The science of adult learning (andragogy) involves the understanding and supporting of lifelong learning in adult learners, and also developing the teaching of adult learners (Knowles, Holton & Swanson, 2011). We will refer regularly to the work of Malcolm Knowles, the godfather of adult learning theory. Now I am sure we will be interchanging between terminology and using teacher, facilitator, instructor and many others, but let’s not get too caught up in the pedantic’s. In the end we want to discover different learning theory, strategies and appropriate forms of assessment to meet our learners needs.  

Knowles’ 4 Principles Of Andragogy

1.  Enagagement: Adults need to be involved in the planning and evaluation of their instruction.
2.  Experiential: The opportunity and learning culture to test, succeed and also make mistakes.
3.  Work relevant: Adults are most interested in learning that has relevance and impact to their job or personal life.
4.  Problem-centered: Learner focused with a facilitator guiding the learning as opposed to a traditional teacher delivered content-oriented delivery.

We will provide much of our focus on adult learning (androgogy), as this is our population we are training in nursing. But we will also visit school level education (pedagogy) to see new ideas and concepts that could be incorporated into our education approach. It’s always worth remembering the enthusiasm that children have for learning new things (reflect back to your school days) and why as adults we don’t always feel this same eagerness to learn. We have to question what is different? Motivation may well be a key factor in this.

Now this ‘gogy’ is post-Knowles, which is heutagogy (Greek for ‘self‘) which is self-determined learning and places the emphasis of learning on the learner, moving away from the traditional teacher/lecturer role as the focal point. Defined by Hase and Kenyon (2000) as “the study of self-determined learning”, where in an ever-changing world of work, study and life where information is readily accessible and learning aligns with this accessibility.

Looking at how knowledge is constructed (epistemology) and how we learn can improve the learning experience and outcomes. In the health setting we also have varied training and education requirements, included is the non-negotiable work requirements. How do we motivate our learners for this type of situation? As an educator we also need to be motivated and provide consistency in not only new teaching opportunities but the day to day core training (think repetitive basic life support). This reminds of a story of a chef and the consistency of cooking the same dish for 30 years which is now considered the world’s best paella, and the effort in not only their dedication to the same dish but the replicability and standard setting. Health is constantly changing so we nurses are constantly evolving as part of lifelong learning.

Spotlight on Malcolm Knowles

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Reference

Knowles, M. S., Holton III, E. F., & Swanson, R. A. (2014). The adult learner: The definitive classic in adult education and human resource development. Routledge.