Teaching Adults: Is it Different?
Presented by:
Maryam Eskandarjouy
29/11/13
 What

is adult learning theory?
How is pedagogy different from androgogy?
 What
are the four principles of adult learning?
 How
to put these theories into practice?
Objectives
An adult learner is a socially accepted person
who is involved in any learning process.
Who is an Adult Learner?
Learning process can be any
of formal education,
informal education or
corporate-sponsored
education.
Learning Process
We Learn…
Why Adults Learn?
Malcolm Knowles (1978, 1990) is the theorist who
brought the concept of adult learning to the fore. He
determined the principles of androgogy.
What is Adult Learning Theory?
Pedagogy V/s Androgogy
Pedagogy
Andragogy
It is the method of teaching children.
It is the method of teaching adults
Learners are dependent.
Learners are independent.
Learners have less or no experience to
share, hence teaching becomes didactic.
Learners are experienced, hence teaching
involves, discussion, problem solving etc.
Learners learn whatever the curriculum
offers.
The content has to be modified according
to the learners’ need.
Teachers are required to direct the learner.
The learners are self-motivated. Learners
need teachers to guide them.
Learning is curriculum oriented.
Learning is goal oriented.
Pedagogy V/s Androgogy

Adults need to know why they need to learn
something.

Adults need to learn experientially.

Adults approach learning as problem-solving.

Adults learn best when the topic is of immediate
value.
Principles of Adult Learning
Learning should be:

Motivational

Experiential

Problem-solving

Of immediate value
Principles of Adult Learning
Learning should be motivational:


Learning should be meaningful.
The learner should be able to see the
end-result of any training program.
Example:
If I attend at this training
and perform better I’ll get
a hike in my salary
Motivational Learning
Scenario
You are working in ABC company. A
training program has been scheduled,
where you will be trained on MS-Word
Application. Let us see the reaction of
different employees who are short listed
to attend the training program.
Motivation Learning
They should
provide training
on Robo Help,
that’s what I
need to know to
be an efficient
technical writer.
Technical Writer
Looks like
another boring
training session!
Gosh, I don’t
need training in
MS-Word, any
how I use notepad
to scribble notes.
Programmer
This training
program won’t
help me much,
I’m quite
competent in MSOffice already!
Content Writer
Oh great! I can
brush up my MSWord knowledge in
this training
program.
Instructional Designer
Learning should be experiential:

Learners should be asked to learn by exploring

It is highly effective in corporate training

Learners learn by doing
Example:
A new application has been launched.
You need to familiarize with it. You
learn by exploring.
Experiential Learning
Learning should be:

Solving any problem drives learning

A problem is posed so that the students discover that
they need to learn something new before they can
solve the problem
Problem Solving
Problem Solving
Learning should be of immediate value:

The training program should have direct bearing
upon their job

The training program should be able to step-up the
job search process
Immediate Value
Scenario
Assume that you and your colleagues are part of a
training program, which involves receiving training on
typing lesson. Look at what some of the people in that
organization had to say.
Immediate Value
I think I
seriously need to
attend this
training session.
Quick typing will
make my work
much easier!
Typing lesson,
well sounds
great, anyway I
type like a
tortoise. I guess
this training will
help me hone my
typing skills.
Typing lesson,
well I don’t need
it, cause I don’t
have to type huge
articles or write
anything at all!
This is a complete
waste for me.

Lay down clear objectives of the course (need and
motivation)

Inform how they can make the most of training
(motivation/immediate value)

Just do not present learning materials but pose
problems so as to induce learning (problem-solving)
Utility of these Principles

Include assessment and provide immediate feedback

Offer reward or certificates after the successful
completion of the course (immediate value)

Give real life examples, simulation (experiential)

Use diagrams wherever needed
Utility of these Principles

Learning is a continuous process

Learning is motivation driven

We learn to keep up with the growing need of the
industry

We learn to compete

We learn better where we are asked to express our
experiences and prior knowledge
Warm-up
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/techn
lgy/te10lk12.htm
 http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Learning_Theories/Adu
lt_Learning_Theories
 http://www.fsu.edu/~adult-ed/jenny/learning.html
 http://www.edarticle.com/article.php?id=203

References
Thank You