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pedagogy

American  
[ped-uh-goh-jee, -goj-ee] / ˈpɛd əˌgoʊ dʒi, -ˌgɒdʒ i /

noun

pedagogies plural
  1. the function or work of a teacher; teaching.

  2. the art or science of teaching; education; instructional methods.


pedagogy British  
/ -ˌɡɒdʒɪ, ˈpɛdəˌɡɒɡɪ, -ˌɡəʊdʒɪ /

noun

  1. the principles, practice, or profession of teaching

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

Etymology

Origin of pedagogy

First recorded in 1570–80; from Middle French pédagogie, from Greek paidagōgía “office of a child's tutor.” See pedagogue, -y 3

Explanation

Pedagogy is another word for education, the profession and science of teaching. Pedagogy and pedagogue come from the Greek paidos "boy, child" plus agogos "leader." Pedagogy refers to the teaching profession as well as the science of education, for example as a college subject. This might be one reason that the word, pedagogue, is often used for a teacher who is overly interested in rules and details, hence the science of teaching, rather than actually getting through to his or her students.

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Vocabulary lists containing pedagogy

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The Theory of Planetary Social Pedagogy is a way of learning applicable to all societal sectors.

From Science Daily • Oct. 25, 2023

When it was published in 2011 in The International Journal of Critical Pedagogy, it reached the publication’s niche audience.

From New York Times • Jul. 15, 2020

Pedagogy should not be confused with therapy or reduced to zones of emotional safety.

From Salon • Feb. 18, 2019

As I wrote in an essay, Unscripting Curriculum: Toward a Critical Trans Pedagogy, published recently in the Harvard Educational Review, schools were not designed to support trans and non-binary children who defy imposed identity categorization.

From Slate • Mar. 2, 2018

The Herbart School of Pedagogy has created much stir in Germany in the last thirty years.

From The Elements of General Method Based on the Principles of Herbart by McMurry, Charles Alexander

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