ANDRAGOGY

Andragogy is an adult learning theory that focuses on providing authentic and relevant learning experiences for adult learners. Adults are active participants in their learning process and are motivated to learn. Learning experiences are tailored to the adult learners specific needs whether they are completing professional development for their role as a teacher or learning Italian. Adult learners are motivated to learn so they can work on accomplishing their personal or professional goals.

The History of Andragogy

ALEXANDER KAPP (1833)

Alexander Kapp was a German High School teacher who is known to have been the first person to use the term andragogy which stands for adults leading.

EUGEN ROSENSTOCK-HUESSY (1925)

Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy was a historian and social philosopher. He was frustrated with the conditions of adult education after WWI where he felt that instead of providing educational opportunities that encouraged adult learners to think differently, the institutions had their own agendas they tried to impose on others. Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy developed the theory of adult education and believed that adult learners should be taught to open their minds so that they can see what is happening around them, make changes in their communities.

MALCOLM KNOWLES (1967)

Malcolm Knowles was an American educator that developed the theory of Andragogy which he focused on how adults learn by creating experiences that will allow them to be in control of their learning and guide themselves to accomplish a specific goal.

Knowles' 5 Assumptions Of Adult Learners

Malcolm Knowles believed that adult learners were unique in the way they learned compared to children. Knowles believed that adult learners have specific characteristics when it comes to how they learn and created the following five assumptions:

Self-Concept: Adults are capable of being independent learners.

Adult Learner Experience: Personal life experiences are valuable and can be used as stepping stones for learning to grow on their experiences to make connections.

Readiness to Learn: Adults are eager to learn especially when the learning is relevant to their current interests or professional roles.

Orientation to Learning: Adult learners are active learners when they are needing to find the solution to specific problems that are relevant to either their personal or professional lives.

Motivation to Learn: Adult learners are self motivated because they understand the importance of being able to gain new skills that will benefit them long term.

Knowles' 6 Principles of Andragogy

The 5 assumptions of adult learners are defined further through the 6 Principles of Andragogy which help understand how to design learning that is effective for adult learners. The 6 Princples of Andragogy are:

Need to Know: Adult learners need to know the purpose of their learning, understand the why.

Experience: The prior knowledge and personal experience that the adult learner has is used to connect with the material being taught.

Self-Concept: Adult learners are in control of their learning.

Readiness: Learning connects to real-life problems that help the adult learner stay motivated.

Problem Orientation: The content that is being taught can be used by the adult learner to solve a specific problem.

Intrinsic Motivation: Adult leaners are motivated by knowing that they will accomplish something that will be beneficial to them, don't require external motivators such as stickers to want to learn.

Implications of Andragogy for Instructional Design

Training modules are tailored specifically towards a specific purpose, whether it is for their corporate job or for a personal goal they want to accomplish.
The learning modules that are created can be created in a variety of formats that make it easy for adult learners to access whether it is an online, asynchronous module or an interactive group training that can be done virtually or in person.
Being able to provide feedback throughout the learning module so that they adult learner gets instant feedback and can use that to improve or maintain their confidence that they are on the right track with that they are learning.

Strengths and Limitations of Andragogy in Government/Military

Strengths

Active duty service members need to be able to take initiative when it comes to their learning, especially when it comes to specific topics which Andragogy is helpful when creating learning experiences that will give service members autonomy and relevant learning experiences.
Learning modules are centered towards solving a specific problem that is important in the military and will encourage service members to stay motivated, pay attention.

Limitations

Newly enlisted servicemembers that don't have a lot of life experience may struggle with not having the prior knowledge needed for certain trainings.
With how structured the military can be, leadership may not want soldiers to complete trainings that are self-directed, instead want a more structured approach.

Prior Learning Experience and PLN Influence

When I was 20 I got a job as Patient Observation Technician for the Telemetry department at my local hospital. I had prior experience working as a Certified Nursing Assistant for 3 years dealing with patients in a hospital and outpatient setting but I was interested in this new role because it involved new technology that was being implemented called the Telesitter. This new technology was being implemented to help monitor patients remotely in the hospital and also in other locations to prevent falls, watch for seizures, redirect patients to help decrease the costs of in-person sitters and have one person watch up to 16 patients remotely.

During my training I got the opportunity to look at the Telesitter which is a tall pole that has a 360, infrared camera attached to it. They instructed us to explore the parts of it so we understood what significance each part had and we were provided with an accompanying packet that we could write down each function. We also got to practice moving the camera around, exploring the buttons of the program to understand what they were used for and how they sounded so we would know what to expect when they were being used in a patient's room. The training lasted for a week and then we went live with the Telesitter program.

