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andragogy

andragogy

9.9
Methods and ideas teachers use when teaching adults
  • noun
  • /ˌændrəˈɡoʊdʒi/
  • Formal
: andragogía
  • Experts in andragogy are needed to design, develop, and implement instructional programs that address the needs of tribal workforces.
  • pedagogy and andragogy
  • andragogy for adult education
  • andragogy as a theory

Examples

  • Understanding andragogy helps educators create effective training sessions for adult learners.

  • The principles of andragogy focus on how adults learn differently than children.

  • In spite of the lack of empirical support for it, andragogy is still associated with adult learning.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Andragogy, a theory of learning primarily used for adults, has a long history of instructional use and controversy.

    Academic text (2013)
  • The instructor, in collaboration with students, formulated the learning climate and instructional strategies/learning activities based on andragogy.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Knowles' major contribution to education was his emphasis on learning and knowledge about andragogy, which contributed to the educational shift from behaviorism to humanism.

    Academic text (2013)
  • The assessment of individual learning style was used to apply andragogy in the organization of instruction (Knowles, 1972, 1975; McKeachie, 1994).

    Academic text (2013)
  • In the late 1960s, Malcolm Knowles (1970) introduced the European concept of andragogy to American educators.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Many adult education programs are based on the concept of andragogy, which emphasizes the role of self-directed learning.

Surface Forms

andragogy singular
andragogies plural

Morphology

andragogy = pedagogy (semi-transparent) = andr + agogy

Formed by Greek combining elements and modeled on 'pedagogy'; the relation is recognizable if learners know 'pedagogy' or the combining form 'andr-', but the parts are not productive standalone English words.

Etymology

The word andragogy comes from Greek words: the first part andr- means 'man' or 'adult' and the second part -gogy means 'leading' or 'teaching', the same ending you see in pedagogy. So andragogy literally means 'leading adults', which is why it is used for the methods and ideas of teaching grown-up learners.