Module 1 table of contents

MODULE 1: THEORY

SECTION 1.5: CONCLUSION

Following its proposal in 1970's by Malcolm Knowles, many adult educators rushed to embrace the notion of andragogy, relegating directed learning to the scrap heap of outmoded approaches to education. As touched on in this first module, however, there has more recently been growing recognition that both andragogy and pedagogy have their place in education. Moreover, rather than being viewed as two separate approaches, they are more effectively used as a teaching-learning continuum, a well-stocked "toolbox" if you will for dealing with the complex and fluid nature of learning. That said, the love affair with andragogy has served education well in that it has underscored the benefits of dealing with learners of all ages in a more humanistic manner than was the case in the past. The next module will turn to more practical (versus theoretical) considerations for working with adult learners, while the third and final module will return to the notion of a teaching-learning continuum.