In this 2017 article, Jon Roepke describes how education technology can support both pedagogical and andragogical approaches, along with the flipped classroom, STEM access for girls and a global view of learning. The section below, added in 2026, explains the terms in more detail and looks at what research says about each approach in school.
Tech enables the future of our children
by Jon Roepke
Innovations in the EdTech industry enable differentiated learning experiences inside and outside the school room. Using technology, children have the world at their fingertips, allowing them an opportunity to discover and unlock their unlimited potential. Educators are increasingly embracing the flipped classroom model instead of the traditional classroom model. In the flipped classroom, students watch or read lectures at home on their mobile devices, freeing up classroom time for getting clarification from their teachers, collaborating with students for projects or working on other hands-on activities. We are beginning to consider more customized modes of learnings that cater to the strengths of the individual student. Let’s explore a few different ways EdTech is shaping the future of education.
Andragogy vs. Pedagogy
Our primary and secondary education systems have implemented tech to broaden our educational methods to include both pedagogical and andragogic approaches to learning. Pedagogy, which literally means “leading children,” refers to the teacher-centric classroom approach where children are prescribed a set of concepts to learn and are incentivized to learn them to advance to the next level. Andragogy was a term coined by Malcom Knowles and refers to the art and science behind teaching adults, who are believed to be more self-directed and explorative in their learning process. In this model, technology can act as an aid for both approaches by allowing teachers to deliver interactive presentations, assign online projects and share helpful tools and resources while granting students access to the knowledge and resources that they need to individualize their learning process.
This methodology allows students the self-satisfaction of pursuing their own education. Outside biases can no longer be enacted in the classroom which permits all students, no matter their background, an equal chance to learn and explore. A 2014 report from the Alliance for Excellent Education and the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education finds that tech plays a remarkable role in closing the achievement gap for at-risk students. The study finds that tech used in an interactive, explorative manner increases student achievement and stimulates engagement, particularly with at-risk students.
Educational apps like Verso allow for students to anonymously partake in discussions prompted by the teacher, which leads to rich discussion full of new ideas and unrestricted possibilities. Screencastify is another app that allows teachers to record demo lecture videos for students to watch at home.
EdTech tools also allow the individual to choose what topics they want to learn more about. Students are given the opportunity to shift their learning orientation towards whatever fascinates them, molding them into passionate future doctors, teachers, lawyers, engineers or writers. Students can select topics for learning that resonate with their own passions and interests.
STEM – For All
According to the National Girls’ Collaborative Project, boys and girls have similar achievement levels and abilities when it comes to math and science, but differ in levels of confidence and interest in STEM subjects. A 2016 NGC Project report reveals that women receive 50 percent of all science and engineering degrees and of these females, only 28 percent move on to careers in science and engineering fields. Offering STEM early with a focus on including our bright young female minds can help increase this percentage by allowing both boys and girls to develop the growth mindset necessary to pursue lasting STEM careers. Women make up half of the total U.S. college-educated workforce, but only 29 percent of the science and engineering workforce, according to the 2016 NGC Project report. By leveraging EdTech tools, young girls can have limitless exposure to every topic and field of study, allowing students to pursue that which most interests them.
A Global View
The unrestricted potential of tech means that there is no limit on our students about what they can learn. Students are exposed to current events, news, and information about other cultures, expanding their knowledge far beyond local regions. Our students are developing a diverse, global view of the world around them. Here in California, we are blessed to be in a melting pot of cultures, ethnic and religious backgrounds. However, for those in more homogenous learning environments, technology is one platform to inject diversity into our classrooms. Skype’s real-time translation tool lifts the language barrier between students of different cultures, allowing them to communicate with and relate to just about anyone. Lifting cultural boundaries like language for our children helps them to develop into open-minded adults that possess the ability to relate to others no matter their background or beliefs.
