In Pedagogy or child learning which follows the traditional educational system, the teacher decides the content of learning. The logical arrangement of the content and the selection of the most suitable and effective method of delivery is his choice. He plans a definite sequence for the content delivery. This design for teaching constitutes the content model. On the other hand, in andragogy or adult education, the instructor acts as a facilitator. He prepares the learner for the learning process with a set of procedures and creates a conducive learning climate. The learning activities are decided by mutual planning. Additionally, the learning needs are identified and the content is developed according to the learning needs. Learning experiences are enriched with appropriate tools and techniques that are suitably designed and selected. Finally the evaluation of the learning objectives helps them to refine the learning needs of the adult learners. This design followed in the andragogy is the process model.
Malcolm Knowles called andragogy a “’conceptual framework that serves as a basis for an emergent theory” because, he didn’t consider andragogy as a learning theory, but regarded his assumptions and principles regarding the adult learners as a strong basis for actions that improved the adult education.
References
Knowles, M.S. (1984). The adult learner: A neglected species (3rd ed.). Houston: Gulf.
Jarvis, P. (1987). Adult learning in the social context. London: Croom Helm.
Holton, E. F., Swanson, R. A., & Naquin, S. (2001). Andragogy in practice: Clarifying the andragogical model of adult learning. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 14(1), 118-143.
