It is a word you may have heard tossed around in discussions about education, but what does it mean? If you’re an early learning professional or a parent, you might have encountered this term; it sounds important, but it can also feel like a fancy word that makes things more confusing than clear.

What Is Pedagogy?

Pedagogy is a more formal term that essentially means “how we teach,” encompassing teaching methods, strategies, and practices.

Think of it as a blanket term encompassing educators’ strategies, techniques, and approaches to facilitate learning and help students understand concepts. Pedagogy can also involve studying how different teaching methods impact learning outcomes, emphasizing the best ways to support student development.

What It Includes

Pedagogy includes:

• Learning Theories–The ideas and principles that inform our methods, like understanding that children learn best through hands-on experiences.
• Teaching Methods–The specific techniques used. For example, an educator might use a play-based pedagogy to support young children’s natural curiosity and love of learning.
• Curriculum Design–The planning and organization of what and how children will learn. Good early learning pedagogy involves carefully designing learning environments that align with children’s developmental needs.
• Assessment–The ways we measure a child’s progress and understanding. Effective pedagogy includes ongoing assessment to ensure teaching methods meet all learners’ needs.

Usage Examples

Here are some usage examples of the term concerning child-led play environments:

• “Our pedagogy for rough and tumble play helps kids learn how to read body language, self-regulate, and respect others’ space while having a lot of fun.”
• “The pedagogy behind dramatic play allows kids to express themselves and explore different roles, which helps build social and emotional skills.”
• “In our pedagogy, sensory integration activities are key; they help kids understand and process the world around them, wiring their bodies and brains.”
• “Our pedagogy around mud play is simple—let kids get messy and explore. It’s amazing how much they learn about STEM topics and creativity during hands-on play.”
• “When we talk about the pedagogy of superhero play, we focus on how kids build social skills, play with language, and creatively solve problems while leaping around and having a blast.”

The Problem With Fancy Words

While it is a valuable word (that is also fun to pronounce and write), it can sometimes get in the way of clear communication. It’s a specialized word, a term of art, not used much beyond the field of education.

Throwing around such specialized terminology may unintentionally squelch communication with people outside the profession. Being part of the I-know-what-that-means group feels good, but more straightforward language is probably more effective if you’re interested in clearly communicating about early learning.

Synonyms

With clear communication in mind, here are some synonyms that may be more effective with children’s families and others outside the profession.

• Teaching Approach
• Teaching Method
• Educational Philosophy
• Learning Strategy
• Teaching Practice
• Instructional Method
• Learning Approach
• Teaching Style
• Educational Approach
• Classroom Approach
• Teaching Framework

These alternatives help convey the concept of pedagogy while using more familiar language

Wrap-Up

While pedagogy might not be the best word to use when discussing two-year-old Celeste’s play dough explorations, it can come in handy when explaining your program’s play-based curriculum to the state licensing representative or your quality rating program assessor. It’s a great word; use it wisely.

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