Using Andragogy to Beef Up Professional Development

How understanding andragogy can improve PD for EIT

Introduction

It is no secret that there is currently a dire need for technology to be integrated into everyday classroom instruction. Every discussion that addresses this need points back to the barriers that are currently preventing quality tech integration from happening. While there are many barriers that exist within this issue, one of the most prominent impediments is that of poor professional development for educators. There is simply a lack of knowledge on how to properly integrate technology into the curriculum so that it isn’t just another thing educators have to do, but a tool that has the ability to enhance all other learning.This lack of knowledge for educators stems from lack of quality teaching that is tailored to the adult learners needing this type of training. So, the question is, how can we provide valuable training to educators that deposits information that they can then transfer into their teacher practices?

Andragogy vs Pedagogy

Any one who has even just barely entered the educational field knows that pedagogy is the science of teaching children. Within pedagogy, it is the instructor’s main role to teach students through learning experiences (Andragogy Vs. Pedagogy: Key Differences in Learning, 2022). Through pedagogy, children rely heavily on the knowledge and experiences of the teacher and generally accept the information delivered at face value (Schueneman, 2021). Children are generally motivated extrinsically and respond to rewards for their hard work. This is why reward systems are often seen in pedagogical practices.

Andragogy, on the other hand, refers to the methods and practices used to teach adult learners. Developed by Macolm Knowles, andragogy focuses on the unique techniques that make adult teaching and learning different from pedagogy. Adults are generally intrinsically motivated. A lot of the time, adults are already working in career fields and choose to further their knowledge for the betterment of themselves and their families. While pedagogy is more focused on teacher control, andragogy “calls for learner control, measures of knowledge acquisition based upon performance standards, and the voluntary involvement of students in the learning activity” (Pew, 2007, p. 18). This type of motivational difference between the two is a key factor to consider when teaching adult learners. Within Knowles framework, he addresses six assumptions of adult learning. Each assumption is derived around the adult learner and takes into consideration the learner’s experiences, motivation, relevancy, and readiness to learn.

Learner’s Experience

As an elementary language arts teacher, we discuss schema often and work on developing connections between our own experience and the things we read about. Likewise, including an adult’s prior experiences into learning is important in delivering quality instruction. Desimone (2009, as cited in Martin et al., 2010, p. 56) argued that prosperous professional development is constructed around a teacher’s prior knowledge and experiences combined with the new learning that will take place. Just as adolescent students do, adult learners process information through a filter that applies to their own experiences. A powerful strategy that could be used to better andragogy for educational technology would be taking into consideration the past experiences, frustrations, and successes teachers have had with technology and correlating instruction around those topics. There must be connections made in order for learning to take place.

Understanding Motivation and Readiness to Learn

In teaching adult learners, it is important to understand the driving factors behind their presence in the learning environment. Many adult learners are intrinsically motivated and have specific reasons for wanting to learn something new. In the fast paced world of educational technology, even the most traditional teachers are needing to become more digitally literate (Bliss, 2019, p. 130). This need alone is a huge motivation in why teachers are seeking training over tech integration. Knowing this, it is important that when training opportunities are being presented, we understand an educator’s motivation for wanting to grow as a lifelong learner and tailor the training to those motivations. Research shows that “intrinsically-motivated students are said to employ strategies that demand more effort and that enable them to process information more deeply” (Pew, 2007, p. 15). Realizing that many educators are most likely going to be intrinsically motivated to better themselves in the department of educational technology should be a central key in creating professional development. Providing practical resources that help educators weave technology into the content they teach is a great way to ensure learning and application can take place.

Developing Relevancy

In looking at the topic of training for educational technology, many teachers just want to know where to start. They’ve been given the devices and told to use them, yet they lack the skills to effectively utilize them. One of most important components teachers look for in professional development training is the relevancy the information will have to their current instruction. In relation to technology use, the absence of alignment between tech integration training and its correlation to content specific areas creates a major pitfall in professional learning for teachers (Martin et al., 2010, p. 54). When major amounts of irrelevant information are being fed in a lecture setting, not much learning is taking place. Most adult learners need to know why they are learning something in order for the teaching and learning to be effective. Adults also have a more complex development of problem-solving skills and learn more effectively when the information being absorbed is of immediate use and can be applicable to their instruction (Teaching Excellence in Adult Literacy, 2011). With that being said, when we are training our teachers on tech integration, it is better to give them quality tools that are relevant to current teaching, rather than a quantity of tools that just overwhelm them, as well as time and space to apply the new learning immediately.

Same but Different

In thinking about all of the components that make up adult learning theories, it’s almost impossible to not compare them to the theories we know are effective when teaching children. While there are differences between adult learners and children, I can’t help but think that many of the techniques are the same, but different. In teaching students, it is best practice for students to understand why they are learning the material and be made aware of the objectives to be mastered in order to foster self-directed learning. This is the same for adult learners. Adult learners need to know the why behind learning in order for instruction to be effective. Also, we want our children to become problem-solvers who can apply new information, just as we want adults to do. In bettering professional development for teachers in the area of educational technology, I think it is important to understand the similarities and differences between pedagogy and andragogy and create learning opportunities that support both. By using andragogy to teach pedagogy, we can better serve our teachers, and in return better serve our students.

References

Andragogy vs. Pedagogy: Key Differences in Learning. (2022, May 24). Western Governors University. Retrieved May 2, 2023, from https://www.wgu.edu/blog/andragogy-pedagogy-key-differences-learning2205.html#close

Bliss, A. (2019, 08). Adult Science-Based Learning: The Intersection of Digital, Science, and Information Literacies. Adult Learning, 30(3), 128-137. 10.1177/1045159519829042

Martin, W., Strother, S., Beglau, M., Bates, L., Reitzes, T., & Culp, K. (2010). Connecting instructional technology professional development to teacher and student outcomes. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 43(1), 53-74.

Pew, S. (2007, 01 08). Andragogy and Pedagogy as Foundational Theory for Student Motivation in Higher Education. Insight: A Journal of Scholarly Teaching, 2, 14-25. 10.46504/02200701pe

Schueneman, T. (2021, May 26). How Adults Learn | Pedagogy vs. Andragogy. Point Park University Online. Retrieved May 2, 2023, from https://online.pointpark.edu/education/pedagogy-vs-andragogy/

Teaching Excellence in Adult Literacy. (2011). Adult Learning Theories. American Institutes for Research. https://lincs.ed.gov/sites/default/files/11_%20TEAL_Adult_Learning_Theory.pdf