While there are many different roles in Learning and Development (and we’re not just saying that, we’ve actually counted!), one thing remains true for all of them – they all need the basics. And what can be more foundational than the adult learning principles? Enter Andragogy!
What is Andragogy?
Developed over many years and finally refined by Malcolm Knowles in 1968, andragogy is the art and science of adult learning, as opposed to pedagogy, which focuses on educating children.
Originally Knowles outlined four principles of adult learning in his early work. Later, he expanded his theory to include six key principles. They are as follows:
Need to Know – Adults need to understand why they are learning something and how it can benefit them. Moreover, the reason needs to be deeply relevant to them and their context.
Self-Concept – Adults want to be self-directed in their learning, not just passive recipients of information. They need to be in control of the learning experience and make their own decisions.
Experience – The prior knowledge and experience of adults is the foundation upon which new learning can occur. Effective learning connects with and builds on this experience.
Readiness to Learn – Adults are most ready to learn when they see a direct application to their real-life roles, tasks, or challenges. In other words, they want to know if it can help them solve an immediate problem or a need.
Orientation to Learning – Adults are problem-centered rather than content-centered. They prefer learning that helps them solve real-world problems rather than just acquiring abstract knowledge.
Motivation to Learn – While external motivators (like promotions or incentives) can play a role, adults are mostly driven by intrinsic motivation—the desire for self-improvement, mastery, and growth.
Is it just us or are there a lot of overlaps in these principles?
Pros and Cons
There are some fairly obvious pros to applying andragogy in the workplace:
Learners can take ownership of their learning and therefore be more engaged with it
They can make the process more meaningful and relevant to their needs
The focus is on real-world application back on the job
Learner motivation is usually increased when people are invested in the learning process
The learning experience can be quite flexible and adaptable so that it can fit different people, industries, and both organizational and personal needs.
But this does come with some cons too:
Not everyone is ready to be self-directed
It can be hard to implement such learning in an environment that requires structure
The design and delivery of such learning requires very skilled instructional designers and/or facilitators
Because of the assumption that adults have some prior experience, it can be less effective for learners who lack foundational knowledge
How can you use it in L&D?
Andragogy is less concerned with what people learn and more with how they do it. If L&D were to follow the principles, we would need to:
Make Learning Relevant
Tie learning events directly to workplace challenges and goals. This can be done by carefully crafting and communicating the learning objectives, using relevant examples and case studies that learners can related to, using the same language and jargon learners use, etc.
Encourage Self-Direction
Let learners choose topics, set learning goals, and control their pace. Set up an environment where people can access and choose what learning they consume. This could be done online via a Learning Management System that curates relevant learning content, a SharePoint page with a clever use of tags or a simple learning calendar with all planned events.
Use Experiential Learning
Replace long lectures with case studies, real-world projects, and problem-solving activities. We often learn more by doing the work than by listening to someone else talk about it.
Facilitate Peer Learning
Create environments where employees can learn from each other through discussions and collaboration. These types of spaces can be both online (Slack, Discord, Teams, etc.) and offline (brown bag lunches, internal TED-style conferences, networking events, etc.)
Apply Learning Immediately
Provide opportunities for hands-on practice and reflection. At the end of each learning event have clear calls to action, something learners can do immediately and have a quick win to give them enough momentum to keep going. Make it as easy as possible to apply what they are learning.
Example
To design and deliver an effective leadership program for middle managers, you could:
Ask participants what are the actual challenges they face in their day-to-day via surveys, interviews, and focus groups. Look for issues around performance management, conflict resolution, delegation, time management, people development, team engagement, motivating others, and so on. Then, design learning interventions that address those challenges specifically.
Allow participants to choose what learning events and content to engage in. Offer them a wide variety, including workshops, peer learning, coaching, mentoring, reading materials (books and articles), videos, project work, networking events, problem-solving activities, etc. For each, have a clear list of objectives that help learners connect the event or content to their challenges and understand what they will gain by engaging with it.
For each learning event or content, give them a list of actions they can take to apply what they’ve learned. For example, “delegate a task to one of your direct reports”, “write a list of learning opportunities you can offer your team members” or “book a meeting with your manager to discuss your career progression”. It needs to be a low-hanging fruit to give them the boost they need to continue applying what they’re learning.
Conclusion
Andragogy isn’t just a learning theory—it’s a mindset shift that changes how we approach corporate learning. When we move away from information overload and toward self-directed, experience-based learning, we can create learning that sticks.
Here’s your call to action: If you could change one thing about workplace learning to make it more andragogical, what would it be?