Andragogy: learning in later life

People of mature age have characteristic learning styles with a lot of potential.

Although learning has traditionally been associated with childhood, adolescence and youth, the truth is that the capacity of human beings to learn exists throughout their lives.

In this article we will see what Andragogy consists inIn this article we will see what is Andragogy, the discipline that is in charge of investigating how learning takes place at advanced ages.

The change of conception about aging

The term aging has been linked throughout history 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 antiquity until the last century, individuals in the aging stage have been isolated, abandoned or undervalued.. This traditional tendency was derived from the short life expectancy that has accompanied the human species throughout the centuries.

In recent decades, with the onset and development of the industrial revolution and capitalism as an economic and social system, this nature has been substantially modified, establishing an average life expectancy of 80-85 years in Spain.

A change in mentality

Advances in medicine, technologyThe increase in the number of people with disabilities, 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 terms of 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.

At present, therefore, from the beginning of the vital stage known as old age (around 60 years of age), the individual has a long way to go. the individual has a long life journey ahead of himThis is beginning to move away from the old conception of old age as a period of loss of faculties and incapacity, to be replaced by another more optimistic denomination where the subject can learn new things, can play new roles and can live new personal and social experiences that are equally satisfactory.

Related to this, a recent classification of the definition of the vital stage of old age can be distinguished in this new conception. Thus, it is now possible to not only the chronological age, but also the social age (assumption of theThe social age (assumption of roles), the functional age (adaptation to historical and cultural changes), the psychological age (adaptation to different personal circumstances) and the Biological age (capacity of the individual's biological organism) must also be taken into account.

What is Andragogy?

Andragogy is defined as the discipline that studies the field of education in the adult individual, i.e. the particularities of how learning takes place in adulthood, i.e. the particularities of how learning takes place in adulthood, i.e. the particularities of how learning takes place in adulthood. 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 addressee of a given discipline. Thus, the adult student or learner presents an autonomy, a capacity for reflection, and a level of previous experiences much greater than those of the infantile-juvenile stage.

Among the premises on which Andragogy is centered, the following are mainly differentiated: the fact of presenting a personal and self-directed conception of learning, the influence of previous experience on the learning process, and the influence of previous experience on the learning process.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 provision 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:

• The stimulation of the interest of the learners in that the contents are linked to the resolution of real problems; the objective is not focused on the memorization of abstract and theoretical concepts.
• The invitation to reflection through a methodology based on open questions that facilitates the effective realization of the process of self-evaluation of such learning.
• The favoring of a more collective, cooperative and participative way of working.

Theoretical bases of the andragogical model of education

The main components of the mndragogic model of adult education are centered on the following topics are centered on the following themes:

Determinants of adult learning

The factors that determine the way in which adult learning takes place can be derived from external or environmental aspects and from internal or personal aspects.. Among the first group we can highlight mainly the type of life circumstances surrounding the individual learner, such as what kind of objectives he/she sets for receiving such instruction (whether they refer to a personal or professional purpose), what means are available in terms of logistics, time/schedule, etc., to invest in the process, or other factors related to the social context in which he/she finds him/herself.

Personal factors include the level of capacity, competence and ability for learning, motivation and interest in the content, the level of tolerance to failure, emotional stability to combat worries and uncertainties about the results obtained, cognitive skills such as attention, memory, language, concentration, etc., or the existence of adaptive behavioral habits, among others.

Learning in the elderly

As mentioned above, adult learners have intrinsic characteristics that differentiate them 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, it is possible to give some differentiations in terms of cognitive, physiological and/or affective traits****s that determine how they react to the contents worked on during the learning process. According to this last phenomenon, three dimensions on types of learning attributed to adult learning are distinguished: active-reflexive, visual-verbal-theoretical and pragmatic-global.

As for the defining characteristics of adult learning methodologies, it is worth noting the high level of participation in the classroom. high levels of participation in the classroom, a closer relationship with the learning contextIn terms of the defining characteristics of adult learning methodologies, it is worth mentioning the high level of participation in the classroom, a greater relationship with the context of interaction and its particular problems or situations, learning is more task-oriented and the practical application of the internalized contents, the work carried out is therefore interdisciplinary and there is a greater possibility of generalization of the learning process.

On the other hand, an essential aspect is the autonomy with which each student works in relation to the learning in relation to the learning process. Each individual regulates and organizes him/herself in terms of tasks, time invested, study schedule, etc., as well as in the evaluation of how he/she is learning. We therefore speak of self-planning, self-regulation and self-evaluation of learning.

Conclusion

As it has been seen, Andragogy paradigm shift in the way of conceiving learning as an intrinsically linked phenomenon. as a phenomenon intrinsically linked to childhood and youth. It is necessary to analyze and establish the differences between one type of students and another in order to adapt the methodology and type of contents to ensure that such learning can take place from the early years to the last stages of life.

• It is adapted to the social needs of the adultIt is adapted to the social needs of the adult, where the level of capacity, experience and previously acquired learning is respected, which requires a methodology that takes into account the existence of different learning styles.
• The The fulfillment of the needs related to social advances in terms of innovation in terms of innovation, knowledge and imagination;
• This is a phenomenon that This is a phenomenon that can extend throughout the entire life span It is a phenomenon that can extend throughout the entire life span, encompassing different stages and periods of the individual's life.
• It is understood the figure of the educator is understood as a guide and advisorThe figure of the educator is understood as a guide and advisor, who offers support and facilitates the learning process in a more collaborative and not so much instructional or behavioral way.