a term that is more inclusive, like “eniligogy”, from the root “enilikas”, which means simply “adult” in Greek. But for now, “andragogy” is the term educators are stuck with.

Question 7

Pedagogy: Term Introduced

Answer 7

A similar Greek word, meaning “the Leader of Children”, provides the basis for our next key term: “Pedagogy”. Fun fact: in ancient Athens, the “Paidagogos” was typically a well-educated enslaved person who was kept to educate the children of wealthy families. You see, even from the beginning, educators have been poorly compensated…

Question 8

Pedagogy: Term Defined

Answer 8

Pedagogy, or the “theory and practice of teaching children”, eventually evolved to be the term western peoples used to refer to the science of teaching in general, as the teaching of children was the sole focus of philosophers of education for centuries.

Question 9

Andragogy is NOT Pedagogy Discussion

Why we focus on comparing the two in this course…

Answer 9

But it’s critical for us to note that andragogy (the practice of teaching adult learners) and pedagogy (the practice of teaching child learners) are very much NOT the same. For us as tutors in a community of adult learners, its critical for us to compare these theories so that we can use that comparison to better understand the needs of the learner demographic we serve.

So let’s embark on that comparison. Can anyone think of any significant differences in how adults and children approach learning?

(write distinct answers in table on whiteboard)

Question 10

Affirmation of ideas & The sources of key differences

Answer 10

All great thinking! This is a smart group, because not only have you all hit on many of the basic differences in these realms of education, but you’ve also identified some of the major reasons for them, from differences in psychology, adult to child, to differences of circumstance and societal expectations.

Question 11

There are basically 4 major categories of difference one might use as a general framework for comparing pedagogy on the one hand and andragogy on the other:

1) Pedagogy is more subject-centric but andragogy offers more student centric lessons

Answer 11

Focusing mostly on the subject matter of a discipline for a child learner can be effective, as they tend to require less engagement with ultra-specific learning needs that humans tend to develop over a whole lifetime.

However, adults learn best if their long-established needs as students are factored into the presentation of lessons.

Question 12

2) Then we have knowledge transfer, typical of pedagogy, vs. knowledge sharing, more characteristic of andragogy

Answer 12

Child learners often see themselves as sponges in education, sopping up information that instructors, whom they assume to be “in the know”, present in a “deposit” of knowledge

Adult learners much prefer to have learning be a journey of mutual discovery, on which they embark as peers with instructors and tutors. This provides them with a sense of autonomy (self-involvement) and agency (control over educational methods) in the process.

Question 13

3) Then there is the key difference that pedagogy tends to be more authoritative, while andragogy can afford to be more collaborative.

Answer 13

Child learners are often more comfortable if adult instructors present information with final authority, as they are used to looking to authority figures for initiation into core concepts in their young quest to make sense of the world.

By contrast, adult learners already have long-established exposure to core concepts shared across society, so there is much more mutual common ground for discussion with educators. If higher educators fail to collaborate with adult learners in their educational journey, and try to dictate instead, they will come across as condescending, infantilizing students and they will risk losing student engagement.

Question 14

4) Finally, there is the critical difference that pedagogy usually uses more formal assessment methods, whereas andragogy relies on a mutual and less formal assessment of a student’s progress with material

Answer 14

Child learners are not expected to assess their own learning styles and progress; they are expected to rely on the formal assessment of their progress through grades and teacher to parent feedback. They are often removed from the assessment check-in process altogether.

On the other hand, adult learners check their own progress as much as instructors do, assessing their own skill and knowledge level with feedback from co-equals in an ongoing, mutual exchange….

Question 15

Slide: Andragogy: Brief History of the Theory

Answer 15

So when did educators start thinking about differences in how to practice teaching from child to adult learners?

Well, for hundreds of years, pedagogy was the only term used to refer the science of teaching in general, largely because philosophers of education didn’t consider learning to be a truly ongoing process after the transition from childhood.

Question 16

Alexander Kapp

Answer 16

But then, in the 1830s Alexander Kapp, a German grammar school teacher and education theorist, coined the term “andragogy”. He was mostly concerned with how best to teach children. But he was the first to frame his approach to that question with a comparison to how adults learn.

His discussion of adult learning didn’t get very far, but he was the first to suggest that adults continue their education well beyond their transition from childhood. He argued that adult learners keep learning from three sources throughout life:

1) instructors/mentors
2) self-reflection
3) life experience

Kapp never went into much detail on these points, at least not to the extent that he ever developed a proper “theory of andragogy”

Question 17

Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy

Answer 17

It wasn’t until the 1920s that Kapp’s term “Andragogy” even gained any traction in education theory, with its next major use being in the work of German sociologist Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy.

Rosenstock-Huessy offered some thoughts on the nature of learning as a social phenomenon, insisting that in modern society, it can be thought of as a shared experience of mutual discovery between people trying to solve communal problems. He also argued that a learner’s background and personal history/experience were major sources of data as different learners try to gain knowledge about the world.

