‘Education is not preparation for
life; education is life itself.’
home
(John Dewey)
younger
Hmmm….learning
experiences……
older
passive vs. active learning
*pedagogy
the art, science or profession of teaching; especially education
*andragogy
the art and science of teaching adults
*Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com
In 1926, the American Association for Adult Education began and quickly started researching
better ways to educate adults. Influenced by Dewey, Eduard C. Lindeman wrote in The Meaning
of Adult Education:
Our academic system has grown in reverse order.
Subjects and teachers constitute the starting
point, [learners] are secondary. In conventional
education the [learner] is required to adjust
himself to an established curriculum....Too much
of learning consists of vicarious substitution of
someone else's experience and knowledge.
Psychology teaches us that we learn what we
do....Experience is the adult learner's living
textbook.
four assumptions about adults as learners
Adults tend to be more self-directed as a result of their
maturity.
Adults possess personal histories which defines their
identities and serve as a resource of experiential learning
upon which new learning can be applied.
Malcolm Knowles
1913 - 1997
Motivation in adults is directed to more socially relevant
learning.
Adult learners have interest in immediate application for
problem-solving.
Pedagogy
Andragogy
‘play’ vs. ‘work’
The Learner
The learner is dependent upon the
instructor for all learning
The teacher/instructor assumes full
responsibility for what is taught and
how it is learned
The teacher/instructor evaluates
learning
self-directed
responsible for his/her own learning
Self-evaluation is characteristic of
this approach
Role of the Learner’s Experience
The learner comes to the activity
with little experience that could be
tapped as a resource for learning
The experience of the instructor is
most influential
The learner brings a greater volume
and quality of experience
Adults are a rich resource for one
another
Different experiences assure
diversity in groups of adults
Experience becomes the source of
self-identify
active vs. passive learning
Readiness to Learn
Pedagogy Andragogy
Students are told what they have to
learn in order to advance to the next
level of mastery
Any change is likely to trigger a
readiness to learn
The need to know in order to
perform more effectively in some
aspect of one’s life is important
Ability to assess gaps between where
one is now and where one wants and
needs to be
Orientation to Learning
Learning is a process of acquiring
prescribed subject matter
Content units are sequenced
according to the logic of the subject
matter
Learners want to perform a task,
solve a problem, live in a more
satisfying way
Learning must have relevance to
real-life tasks
Learning is organized around
life/work situations rather than
subject matter units
Pedagogy
Andragogy
Motivation for Learning
Primarily motivated by external
pressures, competition for grades,
and the consequences of failure
Internal motivators: self-esteem,
recognition, better quality of life,
self-confidence, self-actualization
Adults are internally motivated*
Adults have specific reasons for
engaging*
Adults bring life experience to their
learning activities
well designed LMS
(Learning Management System)
Three basic components to any course site
INFORMAT ION
Make information (content) available to students
COMMUNICATION
Provide communication channels for students and
instructors to share information and provide feedback
ASSESSMENT
Provide assessment tool(s) for evaluation
How can we accommodate the demands, limitations
and requirements of adults and their multiple
personal/social/professional commitments?
How can we leverage the unique skills, talents and
experiences adults bring to the classroom?
How does an andragogical perspective change the
traditional role of ‘teacher’?
“youth is wasted on the young” G.B. Shaw
How can we accommodate the demands, limitations
and requirements of adults and their multiple
personal/social/professional commitments?
Full-time job
Responsibility for family/children
Synchronous or asynchronous?
Course materials available from multiple channels? (streaming, RSS, wiki/blog sites)
Flexibility when setting deadlines for assignments (what are deadlines for?)
Alternatives for project completion
Learning contracts
Online assessments (realistic tests: identify explicit knowledge requirements—
practice tests—lists-recorded test reviews)
How can we leverage the unique skills, talents and
experiences adults bring to the classroom?
student-led discussions
group projects
learning contracts
How does an andragogical perspective change the
traditional role of ‘teacher’?
Instructor functions as guide and active participant in learning process
Don’t teach students content ; teach students how to find and use
content to achieve their learning goals
Information is no longer difficult to access; the challenge now is to help students
develop independent learning skills
Learning Contracts
learning goal(s)
learning resources and strategies
target date for completion
evidence of accomplishment of objective(s)
criteria and means for validating evidence
Three basic components to any course site
INFORMAT ION
Make information (content) available to students
27/7; multiple sources; mobile apps
COMMUNICATION
Provide communication channels for students and
instructors to share information and provide feedback
Collaboration: student-student; student-teacher; studentother resources. Make sure communication functions to
achieve student learning goals
ASSESSMENT
Provide assessment tool(s) for evaluation
Online testing; portfolios, projects authentic assessment;
assessments that measure student-identified learning objectives
So, how do we design courses that maximize these concepts?
Access to course content
synchronous or asynchronous ?
Documents, media, presentations available online ? RSS?
Choosing content-allow
students the freedom to
pursue information that is
of interest to them
Interaction /collaboration with instructors and peers
Have students define areas of interest
Have students lead discussions
assessment
Self/peer evaluation
Learning Contracts
Learning is enhanced when it is immediately
applicable to real-life contexts