Every student in our future generation is truly destined for great opportunities, no matter their ethnic background, gender, religious beliefs, or socioeconomic status. Technology is a tool that each student can use to unleash their full potential. We should embrace the transition towards using technology to create passionate students who will eventually grow into diverse, accepting and successful adults. Tech enables the future of our children. Their future is quite literally at their fingertips.
Pedagogy vs andragogy: what the terms mean and what the evidence says
Jon Roepke raised the question of pedagogy vs andragogy in 2017 to explain how classroom technology can serve both teacher-led and self-directed learning. The distinction is often repeated in education writing, and it is worth knowing where it comes from, how well it holds up and how it applies to students in school.
Where the terms come from
Pedagogy refers to the teaching of children, and the approach is usually described as teacher-led, with the teacher deciding what is learned and in what order. Andragogy refers to the teaching of adults. As Roepke explains above, the term is associated with Malcolm Knowles, who argued that adults are more self-directed and bring more experience to learning. The history is somewhat broader than that. A 2006 paper by Eric Moberg, listed in the federal ERIC database, notes that the word andragogy goes back to nineteenth-century Germany and reached American education through Lindeman in 1926. The same paper holds that Knowles’ core claim, that adults learn differently from children and need tailored education, holds up, while adding that Knowles overreached and relied on weak empirical evidence. A 2009 review by Valerie McGrath in the Irish journal The Adult Learner examined the evidence for Knowles’ model and concluded that the framework remains useful for adult educators, and a 2010 synthesis by Sang Chan described its wide adoption across fields.
The fair reading of these sources is that andragogy is a useful set of ideas about adult motivation, and not a tested theory with firm measurements behind it. That matters when schools borrow it. A 1992 paper by Ron Newson, also listed in ERIC, found that Montessori’s ideas conflict with Knowles on pedagogy but suggest that andragogy could suit children in some cases. The two terms are therefore best read as tendencies in how much direction a learner needs, and not as two separate kinds of student.
What research says about flipped instruction
Roepke describes the flipped classroom as an example of using class time for questions and projects while lectures are viewed at home. Researchers have studied this model at some length, and the results are positive but need to be read with care. A 2021 meta-analysis by Gang Zhu in Educational Technology Research and Development combined 53 effects from 27 studies and found that flipped instruction moderately outperformed traditional instruction on achievement, while noting that the analysis detected publication bias, which means that studies with weak results may be missing from the published record. A 2025 three-level meta-analysis by Shuqin Li, Wenke Fu, Xu Liu and Gwo-Jen Hwang in Review of Educational Research combined 129 studies, 399 effect sizes and 12,727 students and reported significant positive effects on overall performance and on both cognitive and affective outcomes, with the size of the effect depending on region, the outcome measured and whether the same instructor taught both groups. Flipped instruction therefore looks promising on average, but the effect varies, and a school should expect results to depend on how well the in-class time is planned.
What this means for leaders and teachers
Use the terms as a prompt to ask who decides what is learned. Younger students need more structure, and older students can often take more of the planning.
When trying a flipped lesson, make sure that every student can view the material at home or at school, and check that the class time is used for work that needs a teacher.
Keep the claims modest. Roepke writes that technology removes outside biases from the classroom. The sources reviewed for this update do not test that claim, so a school should check its own results by student group.
Offer choices in topic and format within a clear structure, as a way of borrowing andragogy’s emphasis on self-direction.
Roepke’s article also cites a 2014 report on technology and at-risk students and 2016 statistics on women in science and engineering. Readers who use those figures should look for newer editions of the sources, because the numbers have likely changed.
Director of Product Management, Belkin’s Education division
Jon Roepke, Director of Product Management for Belkin’s Education division, leads Belkin’s overall education strategy and accompanying product offerings. Roepke ensures Belkin’s award-winning education product suite focuses on enabling seamless integration of technology to enhance every learning experience. Through hands-on research, spending time in classrooms and frequent interaction with teachers, Roepke defines and develops solutions for next-gen learning environments. In his role at Belkin, Roepke is directly responsible for primary research, roadmap development and solution delivery for K-12 and secondary education markets worldwide.
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