(17 reviews) Author: Malcolm S. Knowles ISBN : 9781856178112 New from $40.45 Format: PDF"A great update of a classic. Should be required reading for anyone involved with adult
learning in schools, businesses and communities."
Sam Stern, Professor & Dean, School of Education, Oregon State University, USA
How do you tailor education to the learning needs of adults? Do they learn differently from children? How does their life experience inform their learning processes?
These were the questions at the heart of Malcolm Knowles’ pioneering theory of andragogy which transformed education theory in the 1970s. The resulting principles of a self-directed, experiential, problem-centred approach to learning have been hugely infl uential and are still the basis of the learning practices we use today. Understanding these principles is the cornerstone of increasing motivation and enabling adult learners to achieve.
This update of a pioneering classic contains all Knowles’ original chapters alongside a newer second part by Elwood "Ed" Holton and Richard A Swanson charting the advancements on these core principles. A third section includes selected readings from previous editions to illustrate the theory’s evolution, as well as important articles from other key experts around the world for a comprehensive view.
This new edition includes:
• New chapter outlines, learning objectives and careful edits of Malcolm Knowles’ work to simplify the original theory
• Updates to the second part to refl ect the very latest advancements in the field
• Revisions throughout to make it more readable and relevant to your practices.
If you are a specialist or student in education, an adult learning practitioner, training manager, or involved in human resource development, this is the definitive book in adult learning you shouldn’t be without.
- Paperback: 416 pages
- Publisher: Taylor & Francis; 7 edition (July 15, 2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1856178110
- ISBN-13: 978-1856178112
- Product Dimensions: 0.9 x 6 x 8.7 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
The Adult Learner PDF
Knowles', Holton's, and Swanson's The Adult Learner serves as a comprehensive overview of the field of adult education. Andragogy, in contrast to pedagogy, is a field that focuses on adult learning and everything that ensues. It is "any intentional and professionally guided activity that aims at a change in adult persons" (Location 1174). It does not merely translate pedagogical principles to an adult context, but it is an attempt to focus on the adult learner and "provide an alternative to the methodology-centered instructional design perspective" (Location 124). This book proposes and argues for six principles of andragogy: the learner's need to know, the self-concept of the learner, the prior experience of the learner, the readiness to learn, the orientation to learning, and the motivation to learn (Location 155). These core principles are set in the context of individual and situational differences, which are subject matter differences, individual learner differences, and situational differences. This is then set in the context of the broader goals and purposes for learning, which are institutional growth, individual growth, and societal growth (Location 164). As a result, this book is separated into three parts: part one focuses on the theory of andragogy, the second part then addresses the context that andragogy takes place, and the last part then elaborates on practice.
The six principles of andragogy are a helpful guide for every educator to ensure maximum engagement, proactive learning, and benefit to one's students. Context is key for adult education, so the learner's past and present experiences bring multiple dimensions to their learning experience. Thus, "if education is life, then life is also education" (Location 748).
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