Andragogy: learning at advanced ages

Although learning has traditionally been associated with childhood, adolescence and youth, what It is true that the capacity of human beings to learn exists throughout their entire career. vital.

In this article We will see what Andragogy consists of, the discipline that is responsible for researching how learning occurs at advanced ages.

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The change in conception about aging

During the beginning of history, the term aging has been linked to a connotation of deterioration and inability to effectively perform the various roles usually assigned to earlier stages of the cycle vital. 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 of 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 journey ahead of him, which is beginning 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 as well. 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 changes and cultural), the psychological (adaptation to different personal circumstances) and the biological (capacity of the biological organism of the individual).

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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 situations concrete everyday activities, as well as defined with a real purpose and the provision of a very significant level of intrinsic motivation and determinant.

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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 reflect through a methodology based on open questions that facilitates the effective completion of the self-assessment process of said learning.
• The promotion of a more collective, cooperative and participatory form of work.

Theoretical bases of the andragogical model of education

The main components in the mndragogic model of adult education They focus on the following topics:

1. is defined as a non-face-to-face and inclusive teaching system in which it is taken into account that each apprentice presents specific vital characteristics, some objectives that can be very different, whether related to personal development or the development professional.
2. It's found adapted to the social needs of the adult, where the level of capacity, experience and previously acquired learning is respected, for what is required is a methodology that considers the existence of different styles of learning.
3. He fulfillment of needs related to social advances in terms of innovation, knowledge and imagination;
4. It is a phenomenon that can extend throughout the entire life period covering different stages and periods of the individual's life.
5. 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.

Determining factors in adult learning

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 learning individual can be highlighted, such as what type of objectives is raised when receiving said instruction (whether they refer to a personal or professional purpose), what means are available to level of logistics, time/schedules, etc., to invest in the process or other factors related to the social context in which it is located signed up.

Among the personal factors, the level of capacity, competence and ability for learning, motivation and interest in the subject stand out. content, the level of tolerance for failure, emotional stability to combat worries and uncertainties about the results obtained, the cognitive skills such as attention, memory, language, concentration, etc., or the existence of behavioral habits adaptive, 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 learner profiles adult.

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, the theoretical visual-verbal and the 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 contents, the work carried out therefore presents an interdisciplinary aspect and there is a greater possibility of generalizing the learning 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, disposition of the study schedule, etc., as well as in the evaluation itself on the way in which said work is being carried out. 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 stages vital.