The Truth About Andragogy
Alexander Salas, CPTD, CTT, SCM, SCPO
Instructional Design with AI spices| Macarena Dancer| Speaker | eLearning Developer
From the times of Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, to the publishing of The Adult Learner: The Neglected Species in 1973 by Malcolm Knowles, there are several takes on the meaning of adult education. So who was the first person to bring up the need for andragogy aka adult learning, and who were the real pioneers of andragogy before Knowles. This episode of StyleLearn origins takes a deep dive into adult learning theory and it's a lively discussion with podcast guest Lisa Sandonato , Instructional Design and L&D consultant.
It is not enough to translate the insights of education theory [or pedagogy] to the situation of adults ... the teachers should be professionals who could cooperate with the pupils; only such a teacher can be, in contrast to a pedagogue, an andragogue.-Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy, 1921
1833-1921 The Germans
German grammar teacher Alexander Kapp publishes a book in 1833 with a title roughly translated Plato's educational theory, as pedagogy for the individual and as state pedagogy or its Practical Philosophy regarding a new approach of teaching teens and adults based on Plato's writings. As far as I can tell, Mr. Kapp is not related to Karl Kapp but let me know. Another German, this time sociologist Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy, is influenced by Alexander Kapp and in 1921 expresses the need for special approaches, teachers, and materials to educate adults. Rosenstock-Huessy becomes Director of the Frankfurt's Academy of Labor.
Schools are for children. Life itself is the adult's school. (Anderson & Lindeman, 1927).
1921-1927 Eduard Christian Lindeman
A farm boy turned scholar from 1911 to 1921, Eduard C. Lindeman travels to Europe and he's influenced by Rosenstock-Huessy's work which culminates on his book The Meaning of Adult Education in 1926. This book becomes the seminal work from which Knowles develops his theory of andragogy. A year later in 1927, Lindeman co-authors the book Education Through Experience with Martha Anderson which is an interpretation of androgogical methods used in the Academy of Labor.
1935 National Youth Administration and Knowles
In 1935, Malcom S. Knowles graduates college with the purpose of joining the U.S. Foreign Service but there were no vacancies at the time of his graduation. Instead, he takes a job directing a work-study program with the National Youth Administration (NYA) which was part of the U.S. Government initiatives of The New Deal.
Knowles admits he had no preparation or clue as to how to lead the teaching curriculum for unemployed young adults. He looked for books to no avail until he finds The Meaning of Adult Education, and later on Adult Education: A Dynamic for Democracy by Dorothy Hewitt and Kirtley Mather (1937).
1970-Informal Adult Education
Knowles first official stab at pinning down his theory of andragogy was the book Informal Adult Education (1935) where most of the known assumptions of adult learners exposed in 1970 are stated but as ideals. This is my interpretation based on the use of the word "should" when referring to adult learner characteristics:
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Wrap Up
Wow! First thing to know is that I was blown away by the copious availability of literature, opposing views and other details about adult education. It goes way deeper than what I was able to produce here in a few hours. Although he was not the originator of thought on adult learning, Malcolm Knowles surely carried the flag well from 1935 forward. I was quite intrigued by the finding on Hewitt & Anderson who were pioneering women in this field and their work informed Knowles approach. After reading these sources, it seems to me what is declared to be effective adult learning approaches should be the same methods used in high schools.
Nice one. ?? I am about to finish my master thesis this year. The work is on Lindeman’s theory reflections in current andragogy. ?? … but do we need to distinguish between peda and andragogy? Maybe there are just two part of the same thing, with more overlaps than differences. ??
Full Professor @Commonwealth University | LinkedIn Learning Instructor | Consultant | EdTech Entrepreneur | Author | Keynote Speaker | TEDx Speaker
2 年Alexander Salas, CTT, CSM Unfortunately, I don't think there is a blood line between myself and Alexander Kapp but, I haven't really explored that in any depth. Maybe I'll see if he submitted to something like 23andMe ??
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2 年Alex, I just love this stuff. My PHD is in Adult Learning and Human Resources Management. I totally geek out on this, so with that said. I called Lindeman the Grandfather of Adult learning if Knowles is called its "father". It is interesting how the flag is passed from generation to generation - scholar to scholar. When I took a class called the History of Adult Education by Stubblefield, I was amazed at the informal way that adult learning was started. Pedagogy is so old compared to Andragogy, but adults have been learning for all time. Keep up your StyleLearn Origins. I enjoy remembering learning about this years ago and geeking out - I loved my program and learning about our profession. Thank you.