Plain English Meaning

Pedagogy is the teaching style where the instructor leads and the student follows. The instructor decides the lessons, the order, and how things are explained, and the student's job is mainly to listen, learn, and do as directed.

Full Definition

The art, science, and methods of teaching, traditionally focused on instructing children. In aviation training, the term is used more broadly to describe a teacher-centered approach in which the instructor controls what is taught, how it is taught, and the pace of learning, while the student is expected to follow direction and absorb the material as presented.

Context Anchor

Seen in aviation instructor training when discussing how flight instructors teach students, not just what they teach.

Derivation

From the Greek paidos (child) and agogos (leader). Originally it meant 'leading a child' — referring to the slave in ancient Greece who escorted children to school. Knowing this helps explain why pedagogy carries the sense of a teacher leading and directing a who is expected to follow.