Pedandragogy

By L. James
Pedagogy has long been considered as the teacher teaches, student sits and all is
amicable. The teacher has full responsibility for making decisions about what
will be learned, how it will be learned, when it will be learned, and if the
material has been learned. Think little red schoolhouse with a buttoned-up
Marm and a really handy switch of willow branch.
Then, in the free-thinking 70s, arrived Malcom Knowles, a professor of adult
education who most likely had a hand full of switch marks and a penchant to
tip the long-standing model of education on its bunned head. Knowles, then a
professor of adult education at Boston University, realized that adults seem to
learn differently in that they are more self-directed, self-motivated, selfoverloaded, and frankly, selfish in a WIIFM kind of way. Andragogy (with a
slight spelling change) was born.

So whos right?
___________

CASE STUDY 1: Sam is new to

this type of classroom and is
nervous and unsure, wanting and
hoping for the teacher to guide
learning goals and what he needs to
reach them. This is a new subject
for him and if he fails, he may head
backward or at worst, his whole
world might end.

CASE STUDY 2: Samantha works a selfpaced online learning module. She is

comfortable with the subject, having
worked on it for half of her life. Although
proficient, she knows additional learning
will allow her to navigate more effectively
through everyday tasks, now and in the
future. She will be seen as confident and
competent after this learning experience.

So who drives a Prius and who still cant spell it?

___________
Actually, on todays educational billboard, both Andragogy and Pedagogy share equal billing.
They are seen not as a choice of fried or grilled, but two ends of a continuum that can
accommodate learners of all types.

Students in this era have, through a combination of media and evolution,

adopted many of what once were traditional adult roles in the home and in the
world. The term growing up faster is both a metaphorical one, and in the
world of genetics, a real one where girls are reaching puberty at an average
age of 9a full year younger than just fifteen years ago and three years
younger than in the 1960s. George Carlins Seven Words have been
normalized through the advent of pay cable. And the Nip Slip of today is just a
really great halftime show.
Over the last few decades, the smarter-bes of education have been infusing K-12 student
learning with more self-directed, self-reflective models. No longer will children accept the
moniker of, Do it because I tell you to. Young students have adopted that same WIIFM
attitude of the adults and stay tuned in like its the best new radio station going.
By the same token, there is an alarming trend in young adults to allow learning to come at them
fully formed and ready to ingest. Why work hard mentally at processing information when you
can press a few cyber buttons and read someone elses thoughts and just adopt them as your
own?
Thats where Pedandragogy finds its audience. Its that fluid middle zone where both type of
learners can swim until they find a resting spot that works for their life experience.
How can Elearning accommodate such a wide variety of learners and experiences? It is in fact,
Elearnings flexible format and non-cemented history that give it a chance at catching all learners
in its field.
Whether adult or child, the Elearner sits at his computer ready to learn and is equally as ready to
not learn. Give them a reason to zone out, check their phone, sleep, or stare into space and hell
gladly accommodate.
Pedandragogy takes the best of both ends and lets the learner choose what makes sense to him.
___________

So what would Sam want? Sam is the adult and an electrical engineer tasked
with designing the systems in a nuclear power plant serving a large city. He
is really smart and probably wont sit too long in a seat without an extra dose
of Adderal. His Elearning should include a pretest and then be tailored to
the gaps in his knowledge. Additionally, a SME should be available via
phone or email for questions. But at the same time, his learning must be fun
and engaging, in digestible chunks. There is still a kid inside of him that wants to be engaged and
entertained but not talked at. Without pressure, Sam can learn at his own pace given external
support.
What about Samantha? Todays six year old is yesterdays three. Six year
olds are sponges who want to learn and then show off their
accomplishments. She knows that learning to read is what will help her to
be able to read the newest vampire books; a major motivating factor. She
knows that multisyllabic words are the next hurdle to overcome, but shes
ready to tackle it as she did with consonant blends. The cyber-world is a
comfortable place to navigate that gives her immediate feedback allowing her take charge of her
own progress. The world outside the classroom is a busy place as well with cheerleading, extra
homework, and dealing with annoying siblings.
So, Sam and Samantha couldnt be any different on the outside. But on the inside, they are both
students with a desire to learn using their backgrounds, attitudes, and motivations to reach a
personal goal. Like a soft, memory foam pillow they each fall in the middle of the Pedandragogy
scale. But then with a slight shift in life, each can move to another position. By using welldesigned Elearning they can both be comfortable and happy no matter where they land.