Pedagogy and Andragogy

Module Details

1. Subject Name Adult Education

2. Paper Name Teaching Techniques

3. Module Name Pedagogy and Andragogy

4. Module Number 6.4

5. Principal Investigator Prof. Vandana Chakrabarti, Director, Lifelong Learning & Extension, SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai

6. Paper Coordinator Dr. Asha Patil, Associate Professor, Department of Continuing & Adult Education & Extension, SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai

7. Content writer Dr. Rohini Sudhakar, Associate Professor. , Department of Continuing and Adult Education & Extension Work, SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai

8. Content Reviewer Dr. Asha Patil, Associate Professor, Department of Continuing & Adult Education & Extension, SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai

Content Outline

 Introduction  Objectives of the module  Pedagogy  Andragogy  Knowles’s five assumptions - Self-concept - Experience - Readiness to learn - Orientation - Motivation  Knowles’ concept of Learning - Set the climate - Planning - Need assessment

- Frame the objectives - Learning experience design - Evaluation  Andragogy and UNESCO  Difference between pedagogy and andragogy  Similarities in pedagogy and andragogy  Summary

Introduction

The community organizers while organizing the community for planned change needs to educate the community for various reasons. They have to ensure that community is provided with learning opportunities. Those involved in the field of education that is teaching learning process, need to develop self, to study issues related to self, and identity, human relationship, adult-child gaps, assumptions, beliefs and attitudes. Knowledge of the terms ‘andragogy’and ‘pedagogy’ is important to work in the field of adult and lifelong learning. As the facilitators of adult learning process, one has to have adequate understanding of how children and adults learn.

Objectives of the module

At the end of the session learners will be able:

1. To analyze definitions of Pedagogy and Andragogy

3. To differentiate between Pedagogy and Andragogy

4. To know the principles of Pedagogy and Andragogy

5. To comprehend assumptions of Andragogy

5. To comprehend how to use Andragogy as a method of Lifelong Learning

Pedagogy

The word pedagogy is derived from the Greek word pedagogue came to mean “teacher”, which simply means to lead. It is traditional transmission focused learning.

Pedagogy is the art and science of teaching children. The word pedagogy often means simply teaching. Pedagogy is the method and practice of teaching. The term pedagogy is used depending on the subject method and its practice viz., pedagogy of language, pedagogy of science, e-pedagogy, etc.

The modern pedagogy derives its inspiration more from sociological and anthropological insights on education. There is increasing recognition of the worth and potential of social context as a source for rejuvenating teaching and learning. Multi-cultural education and teaching for diversity are the needs of contemporary times. (NCF; 2009). Pedagogy courses will need to be designed to address different stages of education: preschool, elementary (primary and upper primary), secondary as well as senior secondary ( ibid).

Skinner related behaviourism and apparent conditioning to educational practice to train learners in survival skills for self and society. Skinner’s behaviourist views shaped the contemporary education of both children and adults. According to Skinner, teacher was

to reinforce behaviours that would develop social skills of learners and extinguish behaviours that did not.

Gandhi’s’ pedagogy wished to bring together head, heart and hands. He did not want the education system of India to get influenced by colonial education. Gandhi in his pedagogy, believed in teaching – learning through exemplary action rather than imposing principles. Gandhi was careful to not reproduce moral violence emerging from hate and contempt of other persons.

Tagore was inspired by indigenous values, culture and Upanishadic thoughts about self’s relationship with nature and world. Tagore’s pedagogy was built on tolerance and mutual co-existence. Tagore gave importance to harmony in human relationship with nature, communities and its own self. His pedagogy emphasized on developing aesthetic habits of movement. Through his own work at Shantiniketan, he presented an alternative to liberal education which was based on aesthetic, moral and spiritual growth of students.

