Pedagogy

In the narrowest sense of the word, pedagogy is the science or profession of [teaching]

, but the meaning of the term can be extended to include the complete and systematic upbringing, education or moulding of a human being, the shaping of the [personality]

by goal-orientated activities, and the forming of a fully developed person within the family and societal environment. The science of pedagogy covers both teaching (the transmission of knowledge, skills and so on) and supervision (the monitoring of a student's work); it is one of the basic social sciences and covers a variety of methods and disciplines depending on the philosophical/religious system of a society under consideration. From the 17th century onwards, with the development of the philosophy of enlightenment, the importance of instructing the individual to make him more able to strive for his or her personal utilitarian wellbeing and, subsequently, to strive for his or her personal spiritual wellbeing came to the fore.