Andragogy and Peer Assistance

Your goal as academic mentors is to develop independent, responsible, lifelong learners. The table below is a nice illustration of the differences between teaching (pedagogy) and guided learning (andragogy), and how this applies to your sessions.

	Pedagogy: learning as a child	Andragogy:  learning as an adult	Examples for peer educators
Self-concept	Students are dependent on instructors to manage learning.	Students are independent and self-directed. Instructors guide students toward assuming responsibility for their learning.	Students bring at least one question to each session.
Experience	Students have narrow ranges of experiences. Students receive information from the experienced instructors.	Students have wider ranges of academic and personal experiences, which are valuable resources in a learning setting.	Pairs of students work together on an activity.
Readiness for learning	Instructors employ standard, step-by-step curricula based on students’ developmental readiness according to age and grade.	Students’ social and career interests determine content. Instructors include relevant, real-life activities, as well as social interaction.	Leader presents a complicated, multi-step problem that students solve.
Orientation toward learning	Students acquire knowledge for future use. Instruction is organized according to subject and difficulty levels.	Students expect learning to be for current use. Instruction includes problem-centered content and higher-level thinking.	Leader presents a complicated, multi-step problem that students solve.
Motivation to learn	Students are motivated by external rewards and punishments.	Students are motivated by curiosity and internal incentives to improve and master the content.	At the end of a session, students identify what they learned and what they need to improve on.