Paulo Freire, in his book on ‘Pedagogy of the Oppressed’ ( 1970) and the subsequent books questioned the system of education, specifically the banking model of education, in which the teacher deposits knowledge in the student rather than it brings mutual learning experience that generates conscientizao in both the teacher and student. According to Paulo Freire, learning is an act of culture and freedom. Paulo Freire argues that there is unsymmetrical relationship between the teacher and student like the oppressor and the oppressed and finds parallels between the two in terms of one sided education. Paulo Freire, the father of critical pedagogy implied the process through which oppressed can become conscious of the cognitive enslavement that oppressive structure has bound them in.

The Iowa University was the first to establish a separate department of pedagogy for teaching teachers in the art of teaching. Subsequently, many Universities’ have started such departments. Hence, everyone majoring in education receives pedagogic training.

But it is not so with andragogy. Further, there is ample research in the theory and practice of pedagogy and teacher’s problems, but there is dearth of such data on andragogy.

Andragogy

The German, Alexander Kapps, used the word Andragogy first in 1833 to describe Plato’s educational theory (Davenport & Davenport; 1985). Later in America, Eduard Lindeman introduced the term ( Beder and Carrea 1988). E. Rosenstock had first used the term ‘andragogy’ in Berlin in 1924, when it appeared as title of a book ( Haneslmann; 1951 Ed.Titmus ). Andragogy literally means to lead a man in contrast to pedagogy which means to lead children.

Andragogy is formed with two words analogy with pedagogy, from the Greek words Andros (man) and agein(to lead). Andragogy refers to a learner-focused education for people of all ages.

Malcom Knowle brought the concept of adult learning to the forefront. He elaborated the term Andragogy in his famous work on ‘the modern practice of Adult Education: Andragogy versus Pedagogy’.

Knowles (1970) defined Plato’s scheme of andragogy is given by Plato’s philosopher guardians in which educational path of Plato shows that children enter school at six where they first learn the three Rs ( Reading, Writing & Arithmetic) then engage in music, sports, etc. At eighteen they undergo military and physical training and twenty one they enter higher studies; at 30 they begin to study philosophy and serve the polis in the army or civil society. Plato’s andragogy can exist if its members are trained and continue to grow.

Titmuset.a.in 1979 defined Andragogy as the art and science of helping adults to learn and the study of adult education theory, processes and technology to that end”.

According to Knowles‘Adult learner is a socially active person who is involved in learning process’. Learning Process could be formal or informal education. Malcom Knowle has mentioned that through processes of accommodation and assimilation, individuals construct new knowledge from their experiences.

Constructivism is often associated with pedagogic approaches that promote active learning or learning by doing.

Knowles offered the concept of andragogy in contrast with traditional pedagogy, in which the teacher transmits knowledge to receptive but passive children. This distinction that teacher transmitting knowledge to receptive highlights the stark difference between traditional teacher dominated form of education.

Andragogy is an approach to learning and a system of concepts that is focused on the learner. The teacher is the facilitator of learning rather than what we have historically viewed as the all-knowing dispenser of knowledge. The teacher utilizes a preset curriculum with rigid guidelines. In the andragogy approach the experience is learner centered with the learner participating in the planning of the experience. In the andragogy approach the teacher facilitates learning by determining what needs to be learned, formulating the learning objectives, designing the learning plan, and evaluating their learning.

Malcolm Knowles (1970) has mentioned that, “Adults tend to resist learning under conditions that are incongruent with their self-concept as autonomous individuals”. Hence, adult educator needs to incorporate their teaching style, rather than suppress, these important adult distinctions.

The adult educator is expected to incorporate rather than suppress adult distinctions. Cross (1991) mentioned that andragogy is the unifying theory to bind the diverse institutions, clienteles, and activities.

The separate term Andragogy was evolved as it was widely perceived that the principles and practices of pedagogy used in educating child and youth were not entirely appropriate to the education of education of adults. There was much that was not appropriate to the education of adults. The adults had their own status in the society. Adults had richer experience, different motives, learning needs and responsibilities towards others. Hence, there was a need to have a new discipline to undertake studies to build up theories and practices adapted to the adult situation. Therefore, the concept of andragogy was developed.

