Pedagogy is a word with Greek roots that literally means “to lead a child.” The word has a variety of definitions in English, the majority of which are related to education. It encompasses the art of teaching, as well as its theory, practice, and methods. Sticklers for definition argue that the term should only be applied to children, and that andragogy should be used to describe the practice, methods, and theories of teaching adults.
Whether or not pedagogy in all of its forms is consciously defined, it is present in most forms of formal education in various ways. This has been the case for a long time. Teachers enter classrooms or other settings with theories or ideas about how to best teach, they choose what materials to cover, and these underlying principals guide their actions and subjects.
Thousands of years ago, there was a formal discussion of pedagogy. In the 5th and 4th centuries BCE, Greece hosted one of the most well-known ancient debates on the subject. The Sophists, itinerant teachers who taught rhetoric to young men all over Greece, plied their trade. Formal schools such as Isocrates’ and Aristotle’s, on the other hand, sought to limit the teaching of rhetoric to specific forms, and philosophers such as Plato, though influential to Aristotle, advocated against teaching it at all. What should be taught and how should it be taught were major pedagogical concerns, and the history of education shows that this question will never be fully resolved.
It could be argued that the expansion of education to almost everyone in many modern societies has simply resulted in a plethora of debates about what learning theory is supposed to be, what subjects should be taught, and how teachers should behave in order to best instruct their students. Many teachers today have a good understanding of their pedagogy. They instruct using the theories of learning that they believe are the most accurate. Learning and practice are used to hone classroom actions.
The specific standards of a teaching facility can also influence the pedagogical approach. The subject matter is unquestionably interesting. Based on country or state standards, an elementary school teacher is frequently told exactly what material to cover. These are also based on pedagogical ideas about the most important subjects for children to learn.
Pedagogy is a term that refers to a group of related concepts. It is made up of learning theories that influence practice and/or subject. Even if it isn’t clearly defined, every teacher has a pedagogy. It is worth defining, however, because a better understanding of the underlying methods that produce various types of teaching and learning can help instructors refine those methods so that they are more effective in their work.