Andragogy:  The Adult Learning Theory

By Paula Kovacs

“According to Malcolm Knowles, andragogy is the art and science of adult learning, thus andragogy refers to any form of adult learning” (Kearsley, 2010 in Pappas, 2013). In Knowles theory of Andragogy there are five assumptions about the characteristics of adult learners and there are four principles that are applied to adult learning.

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Five characteristics of adult learners:

1. Self-concept:  As a person matures his self concept moves from one of being a dependent personality toward one of being a self-directed human being
2. Experience: As a person matures he accumulates a growing reservoir of experience that becomes an increasing resource for learning.
3. Readiness to learn. As a person matures his readiness to learn becomes oriented increasingly to the developmental tasks of his social roles.
4. Orientation to learning. As a person matures his time perspective changes from one of postponed application of knowledge to immediacy of application, and accordingly his orientation toward learning shifts from one of subject-centeredness to one of problem centredness.
5. Motivation  to learn: As a person matures the motivation to learn is internal (Knowles 1984:12 in Smith, 2002).

Four principles that are applied to adult learning:   

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Family Tree

Andragogy aligns closely with constructivism. Through andragogy we can “understand how and why adult learners can experience a form of individual constructivism” (Chaves, 2008). Individual constructivism is the belief that “learners construct new ideas or concepts based upon their current/past knowledge” (Culatta, 2015). 

Application of Andragogy

“In a world of accelerating change, which we have now entered, the traditional way of learning, students passively listening to a teacher lecturing, is no longer appropriate. In this new kind of world, learning must be life-long and most of it must take place outside of classrooms, in real-life situations” (Malcolm Knowles, 1999 in Gagliardi, 2011).

Four steps in applying andragogy principles:

1. There is a need to explain the reasons specific things are being taught
2. instruction should be task-oriented instead of memorization -- learning activities should be in the context of common tasks to be performed by the others
3. Instruction  should take into account the wide range of different backgrounds of learners; learning materials and activities should allow for different levels/types
4. Since adults are self-directed, instruction should allow learners to discover things and knowledge for themselves (Pappas, 2013).

Teaching adult students:

• Make learning relevant
• Make learning engaging
• Make feedback meaningful
• Give choices when possible

The following is an example of the Adult Learning Theory.

Adult Education Lesson Plan

Name of Activity: Using a Graphic Organizer to Critically Observe Televised News Broadcasts

Students Participating; size of group: Individuals in small or large groups

Lesson Goal: Learners will successfully compare two TV news broadcasts using a Venn diagram.

Learning Objectives/Skills: The learners will be able to:

a) Attend to visual and oral information presented in two different televised news segments.

b) Monitor comprehension and adjust viewing strategies to gather information by use of a Venn diagram.

c) Analyze the accuracy, bias, and usefulness of the TV news segments through discussion with peers and teachers.

Environmental Adaptations, Time & Materials Needed:

The following activities can be adapted to different situations. Students can work individually or with partners. Feedback can be given from peers or from the instructor(s). The activities will take approximately 30-40 minutes depending on students. If video equipment is not available, the same exercise can be done with newspapers or articles in news magazines. The following materials will be needed: TV monitor with video player. A video taped recording of two broadcast news segments. For variety, try a local station and a national network. Paper and pencil Whiteboard Overhead projector. An overhead transparency of a blank Venn diagram. Individual copies of Venn diagram as a worksheet for each student

                  

Procedure/Description of the Activity:

Introduction: Discuss the value of observation and visual analysis as skills. Point out the  unconscious use of these skills in every day routines. Examples: compare the doneness of a  cooking dish, the color of water filter, the growth of a child. Tell the learners that they will be  learning to use a specific technique to visually organize their thoughts. They will learn to  compare items by graphically separating them into things that are the same and different. This  method is called a Venn diagram.       Explain that Venn diagrams are useful for helping children make comparisons too. For example their children are reading two books that can be analyzed using a Venn diagram.       Explain that a Venn diagram can be used in comparing other kinds of information. For example we can analyze news sources using this technique. Show learners the two previously videotaped news segments on the same topic. Encourage note taking and other current language arts strategies for remembering information. If necessary view the video segments again in order for learners to gather enough details to analyze and discuss their observations.        Guide the learners as they work in pairs to diagram the information from the news stories. Use questions regarding accuracy, bias, and usefulness of the information provided in order to prompt learner analysis of the content. For example: “Are the facts in both news stories the same? If not what are the differences?”  While learners are working on this activity, affirm vocabulary words that clearly distinguish similarities and differences. Instructors can also review and reinforce current language arts goals such as separating the main point from supporting details in expository writing or recognizing persuasive language by asking questions like: “What was the point of view of the reporter? How do you know?”      Then ask pairs to report the findings from their small group work. As they report, create a class Venn diagram on board or overhead. Provide guidance to keep the Venn diagram categories clearly distinct from one another. Continue to praise learners for focusing on characteristics that are alike and those that are different.

  Wrap-up: Discuss how separating information in this fashion helps us organize thoughts and make    decisions. Ask what new ideas occurred after viewing and sorting the information. Discuss how this  activity might influence the learners as they seek news information in the future. Praise the learners  for their ideas and accomplishments. Discuss other situations in which a Venn diagram might be  useful. Suggest that parents use this Venn diagram technique with their children after reading books  on similar topics (Pennsylvania State University, 2015).

Differences between pedagogy and andragogy:

Image by http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/05/awesome-chart-on-pedagogy-vs-andragogy.html

Relevant Resources

Northern Arizona University – Adult Learning Theory

Provides an overview of adult learning theory and the definition of Andragogy. Also includes a short video from the PC3 team focusing on Malcolm Knowles' theory of andragogy. https://sites.google.com/a/nau.edu/educationallearningtheories/adult-learning-theory-andragogy-by-barbara-miroballi

Journal of Extension - Training and the Needs of Adult Learners

http://www.joe.org/joe/2006december/tt5.php

Teaching Excellence in Adult Literacy – Adult Learning Theories

Provides information on how adults learn and how teachers can be more effective.

https://teal.ed.gov/sites/default/files/Fact-Sheets/11_%20TEAL_Adult_Learning_Theory.pdf

References

Chaves, C. A. (2008). Adult learners and the dialectical process:  A validating constructivist approach to learning transfer and application. Retrieved from http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1066&context=ojwed

Culatta, R. (2015). Constructivist theory. Retrieved from http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/constructivist.html

Gagliardi, S. (2011). Malcolm Knowles. Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/a/nau.edu/learning-theories-etc547-spring-2011/theorist/malcolm-knowles

Pappas, C. (2013). The adult learning theory – andragogy – of Malcolm Knowles. Retrieved from https://elearningindustry.com/the-adult-learning-theory-andragogy-of-malcolm-knowles

Pennsylvania State University. (2015). Adult education lesson plan. Retrieved from  http://pabook2.libraries.psu.edu/familylit/LessonPlan/tree/lesson_plans/adult_education.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.