Effective andragogical strategies: What works with teachers? Reflection on practice

Abstract

Andragogy focuses upon methods and practices of helping adults learn. Autonomy, self-direction, relevance to one’s life’s experience and knowledge, tapping into the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains are all learning principles of how adults learn best. This research aimed at identifying successful strategies which facilitate effective adult learning. Several sessions were carried out with groups of professionals working within secondary education (ages 10 to 16), including: the academic team, learning area leaders, teachers, and learning support assistants. A learning process framework was developed and used as the basis of each planned session. Feedback from each group of participants was collected. The main observations denoted from the study reiterated that the learning process framework adopted enhanced the teachers’ grasp of theories and their application to the classroom. Feedback received highlighted the importance of frequent, short, professional learning sessions. Further research is needed to determine the long-term effectiveness of professional training.

Keywords: Andragogy; reflective practice; action research; teacher education; learning process framework.