Andragogy

Malcolm Knowles'Principals of Andragogy

6 Principles to help you engage and connect with the adult learner and how to put them to use today.

1. Experience; adults have valuable knowledge to draw upon, they use new information to build upon that knowledge. Respect their experience.
2. Self-Directedness; an adult learner does not want their learning to be micromanaged, they have the ability to manage their own learning.
3. Need to Know; the information you teach to adult learners must be valuable and useful to their lives now.
4. Readiness to Learn; maturity, timing, motivation all contribute to an adult's drive to learn and grow.
5. Orientation to Learning; Adult learners are problem solvers looking for real solutions to real problems.
6. Intrinsic Motivation; An adult chooses to engage in learning experiences for many reasons such as improving their quality of life, gain knowledge, or achieve a goal. Those reasons drive them, understanding their reasons can help you motivate them to learn.

Strategies to coach the adult learner

• Empathy and trust - a coach must engage with the adult learner in a manner that is not judgemental but develops a relationship of mutual respect.
• Provide a model that encourages self-awerness and applying learning in real life scenarios.

Andragogy vs pedagogyWhat's the difference?

Pedagogy = paidi (child) + ago (guide) Andragogy = andras (man) + ago (guide) (Pappas, 2015)

Adult learners have attained a level of maturity that allows them to find motivation inside themselves. They have a strong need to know why they are learning something and how it will apply to their real life. They are seeking to solve problems and achieve goals and want their learning opportunities to reflect that (Conaway & Zorn-Arnold, 2015).