Pedagogies

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A collection of methods and practices used in teaching to facilitate learning and knowledge acquisition in students
2. Various instructional strategies and techniques employed by educators to enhance the effectiveness of their teaching
3. The different ways in which educators approach the process of imparting knowledge and skills to learners

Etymology: "Pedagogies" is the plural of "pedagogy," and the plural form tells a small story of its own: the singular was once used for the whole discipline of teaching, while the plural reflects the many distinct methods now studied under that heading. The root goes back to ancient Greece, where a "paidagōgos" was a household slave who escorted a boy to school and supervised his conduct, not a teacher at all. Its literal parts are "pais" (child) and "agōgos" (leader), though the Greek word itself carried a sense of guardianship rather than instruction. The word "pedagogy" came into English through Middle French "pédagogie," which was itself drawn from the Greek "paidagōgía." Over the centuries the idea shifted from supervising a child's behaviour toward the art and science of teaching, so a word that once named an escort now names the methods a teacher chooses. That shift from custodian to instructor is the reason a term for childhood supervision became the name of an entire field of study.

Synonyms: teaching methods, instructional strategies