pedagogy

Definitions

From Greek paidagōgos = pais/paid- (child) + agōgos (leader, from agein 'to lead') — originally the household slave who led a child to school. agein is the Greek cousin of Latin agere ('do, drive'). So pedagogy is literally 'the art of leading children' — i.e. teaching, seen as guiding a learner forward step by step.

Why It Means This

Inside pedagogy is the Greek verb agein, 'to lead' (cousin of Latin agere). A paidagōgos was the servant who 'led the child' to school, and the word grew into the whole science of teaching. Teaching, at root, is leading a learner forward — the word names a direction, never a subject.

Common Collocations

• 1.modern pedagogy现代教学法
• 2.critical pedagogy批判教育学
• 3.pedagogy and curriculum教学法与课程

Example Sentences

• 1.

  Modern pedagogy emphasizes active learning over passive memorization.

• 2.

  She wrote her doctoral thesis on language pedagogy.

• 3.

  The reform forced teachers to rethink their basic pedagogy.