The term andragogy is not used very often and therefore it is not surprising that most people are not familiar with it. More familiar are terms such as pedagogy/pedagogy/ or didactics. So what is the difference?
Pedagogy is a discipline that deals with the theories and practical aspects of the education and upbringing of adolescents. It explores issues relating to the effective transmission of knowledge, skills and values in formal and non-formal education, as well as ways to promote the development of personality and social behaviour of individuals. The aim of pedagogy is to develop theoretical and practical models of education that can be used to achieve effective and meaningful learning for all.
Didactics is part of pedagogy and focuses on the practical aspects of education. It is a discipline that deals with theories and methods for the effective transfer of knowledge and skills within formal education. Didactics focuses on issues such as curriculum design, the choice of teaching materials and methods, assessment and evaluation of the learning process, and how to support student development. The aim of didactics is to develop theoretical and practical models of education that can be used to achieve effective and efficient education.
Now we come to the concept of andragogy. It is a discipline that deals with the theories and practical aspects of adult education. Andragogy differs from other areas of education, such as pedagogy, in that it focuses on the specific needs and characteristics of adult learners. These needs include, for example, the need to take responsibility for their own learning, the need for learning that is relevant to practical life, and the need for learning that enables adults to develop their knowledge and skills. The aim of andragogy is to develop theoretical and practical models of education that can be used to achieve effective and meaningful learning for adults.
In principle, the difference between pedagogy and andragogy is subtle. Both terms represent disciplines concerned with education but focus on different target groups. Pedagogy focuses on the education and upbringing of children and adolescents, while andragogy focuses on adult education. These two fields also differ in their approaches to education and the methods they use.
In most cases, adult education takes place in the evening, i.e. by distance learning, usually at weekends or after working hours. Recently, however, a very dynamic form of online learning has been developing, whereby the adult population can learn from the comfort of their own home thanks to the Internet, thus saving a considerable amount of their time, which they can devote to family or hobbies, for example. Among the proven online educational institutions in the Czech Republic, we mention for example the European Academy of Education (www.europeanacademy.cz), which is a unique option for online studies ranging from apprenticeships to university programs in economics, business, management and law at the BBA, MBA, LL.M. and other levels.
Resources:
https://pedf.cuni.cz/cs/katedry-a-oddeleni/katedra-teorie-a-didaktiky-pedagogiky/pedagogika
https://www.eduwiki.cz/wiki/Pedagogika
https://www.andragogika.cz/andragogika/
https://www.vzdelavani-dospelich.cz/andragogika/