For me, it was not difficult to separate studying and teaching in adult education. The difference is clear: learning is a process of acquiring knowledge, while teaching is an act of transferring knowledge. I recognize that the goals of a teacher and a student align, and they aim to transfer knowledge from one person to another. Since the learners’ experiences play a crucial part in andragogy, it might be difficult to distinguish between learning and teaching. A teacher in adult education transfers knowledge in a less direct way by providing the reasons for students to seek understanding of new knowledge.
Considering that this concept overviews methods and strategies of adult education, andragogy can be regarded as a theory of learning. In adult education, the role of a teacher is to inspire students due to their high levels of independence (Loeng & Omwami, 2018). It emphasizes the reasons why adults can seek to acquire new knowledge and revolves around the idea that an adult is task-centered and relies heavily on the existing knowledge base (Knowles et al., 2014). It aims to help teachers to utilize these tendencies to achieve the best possible result.
In the past few weeks, I have learned that adult education requires a teacher to be able to provide the reasoning behind the need to study new material. Students’ perception of the necessity to learn new material can increase knowledge retention and the willingness of a student to gain a complete comprehension of the subject (Knowles et al., 2014). I have learned that a strong focus on individual study is vital, and personal growth is a fundamental concept in adult education. The nature of interactions between teachers and their students is a dialogue between equals.
References
Knowles, M. S., III, E. F., & Swanson, R. A. (2014). The adult learner: The definitive classic in adult education and human resource development. Routledge.
Loeng, S., & Omwami, e. (2018). Various ways of understanding the concept of andragogy. Cogent Education, 5(1). Web.