Question 18

Malcolm Knowles

Answer 18

Of course, none of this was fleshed out in any systematic theory until education researcher Malcolm Knowles, in the 1960s, articulated his famous “6 Assumptions of Adult Learners”

Question 19

Slide: Adult Learning Theory: Knowles’ Six Assumptions

Answer 19

Knowles’ Theory really is the first significant analysis of the unique attributes of adult students, so we are now going to devote some time to watching a video, specifically covering each assumption. As we do, you’ll want to go ahead and fill out the bottom half of the andragogy worksheet. Afterward, we discuss together to see how clear the concepts in the video were for everyone.

[Play video]

Question 20

Knowles’ Six Assumptions Discussion Intro

Answer 20

So now that we’ve seen the video, let’s take Knowles’ assumptions one at a time and discuss how each may affect how we interact with adult learners in the tutoring context…

The first of Knowles’ assumptions was, of course, the adult learner’s Need to Know…

What was Knowles’ assumption on that point?

Question 21

The Need to Know

Answer 21

Yes, great!

Essentially, the need-to-know assumption answers the question: Does it matter to me as a learner to know why the material I’m being taught is important?

Child learners would typically answer: “No.” They tend to trust that those teaching know why this will be vital knowledge as they grow older.

Adult learners would typically answer: “Yes.” They must know why each concept is important in the context of the whole subject, and how the subject is relevant to to their life goals.

Question 22

Explanation of the Need to Know

Answer 22

It is often very telling when teenagers begin to question why their class material is relevant as in, “When will I ever use the quadratic formula?” It shows that they are in a state of transition to the adult-learning “need to know”

Question 23

What are some ways that we as tutors can recognize and cater to our adult learners’ highly developed need to know? Ideas?

Answer 23

All good examples!

Ultimately, we respect our students’ need to know when we try to show how concepts build on one another, and are connected, both to each other and to the life experience of our students.

It might be as simple as pointing out to a calculus student how the difference quotient was so important in algebra because it has direct application to calculus. It might be asking a business student who is brainstorming an essay to think about how the writing prompt applies to their future goals in the business world.

Question 24

How about Self-concept?

Answer 24

What did Knowles assume about the way adults perceive themselves in their role as learners?

Question 25

Self-Concept

Answer 25

Ultimately, the assumption of self-concept answers the question: “How responsible am I for directing my own learning?”

Child learners might answer: “Well, I have to do the classwork, but at the end of the day, I am dependent on my teacher’s ability to instruct me. Without VERY detailed guidance, step-by-step, I will be easily confused.”

Adult learners would be more likely to argue: “Others can guide me, but ultimately, how much I understand/retain is a function of my independent effort, focus, and engagement with material.”

Question 26

Self-Concept Explanation

Answer 26

Adult learners, in reality, show varying states of dependency, but “spoon feeding” answers to them will risk demoralizing them, due to the self-concept they carry as independent learners.

Question 27

How can we, as tutors, cater to that independent self-concept in adult learners we work with?

Answer 27

Good thinking!

We should be trying to structure activities that allow for independent or “self-directed” work. In the tutoring context, that can mean walking away for a time, giving adequate time for our students to answer questions, and providing good open-ended questions in the first place. We can also encourage collaboration in study groups, or ask students if they would be comfortable explaining to the whole study group, to empower them in the review process.

David will shortly give us guidance on the topic of Socratic questioning, which is a great way of respecting our students’ independent learner self-concept.

Question 28

Experience of Learner Intro Question

Answer 28

The third of Knowles’ assumptions has to do with a learner’s prior experiences. What was Knowles’ arguing with that assumption?

Question 29

The Experience of the Learner

Answer 29

Yes, fantastic!

This assumption answers the question: Do I have a robust bank of experiences from which to draw insights in my study process?

Again, child learners would almost all have to answer in the negative. They would acknowledge that they largely rely on the experiences of older people, to gather data about the world abstractly and by proxy.

Adult learners, by contrast, come into learning with a large bank of life experiences that will color their learning styles and how they synthesize facts.

Question 30

Explanation of the Experience of the Learner

Answer 30

The fact of adults’ robust life experience gives rise to another: that classrooms groups of child learners will likely be more homogenous, while groups of adult learners will likely be more heterogeneous.

This is because children as very alike in their relative lack of life experience. But adult learners having had many experiences different to the experiences of their classmates, will have more wildly different approaches to the discovery process.

Question 31

How then, can we cater to the adult-learner’s prior experience?

Answer 31

Yes, that’s right!

We can go out of our way as tutors, to practice individualization, getting to know each student, at least enough to probe their interests, struggles and learning styles. Ask what has worked for students in their quest to understand the material up to this point. Examples could include: “Does it usually help to have ideas in this class drawn out, visually? We could easily do some graphing together” or “How long do you feel comfortable working before you usually need a brain break? We can always take one between problems, as you feel it’s necessary…”

Question 32

How about the next assumption, the adult learners’ readiness to learn?

