Although learning has traditionally been associated with childhood, adolescence and youth, the truth is that the human being’s ability to learn exists throughout his or her life.
In this article We will see what Andragogy consists of the discipline that is responsible for researching how learning occurs at advanced ages.
Throughout the beginning of history, the term aging has been linked to a connotation of deterioration and inability to effectively perform the different roles that are usually assigned to previous stages of the life cycle. Thus, from ancient times to the last century, aging individuals have been isolated, abandoned or belittled This very traditional trend was derived from the short life expectancy that has accompanied the human species throughout the centuries.
In recent decades, with the beginning and development of the industrial revolution and capitalism as an economic and social system, this nature has been substantially modified, establishing a life expectancy that is close to 80-85 years on average in Spain.
A change of mentality
Advances in medicine, technology and greater globalized knowledge derived from scientific research, as well as the development of the welfare state by political systems, have contributed to providing a higher quality of life in relation to the type of work performed (less physical), the reduction of the hours corresponding to the working day, the knowledge and application of healthy lifestyle habits, etc.
Currently, therefore, since the life stage called old age begins (around 60 years of age) the individual has a long life path ahead of him which begins to move away from the old conception as a period of loss of faculties and inability to replace it with another more optimistic name where the subject can carry out new learning, can play new roles and can live new personal and social experiences that are equally satisfactory.
Related to this, a recent classification on the definition of the vital stage of old age is distinguished in this new conception. Thus, currently It is necessary to take into account not only the chronological age but the following must also be taken into account: social age (assumption of roles), functional age (adaptation to historical and cultural changes), psychological age (adaptation to different personal circumstances) and biological age (capacity of the individual’s biological organism). .
What is Andragogy?
Andragogy is defined as the discipline that studies the field of education in the adult individual, that is, the particularities of how it is produced. learning in adulthood, maturity and senescence
The establishment of this branch of pedagogy as its own area of study is based on a series of characteristics that differentiate it from other similar sciences. Specifically, the central assumptions are aimed at highlighting the distinction between the recipient of a certain discipline. Thus, the adult student or learner presents autonomy, a capacity for reflection, and a level of previous experiences much greater than those that occur in the childhood and adolescent stage.
The premises on which Andragogy focuses are mainly differentiated: the fact of present a personal and self-directed conception of learning the influence of previous experience for the assumption of new learning and vice versa, an emphasis on learning applied to concrete everyday situations, as well as defined with a real purpose and the availability of a very significant and determining level of intrinsic motivation.
Applications of Andragogy
Among the most relevant applications of this discipline, the following can be highlighted:
Theoretical bases of the andragogical model of education
The main components in the mndragogic model of adult education They focus on the following topics:
is defined as a non-face-to-face and inclusive teaching system in which it is taken into account that each apprentice has specific vital characteristics, objectives that can be very different, whether related to personal development or professional development.
It’s found adapted to the social needs of the adult where the level of capacity, experience and previously acquired learning is respected, which is why a methodology is required that considers the existence of different learning styles.
He fulfillment of needs related to social advances in terms of innovation, knowledge and imagination;
It is a phenomenon that can extend throughout the entire life period covering different stages and periods of the individual’s life.
It is understood the figure of the educator as a guide and advisor which offers support and facilitates the learning process in a more collaborative way and not so much instructional or behavioral.
The factors that determine the way in which learning occurs in adults They can be derived from external or environmental aspects and from internal or personal aspects Among the first group, the type of life circumstances that surround the individual learner can be highlighted, such as what kind of objectives are set when receiving said instruction (whether they refer to a personal or professional purpose), what means are available at the logistics level, time/schedules, etc., to invest in the process or other factors related to the social context in which it is registered.
Among the personal factors, the level of capacity, competence and ability for learning, motivation and interest in the content, the level of tolerance for failure, emotional stability to combat concerns and uncertainties about the results obtained, cognitive abilities stand out. such as attention, memory, language, concentration, etc., or the existence of adaptive behavioral habits, among others.
Learning in the elderly
As mentioned above, the adult student has intrinsic characteristics that differentiate him or her from younger people. Therefore, it is essential not to lose sight of the need to adopt learning styles and methods adapted to the characteristics or peculiarities of each of the different adult learner profiles.
Thus, you can give some differentiations regarding cognitive, physiological and/or affective traits****s that determine how they react to the content worked on during the learning process. Based on this last phenomenon, three dimensions are distinguished regarding types of learning attributed to adult education: active-reflective, theoretical-visual-verbal and pragmatic-global.
Regarding the defining characteristics of adult learning methodologies It is worth highlighting the high participation in the classroom a greater relationship with the context of interaction and its particular problems or situations, learning is more oriented to the task and the practical application of the internalized content, the work carried out therefore presents an interdisciplinary aspect and there is a greater possibility of generalization of the learnings worked.
Besides, An essential aspect is the autonomy with which each student works in relation to the learning carried out. Each individual regulates and organizes himself in terms of tasks, time invested, arrangement of the study schedule, etc., as well as in his own evaluation of how he is carrying out said learning. We therefore speak of self-planning, self-regulation and self-evaluation of learning.
Conclusion
As has been seen, Andragogy represents a paradigm shift in the way of conceiving learning as a phenomenon intrinsically linked to childhood and youth. It is necessary to analyze and establish the differences between one type of student and another in order to adapt the methodology and type of content to ensure that said learning can occur from the first years to the last vital stages.
