Andragogy Vs.

Pedagogy
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Andragogy Vs. Pedagogy

Ced’Rica Johnson

Grand Canyon University—TEC 544

11/08/2017
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Pedagogy Vs. Andragogy

Pedagogy Andragogy
*Art and science to help *Art and science to help adults
children learn learn

*Uses extrinsic items * Motivates self intrinsically

Such as stickers to be motivated *Learner-centered

*Teacher-centered *Brings an abundance to

experience that helps with the
*Brings limited experience to build learning experience.
upon

*Pedagogy and Andragogy are both arts and sciences of teaching*

The manner in which the instructional coach leads an adult student should be different

from how he or she leads a student who is a child. According to Malcolm Knowles, adult

learners can handle more indirect methods to learning. This student-centered approach would not

be age appropriate for child learners. Because I am matriculating through a master’s program, I

have experienced learning both as an adult and child and in traditional and online settings.

Transitioning from being considered a child learner to an adult learner was challenging at

first during my undergrad courses. Because I was considered an adult, the learning instantly

became my responsibility. I found myself doing research constantly to ensure I knew and

understood important concepts I needed to successfully pass the courses and eventually graduate.
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Malcolm Knowles said there are four (later turned into five) assumptions of the adult learner.

According to Smith, those five assumptions were:

1) Adults need to have a good understanding of how the information will be useful to them

before they engage in the learning process. Without this understanding, the adult may feel

that the concept serve no purpose in making them better and more successful overall.

2) Adults have a more self-concept than children do. They are more capable of taking on the

responsibility to gain the needed knowledge to succeed. This comes from the desire to be

seen as independent. Because of this, the instructional strategy used is more student-

centered than teacher centered.

3) Adult learners come to the educational environment having more experiences than

children. This experience makes learning much easier. The adult learners are able to

connect past knowledge and experiences with new knowledge to build stronger

understanding.

4) Adult learners have higher maturity levels and are ready to apply their learning to real-

world experiences, so they have a readiness to learn from the start.

5) Adult learners have both intrinsic and extrinsic motivators driving their motivation.

While extrinsic motivators such as higher salaries are used, adults mostly used intrinsic

motivators such the development of a higher self-esteem and a better quality of life are

used more often (Crawford, n.d.).

There are both advantages and disadvantages of the theory of andragogy. Having a

student-centered approach can be considered both an advantage and disadvantage. It is

advantageous to me because it allowed me to drive my learning experience. I was able to seek

more information about a topic and gain a stronger understanding of the material. However, this
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was also disadvantageous. Coming from a more teacher-centered approach in high school, I did

not immediately realize that it was my responsibility to seek more knowledge. Often times I felt

like I wasn’t given enough information in my courses by the instructors. It wasn’t until I got in

the swing of things that I realized the change.

Malcolm Knowles also developed a five step model that showed different forms of

activities of adult learners. Amongst those five steps are formulating learning needs and

choosing/implementing learning strategies that was most appropriate for the learner. This is

another advantage because it allows and promotes the learner to be reflective. The learner and

coach/instructor can conference and develop specific learning goals that are tailored to the

student. They can also do the same with the use of learning strategies.

With this newfound knowledge, I can better determine and use the best approach for my

student. I will use a more teacher-centered approach for children learners and a student-centered

approach with my adult learners. However, depending on the age of the students who are

children, I will begin to transition the learning from teacher-centered to student-centered. This

will prepare the students for adult education and have them to transition more smoothly.
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References

Crawford, S. (n.d). Andragogy: Malcolm Knowles. Retrieved from

http://academic.regis.edu/ed205/knowles.pdf

Smith, M. K. (2002). Malcolm Knowles, informal adult education, self-direction

and andragogy: The encyclopedia of informal education.

Retrieved from www.infed.org/thinkers/et-knowl.htm.