Rajendra Singh Yadav in his book on “Adult Education concept, theory & practice “ mentioned that up to 1880s the term ‘Andragogy’ had received only general acceptance in European countries like Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, Czechoslovakia and

Yugoslavia and in some professional documents of UNESCO. In English speaking countries the adoption of the term has been resisted as a whole. English speaking countries had a doubt whether education or any part of its study such as pedagogy or andragogy qualifies as a distinct science or discipline. In United States Malcom Knowles’s work helped in penetration of this term.

Adults possess knowledge and life experience and most of them are self-motivated. The adult educator needs to know how adults learn. The emphasis, therefore, has to be on developing professional knowledge and capacities through a variety of self-directed tasks including case studies, projects, seminars and research activity.(NCF; 2009).

Knowles’s five assumptions

Knowles’s theory of Andragogy is specific to adults stating that unlike pedagogy many adults are self-directed and like to take responsibility. His view on andragogy makes five certain assumptions in relation to adult learners which serve as guidelines for making learning matter to learners they are as follows:

1. Self-concept: a mature person moves from dependency to self-directness. It will vary from. Adult take self-ownership of learning.

2. Experience: adults bring their own life experiences to their learning which is diverse in nature

3. The readiness of adults to learn is closely related to the assumption of accumulating and increasing reservoir of knowledge and experience so that adults can be better prepared to face new social roles and responsibilities to their near future.

4. Orientation: adults want to apply what they have learned or new knowledge immediately, for instance, to solve a current problem

5. Motivation: a mature person draws motivation to learn from internal factors.For adults motivation is intrinsic. They can be for self-satisfaction and enjoyment.

The above given description of assumptions shows that persons involved in teaching adult learners have to facilitate the process of teaching and learning and not to force adults to learn.

Malcom Knowles’ model of adult learning is based on self-direction experience of adults as learning resource. Adults learn in relation to their socio developmental activities and application of learning. These assumptions underscore need assessment, active participation in planning and learning experiences, a continuous evaluation of self.

Knowles’ concept of Learning According to him there are 6 stages in learning, which are as follows:

1. Set the climate: that includes organizational purposes, policy statement and committee structures 2. Planning occurs through participation of programme committees 3. Need assessment: It is achieved by structured or un-structured interviews, surveys at the level of individual, organization and individual.

4. Frame the objectives: Once needs are assessed objectives have to be defined. Objectives are educational and operational. Objectives reflect institutional philosophy, feasibility and individual interest.

5. Learning experience design: Learning experiences are designed through art. Possibly that includes learning formats based on principle of line, space/shape, tone, colour and finally texture.

6. Evaluation: Evaluation to explain the behavioral change appropriateness of quantitative techniques, participation of participants in the programme is very important to assess the self-development.

Knowles (1984) mentioned 4 principles that could be applied to adult learning:

1. Adults need to be involved in the planning and evaluation of their instruction 2. Experience provides the basis for the learning activities 3. Adults are most interested in learning subjects that have immediate relevance and impact to their job or personal life 4. Adult learning is problem- centered rather than content-oriented

Monts Bob (2000) conducted a study on Instructional methodology for adult learners. Malcom Knowles popularized the term andragogy in 1960s. As per Knowles, andragogy is based on students’ self-directedness, student’s experiences and student’s needs. Therefore, a structure of learning is student / performance centered rather than subject centered. (Knowels 1980 pp 44-45 Modern Practice of Adult Education Andragogy versus Pedagogy.)

Brookfield (1985) explains that there are clear differences in assumptions between Andragogy and Pedagogy. Andragogy is based on the needs of adult learner. Adult learners are self-directed and experience based, in which what the teacher intends and learner needs are matched. (Book- critical definition of AE)

London Jack ( 1973) in his article on ‘ Adult Education for the 1970s’ published in ‘ Adult Education quarterly 23(1) 60-70, argued that andragogy was nothing more than an invented word that added to the jargon in the field of education. And the adult educators were using it to achieve status and respect in educational circle.

