Paedagogia

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The art or profession of teaching, particularly in relation to children or young people
2. A systematic approach to educating and guiding learners, often emphasizing developmental practices and methods
3. The science of education focusing on instructional strategies and pedagogical theories aimed at enhancing learning outcomes

Etymology: Ancient Greek "paidagōgos" was not a teacher at all. It was the household slave who escorted a boy to and from school, carried his books and kept him out of trouble, while lessons were handled by a "didaskalos." The "paidagōgos" was literally a "child-leader" ("pais" meaning child, "agōgos" meaning leader, from "agein," to lead). Over the centuries the Latin "paedagogus" kept this sense of a guardian or supervisor, and it was only later that the word drifted toward the person who instructs. "Paedagogia" comes from the Latin "paedagogia," which in turn came from the Greek "paidagōgia," the work or practice of a paidagogos. Its modern sense of the methodical teaching of children is the result of that long drift, not of anything the original escort did. English took the word in the 1600s, and its adjective form, "pedagogic," followed, with the spelling "pedagogy" becoming common in the nineteenth century.

Synonyms: pedagogy, education, teaching, instruction, didactics