Pedagogy and andragogy

The Decision of Teaching Methods

The decision of a form to sue in teaching is entirely in the hands of the lecturer, as long as it is one of the formal methods of instruction. However, the intended demographic must be considered when choosing an instructional method; for example, juvenile learners are inherently different from adult learners and, as such, require different learning strategies than adults, and vice versa. The two key approaches to teaching are pedagogy and andragogy, both tailored to a different audience and motivated by a series of concepts that are mostly distinct from one another. This paper shall delve into the distinction between these approaches, however, it is important to note that as a general comparison, andragogy sees the target audience as mature and independent in a manner that requires no supervision and promotes self-discipline. Pedagogy, on the other hand, sees the learner as a young person who requires supervision and strict instruction in the learning process. This paper has an introduction that outlines the paper ad provides a background, a discussion section that delves in the comparison and contrast of the approaches, a proposed method in a case study and finally a conclusion that sums up the contents of the paper.

Comparisons

In both approaches to learning, grades are involved. The education system is structured such that regardless of what methods is employed in teaching, there must be a means of ensuring that the learner has grasped what he or she has been told. Additionally, both teaching approaches have instructors who guide the students and offers help where necessary (Boer, 2004).

Contrast

The significance of graded in both field varies greatly In pedagogy, grades are significant and carry almost the entire weight of the student’s work while in andragogy the graded may have minimal importance since the focus is on the content learned and its applicability rather than the graded aspects of it, it could be said that the grades are a formality. The target audience in pedagogy is often the young and the youth who are often of the same age group or age set while the learner in andragogy is adults who can vary wildly in terms of age. Pen ultimately, the learners in pedagogy approaches often have no previous learning experience in the subject matter while those of andragogy often are engaging in additional studies that could aid in enhancing their careers. Last but not least, the learner teacher relationship in pedagogy is top down while for the andragogy approach, it tends to be diagonal or even horizontal (Jong, & Joolingen, 1998).

Principles From Either Approach

In a class of personnel from an organization on matters of sexual harassment, the instructional model would largely be andragogy. These are adults that have previous experience on the matter, however, principles from both approaches can be employed to the scenario. From this perspective, the instructors can employ Learning by listening, Discovery learning, Blended learning and Learning through discussion and debate. These principles and aspect overlap in both approaches and are often only distinct in the manner they are applied to the situation and audience (Usman, 2015).

Conclusion

Pedagogy and andragogy are two approaches to education that are distinct from one another while overlapping in certain areas at the same time. The distinction is in terms of target audiences while the overlap is in terms of underlying principles. It is thus ciucuial, that every teacher realise his target group and aligns it to the appropriate learning methodology.

References

Boer, W.F. de (2004). Flexibility support for a changing university. Doctoral dissertation.

Faculty of Educational Science and Technology, University of Twente. Enschede, NL: Twente University Press.

Jong, T. de & Joolingen, W.R. van (1998). Scientific discovery learning with computer

simulations of conceptual domains. Review of Educational Research, (68), 179-202.

Usman, Y. H. (2015). Differences between Pedagogical and Andragogical Methods of Teaching and the Preference of Andragogy for the Teaching of Adults. International Journal of African and Asian Studies, 58-62.