Andragogy
In “The Adult Learner,” Knowles identified the root of Pedagogy as “paid” (child) and “agogus” (leader of), and combined the two to mean the “art and science of leading children.” That tells me that Andragogy is the “art and science of leading adults.”
Since I’m studying this topic in the context of the Criminal Justice profession, I’m thinking we should be looking at the “art and science of leading adults in Criminal Justice.”
Knowles’ definition shows the strong link between leading and learning. Knowles is known (by me, anyway) as the “father” of modern andragogy.
So, what’s the difference between andragogy and pedagogy?
My first exposure to pedagogy was with a CJ textbook author, with whom I was discussing using a text he had compiled for a basic terrorism understanding course I was putting together. He said, “Good luck with the course — I would be very interested to hear about your pedagogy and how your class responds.”
I honestly had to look up the meaning of pedagogy. That led me to the study of andragogy, which I quickly learned was the foundation of my teaching style.
Here’s the essence . . .
Pedagogy says that the role of the teacher should *NOT* be primarily one of facilitating learning. There is an assumption that the fundamental system of educational design requires that teachers approach design of instruction as interacting elements not as a sequence of events.
So what’s the difference between interacting elements and a sequence of events?