Answer 32

Very good!

This is one that personally feel is a bit glossed over in the video.

Question 33

The Readiness to Learn

Answer 33

Essentially, this assumption answers the question: “How does my development as a person up to this point impact how ready I am to tackle new material?”

The child learner would have to admit that their psychological/neurological development has a direct impact on their ability to grasp the fundamentals of a subject.

Most adult learners, on the other hand, are ready and eager to learn new concepts not as a result of their physical and mental development, but more as a result of their engagement with the material. One of the best ways to engage adult learners to show them how what their learning has direct relevance to their lives.

Question 34

How can we assist in inspiring our adult students’ readiness to learn when we are tutoring them?

Answer 34

Terrific ideas, all around!

In order to stimulate engagement and aid our students’ readiness to learn, we should both share our passion/engagement. This is another case where it helps to do everything we can to show the relevance of concepts we cover with students.

For example, if they are interested in becoming engineers, we can stress the importance/relevance of the algebra basics we are tutoring, and how they will continue to appear at every level of higher math they will eventually take in reaching their goal.

On the English side, we could explain the importance of solid organization of ideas in writing that goes into the job-hunt.

Question 35

What about the orientation to learning?

Answer 35

What did Knowles mean by that?

Question 36

Orientation to Learning

Answer 36

Yes! Great thinking!

This assumption speaks to the question: “What matters to me more, the mere content I am learning or how it can be applied for practical purposes?”

Child learners tend to be content-oriented. They trust that what they are being taught is worth knowing, largely for its own sake. They may benefit more from assessments that speak directly to how much they have understood/retained (quizzes, answer teacher’s questions, etc…)

Adult learners tend to be task-oriented instead. They have a deep desire to apply new knowledge to practical problems. They tend to benefit more from projects, case-studies, brainstorming sessions, participating in thought experiments, or in-class discussions/debates.

Question 37

How can we as tutors cater to the adult learner’s task-based orientation to learning?

Answer 37

Indeed!

We can work to provide micro-tasks/problems/challenges to students in our tutoring sessions.

Examples: A programming tutor could suggest that a student who is just learning about loops write a program that performs a simple search, for solid practice with those loops.

Or an English tutor could pose a hypothetical counterargument to claims made in an English paper, asking the student to consider the counter-claim and to brainstorm rebuttals.

Question 38

The final assumption of Knowles’ is the adult’s motivation to learn. What is that all about?

Answer 38

Exactly!

This one answers the question: What drives me to pursue the challenges in my educational journey?

Child learners would have to answer that they are mostly motivated by external/outside forces, like the wishes of parents/teachers/society.

Adult learners are far more internally motivated to learn, driven by internal forces, like their desire to succeed, to improve their livelihoods, to exercise their curiosity, and so on.

Question 39

How, finally, can we as tutors cater to adult learners’ internal motivations to learn?

Answer 39

Definitely!

We can start by individualizing with the student again. Ask them why they came to college, why they chose RRCC, why they are interested in their major. It will help shed light on the internal forces that drive them. That info can help us tailor our methods to each student.

If they say that they are motivated by a desire to earn a lucrative salary in the future, we could discuss the higher-paying applications of their subject of study with them.
“You know, there are often special incentives and bonuses for students who are multi-lingual, so someday you may be very glad you frequented this language lab as often as you do!”

If they say that they are motivated by a passion for some subdiscipline or topic in their intended field, we can try to give relevant examples of that subfield in action:

“So your dream is to design roller coasters? That’s awesome! You know, a lot of calculus goes into making those machines safe for humans to ride, analyzing curves/loops and their relationship to speed…”

Question 40

Slide: Andragogy vs. Pedagogy

Answer 40

Okay, wonderful discussion, all!

We are going to finish up this module now with a partner exercise. So go ahead and partner off, and together, the two of you will fill in the blanks on the table outlined on this worksheet I am handing out now.

For each category, jot down some things ways that pedagogy and andragogy are distinct in that specific context. We’ll take about 10 minutes for that now.

Question 41

Okay, everyone. Let’s come back together now.

Answer 41

Overall, I am very impressed with our level of intuition about what makes adult learning distinct from child learning. In this discussion, we’ve hit on some of the specific learner traits we can reasonably assume our population of students here at RRCC to have.

I’ll just conclude by letting you know that in order to complete the requirements for the course, you’ll want to complete the “L” portion of the KWL exercise for “andragogy”.

Question 42

Questions?

Answer 42

Does anyone have any questions or comments or other contributions about andragogical theory before we wrap this module up and take a break?

Okay, terrific discussion, everyone. Let’s take five, and then we’ll come back and David will guide us through the next module, on constructivism.