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Andragogy
What andragogy means for distance education
December 15, 2005
By: Bob Whitehead
The way an adult learns is different from the way a child
learns -- this is the most basic principle behind the
educational theory known as andragogy.
The term means
man-lead as opposed to child-lead, which is the literal
meaning of the word pedagogy. These are two different
educational principles, and applying the former in a
distance education setting can make for more enriching
learning experience.
Malcolm Knowles brought popularity to the andragogical
approach in the 1970s. He boiled the theory down to four key
concepts:
- Adult learners are self-directed -- they want their
education to be relevant to their jobs and lives.
- Adult learners draw on life experiences in their
learning activities.
- The learning focuses on problem-solving.
- Adults in a classroom setting want to be involved in
their educational planning.
How does this relate to online learning? Generally, what
makes online learning a cost-effective approach to education
is the mass production of the learning material. Under an
andragogical approach, the learning materials would have to
be tailored more toward individual needs.
However, taking a purely andragogical approach to
distance learning would cause upheaval to the system. The
andragogical learning study titled "Andragogy
and University Distance Education" by Mark Bullen
suggests the empirical evidence of all adult learners
possessing the characteristics Knowles lays out isn't there.
Giving adults more choice in a distance education setting
-- a group of books to choose from to read, for instance --
makes the environment less pedagogical while at the same
time it doesn't require a massive restructuring. Individual
lessons and lower student to tutor ratio would change the
face of distance learning perhaps too dramatically, but
adding online experience-based discussions and debates can
fortify the experience.
About the Author
Bob Whitehead is a successful freelance writer and
contributor to Web-Conferencing-Zone.com. Your
definitive guide to web conferencing services, online
collaboration software and web meetings for business.
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