Page 189 - Štremfel, Urška, and Maša Vidmar (eds.). 2018. Early School Leaving: Training Perspectives. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut.
P. 189
andragogical knowledge and skills for teachers in mainstream education ...
Concepts and Assumptions of Andragogy
In this section, we focus on describing the theoretical concepts that under-
lie andragogy and the andragogical model stated by Knowles (1989) which,
as mentioned, is the basis of andragogy.
If we summarise different authors in this field (e.g. Cercone, 2008;
Merriam, 2001; Sharan, 2001), there are three such theoretical concepts:
concept of experiential learning, concept of self-directed learning, and
transformative learning theory. Experiential learning is a concept central
to andragogy. It emphasises knowledge of concepts, facts, information and
experience, application of this prior knowledge to current, ongoing events
and reflection of the newly gained knowledge with a thoughtful analysis of
learners’ activity that contributes to personal growth. Self-directed learn-
ing suggests that the locus of control in learning lies with the adult learn-
er, who can initiate learning with or without assistance from others, while
transformative learning theory explains that it is important for an indi-
vidual learner to understand why he thinks and feels the way he does and
shakes off the limiting perspectives that could hinder the learning expe-
rience. Learning is therefore a process of critical reflection and is about
change in learners. It is learning that occurs when individuals make mean-
ing out of the world through experiences and where the goal is to enable the
adult learner to become a more autonomous thinker.
As we can see, these theories emphasise self-direction, flexibility, and
the process of learning, rather than the content. They are learner-cen-
tred and recognise the importance of a customised approach to learn-
ing (Cercone, 2008). As such, they are important pillars of Knowles’
andragogical model which consists of two parts: (1) andragogical assump-
tions that present the core conceptions of adults as learners; and (2) the
andragogical process and transaction design where six steps for creat-
ing adult learning experience are described. Throughout the description
of the andragogical model, we intend to expose the role of the educator
in each step. The assumptions of andragogy present the basics for un-
derstanding, planning, executing and evaluating an adult education pro-
cess in practice. In the continuation, we describe these assumptions (see
Figure 33) in greater detail.
The need to know. The first assumption underlying andragogy is that
adults need to know why they need to learn something before learning it.
Educators must therefore make a learning process meaningful and con-
crete in order to engage adults in learning (ibid.).
189
Concepts and Assumptions of Andragogy
In this section, we focus on describing the theoretical concepts that under-
lie andragogy and the andragogical model stated by Knowles (1989) which,
as mentioned, is the basis of andragogy.
If we summarise different authors in this field (e.g. Cercone, 2008;
Merriam, 2001; Sharan, 2001), there are three such theoretical concepts:
concept of experiential learning, concept of self-directed learning, and
transformative learning theory. Experiential learning is a concept central
to andragogy. It emphasises knowledge of concepts, facts, information and
experience, application of this prior knowledge to current, ongoing events
and reflection of the newly gained knowledge with a thoughtful analysis of
learners’ activity that contributes to personal growth. Self-directed learn-
ing suggests that the locus of control in learning lies with the adult learn-
er, who can initiate learning with or without assistance from others, while
transformative learning theory explains that it is important for an indi-
vidual learner to understand why he thinks and feels the way he does and
shakes off the limiting perspectives that could hinder the learning expe-
rience. Learning is therefore a process of critical reflection and is about
change in learners. It is learning that occurs when individuals make mean-
ing out of the world through experiences and where the goal is to enable the
adult learner to become a more autonomous thinker.
As we can see, these theories emphasise self-direction, flexibility, and
the process of learning, rather than the content. They are learner-cen-
tred and recognise the importance of a customised approach to learn-
ing (Cercone, 2008). As such, they are important pillars of Knowles’
andragogical model which consists of two parts: (1) andragogical assump-
tions that present the core conceptions of adults as learners; and (2) the
andragogical process and transaction design where six steps for creat-
ing adult learning experience are described. Throughout the description
of the andragogical model, we intend to expose the role of the educator
in each step. The assumptions of andragogy present the basics for un-
derstanding, planning, executing and evaluating an adult education pro-
cess in practice. In the continuation, we describe these assumptions (see
Figure 33) in greater detail.
The need to know. The first assumption underlying andragogy is that
adults need to know why they need to learn something before learning it.
Educators must therefore make a learning process meaningful and con-
crete in order to engage adults in learning (ibid.).
189
