Adult education based onAndragogy are becoming more and more common, especially in terms ofeducational engineering. Each year, trainers redouble their efforts to offer the best training plans and thus optimize apprenticeship, regardless of the sector and sector. Andragogy is a neologism that evolves over time and improves from year to year to the delight of adults who crave knowledge. Here are five popular methods in 2021.
Practical solutions to improve your skills
Improving skills is a must for adults. It allows you to evolve in a professional career and to obtain the best positions within a company. To help employees evolve, the #CoCreaTIC project has established a list of the five skills that are useful today. It is about:
- Critical thinking. This skill is defined as the ability to develop a critical sense independently. It allows both knowledge and ideas to be analyzed well. It focuses on various processes that refer to personal judgment and processes that affect a specific value system. This thinking takes into account the context, the various criteria as well as the feelings of others.
- Creativity. This process is based on the design of a completely new solution that is both innovative and relevant. It forms a whole process intended to respond to a problem or a specific situation adapted to the context.
- La collaboration. It is also necessary for adults who work in teams. This skill helps them to understand things and to work in harmony with their colleagues. It gives them the opportunity to focus on a common goal.
- Computational thinking. In reality, this competence is a package. It results in metacognitive and cognitive strategies that are linked to the process of organizing various structures that are both complex and logical. The aim is, among other things, to model, identify and decompose knowledge.
- Problem solving. This competence is based on the ability to identify the various problems that need to be faced. Finding effective solutions is then required.
The SMART objective
The SMART goal is a simple and practical way that every adult should know in order to succeed in their professional and personal lives. This technique helps to carry out quarterly reports of activities and is useful for achieving good results.
- S stands for specific. It's about setting specific goals by choosing an action verb.
- M means measurable. Goals should be easy to measure. The aim is to break them up into small sequences to facilitate the visualization of progress.
- A as achievable and ambitious. It is a challenge that must be achieved, and that we must be able to achieve.
- R is for realistic. It is advisable to choose goals that the subject is in a position to achieve in the short or medium term. Ambitions must absolutely remain realistic.
- Finally, T means temporally defined. It is essential to specify a date for the start and the end of a project.
Lifelong learning
Lifelong learning is an andragogical trend that's not likely to go away any time soon. It is in fact one of the pillars of this concept, which is becoming more and more well known. Thanks to the adage “it's never too late to learn”, the vision of learning has changed. Many celebrities enjoyed success when they were no longer very young. We can cite Paul Cézanne, Joseph Conrad, Alan Rickman or Fauja Singh in particular. Lifelong learning has existed for several decades, but only started to become popular in the age of digitalization, which made access to training easier. An employee who wants to develop in his career can broaden his knowledge and skills by taking courses, for example by elearning. Thus, even if positions change, lifelong learning allows you to remain employable, without having to go through an adaptation phase. This method of andragogy has also encouraged professional retraining. Workers who are not or no longer fulfilled in their job can thus consider changing careers. It is therefore more and more common for a doctor to become a merchant or for a lawyer to decide to start organizing events. Training, including andragogy, is now an integral part of the lives of adults in search of knowledge. It is an effective way to move forward and improve the quality of life. The attitude to learning has changed in a positive and rewarding way.
Customized professional training
In 2021, the organization of tailor-made vocational training, based on andragogy, is a real trend. Trainers organize courses to meet specific needs. In these ways of learning, they especially favor active methods that are very successful with adults. The courses offered introduce learners to certain sectors and courses according to specific themes and objectives. They can take place in person, online, or use a mixture of both - what is called Blended Learning.
- Among the most well-known active methods are project-based learning. Collective or individual, it allows knowledge to be passed on through concrete projects.
- Discovery-based learning calls on the cognitive capacity of the learner. Instead of presenting information as a finished product, the teacher ensures that learners can transform it to better assimilate it.
- Experiential learning is based on the diverse experiences that mark learners. It finds all its value in direct contact as long as it is thoughtful. Generally, this active method does not have a buffer zone or mediation, taking place in a previously defined context. It encourages learners to reflect on both themselves and the context.
To improve their skills, adults can use their personal training account (CPF) or go through the company where they work. Indeed, companies have everything to gain by helping their employees improve and acquire new knowledge. Most offer solutions in this direction, and you should not hesitate to take advantage of them!
