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andragogy again October 31, 2008

Posted by kieslinger in : Uncategorized,andragogy , add a comment

recently I have been contacted by Tom Hanson, Editor of OpenEducation.net who referred to my article on andragogy.

The article on andragogy on OpenEducation.net gives some short historical background and also tries to explain the dominance of pedagogy over andragogy. It then concentrates on presenting the views of Marcia L. Conner, who advocates for an andragogical approach not only in adult learning but also for children and youngsters.

Connor goes on to add that it is unfortunate that “andragogy usually is cited in education texts as the way adults learn.” She goes on to point out that Knowles recognized that “four of andragogy’s five key assumptions apply equally to adults and children.” The only factor of variation is that “children have fewer experiences and pre-established beliefs than adults and thus have less to relate.”


Interesting thoughts and I think that part of the andragogical thinking could of course also be applied in teaching youngsters. However, what I actually liked about andragogy is the fact that it concentrates on adult learners and says that child-learning is different from adult learning with regard to certain needs, problem facing, experiences, etc.

Then Conner even argues that a more andragogical approach is need for all ages of learners due to new technologies that are penetrating our lives and of course also educational practices. However the article misses to give any further support to this idea. At least for me it misses out on this part. Still, an interesting topic to follow up….

21st Century Schools – Pedagogy Must Give Way to Andragogy — Open Education

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