What is andragogy, and how might the approach help in teaching FYC?

As we’ve discussed in class, andragogy is the theory and practice of educating adult learners. Originated by Alexander Kapp in 1833 and expanded on by Malcolm Knowles, andragogy (in Greek, “man-leading") should have sharp distinctions from pedagogy (“child-leading").  In contrast to young learners, adult learners are primarily self-directed and work from vastly different motivations.

In class, we went over the primary motivations for adult learners:

1.     Need to know—Students have to know why they are learning what they are learning.

2.     Foundation—Individual experiences must be valued, as they fuel class activities.

3.     Self-concept—Students feel a need to be involved in the planning and execution of their own education.

4.     Readiness—Adults need to know how subjects are relevant to their own lives.

5.     Orientation—Classrooms that are problem-centered and not content-centered are more effective for adult learners.

6.     Motivation—Adults respond better to internal vs. external motivators.

For adult learners, there must be a good reason for investing time and energy in a subject. They are much more likely to bring their own experiences to light in the classroom, as they are naturally apt to search for real-world applications in the subjects they are learning. In a “traditional” classroom, the teacher serves as a lecturer, as a resident expert that delivers packaged information to students. In contrast, with andragogy, the teacher serves as conductor to students, stepping in to assist students in self-direction when needed. We know that, for adult learners, learning is best acquired in a social setting where they can actively participate in conversation. Also, repetition can be helpful to engrain essential ideas. The whole concept seems rather Platonic (“Truth cannot be taught, only learned”), as its focus is guide autonomous learners with a gentle hand. A teacher cannot force a student to learn if the student does not want to.

As I look back, I find that the basic principles of andragogy certainly pervaded my undergraduate career.  My professors did give some lectures, but most of my classes were opened to discussion for more than half of the class period. My professors were always available should I need to discuss anything, from paper ideas to misunderstood concepts to my future career plans. I think that, for students, college is the transition process between teacher-led learning and self-led learning.

With that in mind, FYC students are just beginning this transition. So many of them come in with external motivators as their only concern (ex: Most students whose papers I graded, when asked what their goal was for the class, answered, “To get a good grade.”). To help them to transition to being internally motivated, FYC (as some of us have discussed before in our blogs) should not have a large emphasis on grading. Rather, students should be assigned projects that they can be passionate about and that spur class discussion. I think the key difference in young learners and adult learners is passion for the subject. If we as instructors can help students to discover a passion for any part of the class, we have taken the first step towards helping them to become autonomous learners.