This training was memorable and related to Andragogy because I had a motivation to learn because this was relevant to my new role as a Patient Observation Technician and I wanted to make sure that I understood how to use this machine properly so that I could provide quality care to the patients and assist the staff. My prior knowledge/experience of being a Nursing Assistant helped me make connections to what I needed to be looking for in these particular patients that had a variety of things that needed to be observed and documented. Being able to actually look at the Telesitter in person and manipulate the online program made the learning stick and I was able to transition to actually having a live patient easily. I ended up doing that role for 6 years and became a pro, the one that would actually train all the new hires.

5-Tips-to-Maximize-Use-of-the-TeleSitter-Solution-1.jpg

PLN Influence

I personally have a preference for formal education due to how structured it is and that there is something that I am working towards whether it is a certification or a degree. I enjoy having a schedule to follow, having things broken down into manageable chunks so that it has an order and isn't overwhelming. Being able to have meaningful resources to study to better my knowledge on a specific subject is helpful so that I can look at reliable sources to gain a better understanding.

When it comes to my PLN of Julie Dirksen and Tim Slade and my preference of formal education I want to seek out experiences that will allow me to gain more knowledge of instructional design by signing up for any seminars that are coming up that I can attend virtually or in person. I like that both have structured programs such as modules, videos and templates that I can use. They discuss different topics that can help instructional designers when it comes to creating engaging work for adult learners. I also want to read the recommended books and do the tutorials myself to be able to have a better understanding of topics related to instructional design. Also connecting with others in the instructional design community to get feedback and recommendations will be important.

References

Andragogy overview. (n.d.). https://leocontent.umgc.edu/content/umuc/tgs/ldtc/ldtc600/2252/unit-6/andragogy-overview.html?ou=1279899
Applying andragogy to instructional design. (n.d.). https://leocontent.umgc.edu/content/umuc/tgs/ldtc/ldtc600/2252/unit-6/applying-andragogy-to-instructional-design.html?ou=1279899
Carl, S. (2019, September 20). Types of education: formal, informal & non-formal. Passion in Education. https://www.passionineducation.com/types-of-education-formal-informal-non-formal/
Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy Fund. (2015, June 19). ANDRAGOGY - 1925 - Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy Fund. https://www.erhfund.org/online-article/andragogy-1925/
Five assumptions and six principles of andragogy. (n.d.-a). https://leocontent.umgc.edu/content/umuc/tgs/ldtc/ldtc600/2252/unit-6/five-assumptions-and-six-principles-of-andragogy.html?ou=1279899
Five assumptions and six principles of andragogy. (n.d.-b). https://leocontent.umgc.edu/content/umuc/tgs/ldtc/ldtc600/2252/unit-6/five-assumptions-and-six-principles-of-andragogy.html?ou=1279899
Formal vs. Informal vs. Non-Formal Learning. (n.d.). https://leocontent.umgc.edu/content/umuc/tgs/ldtc/ldtc600/2252/unit-6/formal-vs-informal-vs-non-formal-learning.html?ou=1279899
Institute for the Professional Development of Adult Educators, Yopp, A., Ludwig, R., Rall, J., Serrano, T., & Bush, B. (2021). The “Super Six” Principles of Andragogy: Take Your Program from Good to Great. In Institute for the Professional Development of Adult Educators (p. 1). https://www.floridaipdae.org/dfiles/resources/webinars/033022/Webinar_Handbook_033022.pdf
Kurt, S. (2020, July 11). Andragogy theory - Malcolm Knowles - Educational Technology. Educational Technology. https://educationaltechnology.net/andragogy-theory-malcolm-knowles/
Pappas, C. (2023, September 8). The Adult Learning Theory - Andragogy - of Malcolm Knowles. eLearning Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/the-adult-learning-theory-andragogy-of-malcolm-knowles
The NaTioNal iNsTiTuTe for sTaff aNd orgaNizaTioNal developmeNT (Nisod). (2007). 30 THINGS WE KNOW FOR SURE ABOUT ADULT LEARNING: Vol. XXIX–XXIX (Innovation Abstracts No. 4) [Print]. The University of Texas at Austin. https://docs.bartonccc.edu/faculty/nisod/XXIX_4.pdf
Thompson, P. (2019, August 15). 5.1 Andragogy. Pressbooks. https://open.library.okstate.edu/foundationsofeducationaltechnology/chapter/1-andragogy/
Trest, J. (2024, November 19). Adult Learning Strategies: Key features to incorporate. Inspired eLearning. https://inspiredelearning.com/blog/adult-learning-strategies/
Wil. (2024, February 2). Six Principles of Andragogy – Malcolm Knowles. Brilliant Learning Systems. https://brilliantlearningsystems.com/six-principles-of-andragogy-malcolm-knowles/