Pedagogical Model Of Andragogy Essay

Pedagogy and Andragogy: Approaches to Instruction and Learning “A good teacher, like a good entertainer first must hold his audience’s attention, then he can teach his lesson.” – John Henrik Clarke. No organization can survive or continue to be successful without investing in and developing their most important resource which is their employees. No matter what economic sector an organization operates in, it is dependent upon the skills, efficiency and commitment of its employees to maintain its success. Even in highly automated sectors like manufacturing or technology, it is the skills and knowledge base of the organization’s employees that gives the company the ability to rapidly pivot and adjust to swiftly changing environmental factors and drives future success. Given the critical role that employees play in an organization’s success it is imperative that all organizations are committed to developing, implementing and maintaining training and development programs Providing training and learning opportunities for employees provides numerous benefits for employees, but also has significant paybacks for employers as well. Offering ample opportunities for training to employees ensures that all employees can learn and update their skill sets, and can effectively adapt to rapidly changing work environments (Durkin, 2010). The employer also benefits from these training opportunities through higher levels of employee engagement and motivation, which tends to manifest itself in greater efficiencies and lower turnover rates (Durkin, 2010). While the benefits of robust employee training programs are well documented, these programs are not a cure all for every organizational issue (Werner, 2009). The challenges that globalization of the economy and markets bring, as well as the increasingly diverse nature of the workforce mean that Human Resource Development (HRD) efforts must be crafted with these challenges in mind (Werner, 2009). Furthermore, HRD programs should be developed by individuals who understand the different approaches and principles of learning. The development of curriculum and training programs without the input of professionals who understand the principals of learning and teaching methodologies has been an ongoing issue for many organizations (Freedman, 2012). Given the implications for organizations for wasted time and money through the implementation of HRD programs designed by individuals without a firm understanding of basic learning models it is important to define and contrast the two basic models of learning and teaching: pedagogy and andragogy. All learning, revolves around the transfer and acquisition of information that is stored for use at a future point in time (Csibra & Gergely, 2009). In order to facilitate the transfer and acquisition of knowledge, different models of learning and teaching have been developed. Werner (2009) defines pedagogy “as the term traditionally used for instructional methodology, and it has most often emphasized educating children and teenagers through high school (p. 84). Pedagogy emerged out of the “monastic schools of Europe between the 7th and 12th centuries” (Holmes & Abington-Cooper, 2000). The foundations of this model of learning and instruction grew out of the observations and experiences of thousands of men and women teaching basic literacy skills to children in these monastic schools (Holmes & Abington-Cooper, 2000). These theories and models were then utilized as public education was adopted and spread across North America and Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries (Holmes & Abington-Cooper, 2000). Furthermore, when educational psychologists began to research learning and teaching they focused on how children responded to instructional methods (Holmes & Abington-Cooper, 2000). Unlike pedagogy, which has traditionally focused on the teaching of children and adolescents, andragogy focuses on teaching adults and the ways in which adults learn (Werner, 2009). This approach to learning was proposed and developed by the researcher Malcom Knowles and he defined andragogy as “the art and science of helping adults learn” (Holmes & Abington-Cooper, 2000, para. 10). This model of learning and teaching is based upon Knowles’s “four hypotheses concerning differences …show more content…
In contrast the andragogy model is focused on providing learners with the “procedures and resources” for learners to “acquire information and skills” (Holmes & Abington-Cooper, 2000, para. 16). The main difference between the two models of learning is how the teacher’s role is viewed, in pedagogy the teacher’s role is as a transmitter of information while in andragogy the teacher is a facilitator and/or guide (Holmes & Abington-Cooper,