Knowles six assumptions and andragogy
Knowles (1984) identifies six assumptions in his andragogy (the art and science of helping adults to learn):
-
Self concept: adults choose what they want to learn, when they want to learn it, and how they want to learn.
-
Experience: adult learners have a wealth of life experiences that they bring with them.
-
Readiness of adult learners to learn depends on their need.
-
Problem centered focus: adults need to see the immediate application of learning.
-
Internal motivation: the more potent motivators (self-esteem, better quality of life, self-actualization, etc.) are internal.
-
Adults need to know why they need to learn something - what’s in it for them.
While these are generalisation, I can certainly relate to these with regard to my own learning. I have also noted several of these in my recent teaching experience, for example, in the Year 1 class described in Case Study 1, I encountered:
-
a high proportion of students whose career goals were the prime focus for learning
-
the older adult students brought experiences which added to the depth of discussion and group work
-
if the internal motivations were not there, or life circumstances were interfering, the study suffered or halted completely
Another example of utilising the rich veins of experience brought by older students comes from my experience teaching interview skills workshops to students at AUT. On one occasion I happened to asked if any of the group had themselves conducted interviews and discovered that one woman had worked in HR for many years. The expertise and relevance that she was able to bring to the session was more than I could have offered on my own and made for a very productive and enjoyable session. An nice instance of collective and collaborative learning.
In facilitating group sessions I now always make a point of asking, when appropriate, who has had experience and encourage them to contribute or even to plan and deliver a presentation. Not only does this add to the content and experience of the session but also helps with variety and active engagement.