Module 5- Adult Learning

Adult Learning

 Adult Learning is a practice in which adult participate in methodological and

organized activities through which they can facilitate their understanding and
learning throughout their lives and there are things need to consider the basic
understanding of how and why adult learns.
 Knowles (1984) suggested that because adults or older students come to the
learning experience with a vast amount of previous knowledge and experience,
the usual methods of teaching are inappropriate. Instead, the learner should be
allowed to be self-directed, even so far as helping to formulate the curriculum.
 Knowles’s Theory presented a new approach to education that has become
one of the best known for their own.

What is Andragogy?

 Adults team best when learning is focused on them, not the teacher (Sivianthanu,
2014)
 Andragogy in Greek means “man-leading” in comparison to pedagogy. The term
andragogy was first used by Alexander Kapp, a German Educator in 1883.
 This is called Andragogy “is the art and science of helping adults learn”.
 Andargogy is the theory, methods and activities involved in teaching learners
(Cambridge Dictionary, 2020)
Characteristics of Adult Learners

a. Self-Concept
b. Adult Learner Experience
c. Readiness to Learn
d. Orientation to Learning
e. Motivation to Learn

Principles of Adult Learning

 Adult tend to be more self-directed as a result of their maturity.

 Adult possess personal histories which defines their identities and serve as a
resource of experiential learning upon which new learnings can be applied.
 Motivation in adults is directed to move socially relevant learning and
 Adult learners have interest in immediate application to problem-solving.

Comparison of Andragogy to Pedagogy

 Andragogy is student-centered while pedagogy is teacher-centered.

a. Andragogy means “man-leading”, while Pedagogy means “child-learning”
 Another form of learning is called Heutagogy which is describe as “ a learning theory
based on the concept of self-determined learning fostering independence in adult
learning. It is a learner-centered theory of learning emphasizing that adults learn when
they are ready.
 The concept was first introduced in the essay by Stewart Hase and Chrus Kenyon
(2000) entitled “From Andragogy to Heutagogy.