Which term describes the practice of teaching adults?

• A. Andragogy
• B. Pedagogy
• C. Geragogy
• D. Didactics

Answer: (A)

Andragogy is the term for teaching adults. It reflects how adult learners approach learning differently from children, so instruction is designed to engage them effectively. Adults tend to be more self-directed, bring a wealth of prior experience, and want learning to be relevant and immediately applicable to real-life or work-related problems. Because of this, effective adult instruction emphasizes facilitation over lecturing, uses real-world scenarios, invites learners to share their experiences, and often lets them have some control over pace and topics.

This stands in contrast to pedagogy, which describes teaching children and often relies on more teacher-directed methods and structure. Geragogy is sometimes used to refer to education of older adults, but it’s not the general term for teaching adults. Didactics refers to instructional methods focused on delivering content, typically in a more direct, information-transfer style rather than aligning with adult learning preferences.