Theory of Andragogy Self Directed Learning Dynamic Model of Self Directed Learning

1. Dr. Pooja Walia
Assistant Professor
Department of Education
Mizoram University

2. ■ Concept of Andragogy in Education
■ Meaning, Principles, Competencies of Self Directed Learning
■ Theory of Andragogy(Malcolm Knowles)
■ The Dynamic Model of Learner Autonomy

3. The essential meaning of the concept of andragogy has to do
with adults. The Greek, aner (genitive andros), means “man”,
while agein means “to lead”; so andragogy means “leading
men,” which can be paraphrased as “leading adults”. Mohring
(1989) believed that the basis of the concept should be the
Greek, teleios, denoting adults of both sexes. However, the
concept of andragogy has been maintained, and it holds a
meaning that includes adults of all genders.

4. Andragogy can be defined as an approach i.e.
the total embodiment and expression of a
philosophy of education for adults. This
approach is aimed at enabling people to
become aware that they should be the
originators of their own thinking and feeling.
Adult education works on the principle of
intrinsic motivation, active participation,
liberated thinking, self direction etc.

5. The individual who contributed the most to making andragogy
known was the American Malcolm Knowles. His book, The
Modern Practice of Adult Education: Andragogy versus Pedagogy
made the concept known in the United States (Knowles, 1970).
Knowles defined andragogy as “the art and science of helping
adults learn”. This was a narrower approach than the one that
was prevalent in Europe up to that time. Knowles’s andragogy
was, to some extent, very practically oriented. In general, one
could say that he explained andragogy with a set of assumptions
about adult learners and made some recommendations
concerning planning, directing, and evaluating adults learning.

6. Their self-concept moves from one of being a dependent personality towards
being a selfdirected human being;
They accumulate a growing reservoir of experience that becomes
an increasingly rich resource for learning;
Their readiness to learn becomes oriented increasingly towards the
developmental tasks of their social roles;
Their time perspective changes from one of postponed application
of knowledge to immediacy of application, and, accordingly, their orientation towards learning
shifts from one of subject-centeredness to one of performance-centeredness;
As a person matures, the motivation to learn is internal;

7. ■ Adults learn best when they are involved in diagnosing, planning,
implementing, and evaluating their own learning.
• The role of the facilitator is to create and maintain a supportive
climate that promotes conditions necessary for learning to take place.
• Adult learners have a need to be self-directing.
• Readiness for learning increases when there is a specific need to
know.
• Life’s reservoir of experience is a primary learning resource; the life
experiences of others add enrichment to the learning process.
• Adult learners have an inherent need for immediacy of application.
• Adults respond best to learning when they are internally motivated to

8. When Malcolm Knowles updated his theory of andragogy in 1984, he also suggested that
there were four principles that should be applied to all adult learning.
Adults need to be directly involved in the planning of their learning opportunities
and benefit more from each experience when they can also be involved in the evaluation of
their instruction.
. Adults often learn directly from their personal experiences, including the
mistakes that they may make. These personal experiences become the foundation for all
current and future learning opportunities.
Adults prefer to learn about subjects or information that have an immediate
relevance to them. This means the most effective learning occurs when there is a direct
impact on an individual’s career or in their personal life.
Adults learn from a problem-centered perspective instead of being content-
oriented, which is typically the perspective of a child-based curriculum.

9. Malcolm Knowles recognized that adults are able to
learn better when they have an active role in their
own education. This goes beyond the completion of
an assignment or an ability to work with a team of
fellow students. Adults learn better when they are
an integral part of curriculum development. When
the classroom environment offers multiple methods
of providing feedback, adult learners are able to
focus more on the activities, materials, and exams
that are required.

10. Knowles also recognized that adults learn better
through practical application and practice. Instead of
sitting in a classroom and memorizing information,
adults need to be in real-world settings applying the
concepts that are being learned. When these
concepts are able to translate to their personal life or
give them an advantage in their career, then even
more of the information being provided to them will
be retained.

11. It is a process in which individuals take initiative, with or without the help of others, to
diagnose the learning goals, identify resources for learning, select and implement
learning strategies & evaluate learning outcomes.
According to BOLHUIS

12. ■ Self- Motivation
■ Self- Management
■ Self Monitoring
■ Self Modification

13. ■ Goal Setting Skills
■ Processing Skills
■ Decision Making Skills
■ Self Awareness
■ Content Competence
■ Cognitive Skills

14. ■ Learner Autonomy means learner’s growing independence & responsibility to self
direction in the learning process.
There are four components of learner’s
autonomy;
 Cognitive and Meta Cognitive Component
 Affective and Motivational Component
 Action Oriented Component
 Social Component

15.  Cognitive and Meta Cognitive Component
Knowledge, awareness and Learner’s Intelligence
 Affective and Motivational Component
Feelings, Emotions, Motivation & Willingness
 Action Oriented Component
Skills, Learner’s Behaviours & Decision
 Social Component
Learning with Parents, Friends and Teachers

17. ■ It refers to sum up the components of learner’s autonomy in terms of learner’s
competencies, skills, choices and decision making process. It is all about the
management of own learning of individual
■ It is structurally dynamic because each component is directly related to all the
others .
■ It is functionally dynamic, because learners can decide to enter the model from
any component and to move freely from one component to another without
following a given path, according to their need and purpose.

18. THANKS A LOT!
poojawaliakuk@gmail.com