Unit 6 Andragogy

Merriam-Webster dictionary defines andragogy as “the art and science of teaching adults”. The concept of andragogy was introduced in the 1970s by Malcolm Knowles. Since then it has been described as a “set of guidelines (Merriam,1993), a philosophy ( Pratt, 1993) , a set of assumptions ( Brookfield, 1986) and a theory (Knowles,1989),” in (Knowles, Swanson, Holton, 2005, p.1)

Here are a few of my experiences as an adult learner, in reference to Knowles’ assumptions/ theories about adult learners.

1.     Over the years I have indeed noticed a change in my personality, to a self-directing one. Looking back, it is hard to ascertain when that change happened. It definitely wasn’t an overnight phenomenon, rather a gradual transition, as is probably true of most adults. As children we are dependent learners, and as we grow up we become more self-directed. This transition is gradual and happens at different ages in everyone.

2.     I definitely agree with the second theory that experience is a great teacher. This is true not only for my formal medical learning, but also personal learning and growth. Come to think about it, in addition to learning something in my profession, I learn something new about myself almost everyday!

3.     My readiness to enroll in a master’s degree was a result of my desire to expand my skills. I am not sure if it was much of a change in social role that I was seeking, rather it was based more on my view of my projected change in my professional role.

4.     I agree with the theory about time perspective. A young learner learns things they think they will use at some point in the future, usually the distant future. In my case, I can envision a change in role for myself in the near future, hence this endeavor. Everything I learn in this course, I automatically try and put in practice.

5.     Young learners usually don’t have the foresight and hence the internal drive. They require external motivators. In my case, as I am is sure the case with the rest of my colleagues in this class, the desire to better ourselves and learn leadership was internal.

6.     We as adult learners can’t be led to learn something ‘just because’. We need to be convinced as to the reason ‘why’. The answer could come from within, or explained by someone.

 

I would like to mention here another challenge that I faced in this course. Getting familiar with the online learning format was a big leap for me, being used to the lecture, pen and paper format so far. I am still learning the nuances of blogging and virtual classroom interaction. No doubt I appreciate the flexibility it allows me, but I still miss the one to one interaction of a classroom.

 

References:

Knowles, Malcolm S.; Swanson, Richard A.; Holton, Elwood F. Edition: 6th ed. Amsterdam: Routledge. 2005. eBook., Database: eBook Collection (EBSCOhost)

“andragogy.” Merriam0Webster.com. 2017. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/andragogy. (October29,2017)