Beder and Carrea; 1988 said that there is substantial literature on the topic of andragogy, but there is little empirical research on the subject. Beder and Darkenwald ( 1982) studied teaching behavior related to adult/pre-adult learners. The teachers teaching adults used discussions related to students’ life experience and made adjustments in instructional content based on student feed-back. Darkenwald’s study showed that teachers utilized principles of both andragogical and pedagogical models as variables rather than strictly adhering to principles of one model over the other.

Gorham Joan; 1985 in her study indicated that adult learners were perceived as significantly more intellectually curious concerned with practical application exhibited high motivation to learn and worked less emotionally dependent upon teachers.

Andragogy and UNESCO

UNESCO held the Sixth International World Conference on Adult Education titled CONFINTEA VI Living and Learning for a Viable Future from 1st to 4th December, 2009 at Belem, Brazil. The conference had properly arranged and had andragogial way of interaction. It made the power of andragogy visible to produce the Belem Framework for Action Document and ensured that a platform for policy dialogue and advocacy on adult learning and non-formal education is made at the global level. Major objectives of the conference included the following:

I. to push forward the recognition of adult learning and education as an important element of the foundational factor conducive to lifelong learning

II. to highlight the crucial role of adult learning and education for the realization of current international education and development agendas

III. to renew momentum and commitment in developing the tools for implementation, in order to move from rhetoric to action.

Cyril Houle (1996) said that Knowles’ work in andragogy is learner-centred of all patterns of adult educational programming. This indicates that educators need to involve learners in as many aspects of their education as possible to create a climate in which they can most fruitfully learn.

Difference between pedagogy and andragogy is given below:

Pedagogy Andragogy Philosophers Many western educationists like Malcom Knowles (10978) Pavlov, Skinner, Jean Piaget and brought in the concept of Indian------contributed to the adult learning to the concept of pedagogy forefront Meaning Pedagogy is a method of teaching It is a method of teaching children adults Self- concept Dependency - Children are They are increasingly self- dependent directedness. Learners are independent Readiness Biological development- social Developmental tasks of pressures social roles Planning By the teaching faculty Mutual self- analysis Experience Learners have less or no experience Learners possess rich to share. Experience is of little experiences. Hence worth. Hence, teaching becomes teaching involves didactic. discussions, problem solving, etc. Objective Children follow the curriculum. Adult learners are goal Learners learn whatever the oriented. They need to curriculum offers. know why they need to learn. For adults content needs to be modified according to their learning needs. Learning method Teaching children becomes didactic. Adult learners are experienced, hence, teaching involves discussion, problem solving, experiments, etc. Learning environment Authority oriented Interactive, respectful and informal Role of a teacher Learners need to be directed by the The learners are self- teacher to guide them in their motivated. Teacher has to learning process play the role of facilitator Time perspective Children do not insist to get For adults learning should immediate value of their education reap immediate value as it has direct bearing upon their job. Motivation Children are not necessarily self- Many adults are self-

motivated motivated and self- directed. They like to take responsibility for their decisions. Design Logic of the subject matter Sequenced in terms of readiness Activities Transmittal techniques Experimental techniques Evaluation By the teaching faculty Continuous, Mutual self- assessment approach

Similarities in pedagogy and andragogy:

In both Pedagogic and andragogic approach the learner comes with prior knowledge that learner uses to make connections to new learning

Both children and adults need to be attentive and be focused.

Feedback and evaluation helps both adults and children to know how much they have learnt and what more they need to learn.

Summary

While summarizing the session it could be said that Adults must be taught differently from children if learning is to be effective. Traditional transmission focused teaching will not do with adults. In other words, the curriculum should be flexible in relation to increased knowledge such as how adults learn. As new information comes along it must be included in the curriculum. The data on both pedagogy and andragogy reveals that there is ample material on how teachers can develop their professional skills in pedagogy but such materials for teachers to develop their skills in andragogy are less. In India teaching learning materials on andragogy is mostly produced by government agencies. Reading material on teacher’s education in the subject content, knowledge and practice in pedagogy are more in number. Further, there is ample research in the theory and practice of pedagogy and teacher’s problems but there is dearth of such data on andragogy. This information gap needs to be filled.