You're welcome.

 I agree with you and the others on the list that have made reference to
the overlap of both terms. I think they do too. I also think that if
more "adult" learner practices were utilized in a traditional setting,
improvements might occurr in many areas.  I can also see the benefit of
many skills that cross over from K-12 that fit. I also see daily some
that don't. I can go and observe many k-12 classrooms in my own state 
where teachers still are focused on imparting their knowledge INTO a
student as if they were a sponge trying to soak it up.   I am very
thankful daily for the teachers I had growing  that were so out of the
box and very much student centered that it's never left me.  From them I
learned that learning occurs in a million ways and not all of them come
from a text book.  I was engaged from the moment I entered their doors
until I walked out.  That's not always the case though and for adult
learners especially; we have to make sure we don't make the mistake of
giving them just a workbook though...even if that's all they ask for. We
need to help them find ways to learn that incorporate what they know,
and how they have learned in the past, so that they have some sense of
ownership in their own learning. From my experience, ownership in the
learning process is something that rarely occurs in a traditional k-12
class. There are exceptions most assuredly,...but I don't think it's the
norm.   (None of that may have come out as well as it's racing through
my head. Busy day - so forgive me if it makes no sense.) 

 I also agree  that  authentic materials and authentic assesessment are
most assuredly central to adult learning in my opinion.    I have often
thought or wished I could use the model I use in my adult ed classroom
in a k-12 classroom just to highlight to policy makers and teachers who
do hold on to "traditions" that sometimes, traditions need to evolve and
change to meet the changing demands of the learners filling and leaving
the seats in public school.



>>> Woods <woodsnh at isp.com> 07/11/06 8:26 PM >>>

Katrina Hinson wrote:

http://agelesslearner.com/intros/andragogy.html 

Thank you Katrina. I can see how the two terms differentiated by age of
learner, but I think the world would be a better place if they had not.
There are many teaching concepts from K12 that would fit well in
andragogy such as constructivism, student-centeredness, authentic
materials, authentic assessment and self-assessment, but they often seem
to get badly misinterpreted when put into practice. I think these things
are imperiled even in adult education.

Perhaps a reason why is that teachers tend to teach the way they were
taught. We are prisoners of our own experience. This is how educational
traditions perpetuate. It is extremely difficult to break out, and when
we do, we encounter students who say, "just give me the workbook." I
guess students are prisoners of their experience too. 

Tom Woods
Community High School of Vermont



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