The management learning tool: Andragogy

The name andragogy was first used by a German grammar school teacher named Alexander Kapp in 1833 to portray the educational theory of the Greek philosopher Plato. He used it to refer to the normal process by which adults engage in continuing education. The first use of the term "andragogy" to catch the extensive attention of adult educators was in 1968, when Knowles, then a professor of adult education at Boston University, introduced the term (then spelled "andragogy") through a journal article. Andragogy is an educational theory that utilizes the adult’s life experiences to teach and aid in learning rather than using someone else’s experience in an attempt to teach. Since this is a way of teaching and learning, the principles lend andragogy to be accepted as a theory. Andragogy applies to any form of adult learning and has been used extensively in the design of organizational training programs (especially for "soft skill" domains such as management development). Andragogical methods are best when they can be applied are in community situation and industry/corporate situations that are supportive of a self-directed learner. Human Resource departments should also consider andragogical principals when designing their employee development programs, providing the organization whose management style is one that is represented by McGregor’s Theory Y. By placing a value on training and development, employees will be motivated to learn new skills to help them in their career development.