Wonkhe recently published a piece arguing that high-quality learning means investing in educators so they grasp the pedagogy of AI. That's a sensible stance. If teachers don't understand how AI can augment learning, they'll either ignore it or panic and ban it (spoiler: banning rarely works).

The article makes good points about teaching staff needing professional development to confidently navigate AI tools. But here's the twist that makes the rest of us nod knowingly: training educators in AI isn't just about pedagogy. It's about embracing adragogy — the art and science of teaching adults.

Wait, what's adragogy? It's basically pedagogy's older, wiser cousin. While pedagogy assumes learners are empty vessels to be filled, adragogy recognises that adults show up with experience, opinions, resistance, and lives outside the classroom. Treating them like children just because they need to learn a new tool doesn't help.

Adragogy Beats Pedagogy for AI Training

• Adults self-direct: Teachers don't want someone telling them what to do with AI. They want frameworks they can adapt to their context.
• Experience matters: Most educators already have rich practice knowledge. They don't need to be lectured about learning; they need to integrate AI into what they already know works.
• Problem-centred learning > theory dumps: If you want teachers to care about AI, show them how it solves real problems in the classroom, not slide after slide of abstract pedagogy.

Imagine a CPD session where instead of "here's AI pedagogy," it becomes "you've got 20 minutes to improve this assessment with an AI tool — go." That's adragogy. That's adult learning that sticks.

Wonkhe's article is a solid reminder that investing in educator capability matters. But for that investment to actually work, we need to trust that educators aren't blank slates. They're professionals. Treating them like adults learning sophisticated tools isn't a nice-to-have. It's essential.