Andragogical knowledge and skills for teachers in mainstream education as prevention for ESL*
Thursday 23 July 2015, by
Andragogy is a learner-centred approach to teaching and learning. By incorporating its principles of acknowledging learners as autonomous, self-directed, pragmatically and problem-solving oriented and internally motivated into mainstream education already at early stages, teachers can help prevent ESL.
The aim of this article is to present the role andragogical knowledge plays in tackling ESL, especially through its incorporation into mainstream education. Contrary to teacher-centred, andragogy is a learner-centred approach to learning and teaching. In the paper, we focus on its assumptions, transactional processes, practical implications, methods and advantages it can bring to the learning process, and already existing attempts at such practices in mainstream education. Andragogy builds on the assumptions about learners as autonomous, self-directed, internally motivated, problem-solving-oriented and pragmatically-oriented individuals who have a need to be respected and accepted for their knowledge and experience. Therefore, they tend to be actively involved in the learning process in order to become engaged and productive learners. This then means the adult education process foresees adults as actively engaged in all stages of planning, performing and evaluating the educational experience. The relationship between the learner and teacher in such a setting is equivalent and interactive teaching methods such as group work, group discussions, applied problem-based sessions, project work, hands-on activities and learner guidance and mentoring are compulsory. Since the main problem of potential ESL students is often feelings of alienation from teachers and schools, disconnectedness, low learning motivation, and a search for the purpose and meaning of life, it is necessary for schools to start responding to their learning needs and the learner-based approach provides one of the ways to address their needs. Teachers in mainstream education thus need to be empowered in andragogical knowledge and approaches to learning, its origins, assumptions, practical implications, methods and advantages in order to successfully address different students’ educational needs and help reduce ESL already in mainstream education. It is also important to keep in mind that, if expect teachers to incorporate learner-centred approaches into their work, they themselves need to be taught in the same way we want them to teach.
* The initial idea and concept of the article is the work of Polona Kelava.
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