Andragogy vs Pedagogy

WED 486Theory and Practice of Adult EducationJulie NeunerMay 19, 2012

Andragogy is the art and science of teaching adults

Pedagogy is the art and science of teaching children

History of Pedagogy• Pedagogy evolved in monastic

schools of Europe between 7th & 12th centuries.

• Pedagogy spread in North America in the 18th & 19th centuries as elementary schools evolved.

• Most dominant and widespread method of instruction.

History of Andragogy• First introduced in the U.S. in 1927,

but didn’t take root until the 1960’s

• Malcolm Knowles (1913-1977) is credited with the spread of the theory in the U.S.

• Heavily debated by educational researchers as to whether or not it is an educational theory or model of assumptions about learning.

The LearnerPedagogy Andragogy

• Dependent on instructor for all learning

• Teacher is responsible for what is taught and how it is learned

• Teacher evaluates the learning

• Learner is self-directed

• Learner is responsible for his or her learning

• Self-evaluation is characteristic of this approach

The Learner’s ExperiencePedagogy Andragogy

• Learner has little experience with the subject

• Experience of the teacher is predominant in learning experience

• Teacher plans & organizes what is taught

• Learner brings life experience that helps shape and guide the instruction

• Adults are rich resources for one another

• Different experiences assure diversity in groups of adults

Orientation to LearningPedagogy Andragogy

• Standards based

• Learning is a process of acquiring prescribed subject matter

• Content units are sequenced to logic of subject matter

• Learners perform tasks, solve problems

• Learning must be relevant to real-life tasks

• Learning is organized around life/work situations rather than subject matter units

Motivation for LearningPedagogy Andragogy

• Students are told what they must learn in order to advance

• Motivated by external pressures

• Competition for grades

• Consequences of failure

• Change triggers motivation to learn

• Improved quality of life

• Self-confidence & Goal oriented

• Intrinsic motivators

Six Key Principles

Debate• More of conceptual framework or model

of assumptions about learning than a theory.

• Different philosophical views on whether or not a different set of teaching practices is needed for adults & children

• Some view pedagogy/andragogy as interchangeable for children & adults

• Not all adults are naturally self-directed & some children have richer life experiences than some adults

Research • At the turn of 20th century educational

psychologists began studying learning most learning was focused on children

• Pedagogical model became dominant method of instruction

• More adult learners caused problems to arise and need for andragogical model evolved

• Very little research has been done on andragogy

• Knowles work has provided educators of adults with a rubric to better understand adult learners

Websites worth viewing:

• http://ged578.pbworks.com/w/page/39340105/Andragogy

• Moving from pedagogy to andragogy

http://www-distance.syr.edu/andraggy.html

• Pedagogy vs. andragogy: A false dichotomy? http://www.scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JOTS/Summer-Fall-2000/holmes.html

• Pedagogy vs. andragogy

http://www.floridatechnet.org/inservice/abe/abestudent/andravsped.pdf