13 Laubauch Method of Teaching Adults

Prof. S. Y. Shah

Content Outline

• Introduction
• Objectives
• Frank Charles Laubauch and his association with India
• Different methods of teaching
• Difference between teaching children (pedagogy) and teaching adults (andragogy)
• Basic Premises of Pedagogy
• Basic Premises of Andragogy
• Laubauch Methods
• Tutoring Strategies, Techniques and Resources
•  Summary

Introduction

“The best way to help people is to give them the tools and the training that will help them to help themselves. Teaching men how to tap the wisdom of the world which is stored in the books, is one way to do this-we are convinced it is an indispensable way”-Frank C. Laubauch (Towards A Literate World, New York: Columbia University Press, 1938, pp.72-73.

Introduction

The success of literacy movements that played and are still playing pivotal role in transforming the lives of billions across the world is primarily the success of those academics, thinkers, innovators, crusaders, professionals and field functionaries who passionately and painstakingly engaged themselves with the people at grassroots level and took up the task of developing suitable interventions and strategies for affirmative action required for eradicating illiteracy and enabling people to acquire skills to sustain themselves. Dr. Frank C. Laubauch (1884-1970) was one of them who did pioneering work in the field of adult literacy. Laubauch started his career as a Congregational Missionary (with the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Mission) in the Philippines in 1915 where he took special initiative to foster literacy amongst the Moro Tribes. Unfortunately, he could not make much headway as the uneducated local leaders of the Philippines were not convinced of the utility or importance of education. Probably this experiment with Moro Tribes helped him to realise the impediments in the field of literacy movement and grow himself as an adult educator. Laubauch was a unique thinker and crusader who went on “literacy safaris”1 to 105 countries with the primary aim of making the world literate. He worked with the people of all age groups from all regions, religions and races; and developed literacy primers in 315 languages and dialects.2Not only did he initiate basic literacy programme in several developing countries but also pleaded for the cause of literacy with a number of statesmen including Gandhi. He advocated literacy for development and world peace, and in literacy he saw the panacea for all the ills and hence he had dedicated his life to the cause of literacy.

It has been estimated that he was instrumental in making 60-100 million people literate3 mainly through his method – ‘Each One Teach One’ which still continues as an important technique of teaching illiterates in several countries including India.

Laubauch was one of the first few adult educators who focused on the art of teaching illiterate adults. During the early 1930’s when there was practically no research on andragogy, Laubauch had categorically emphasized the difference between teaching children and adults and had written extensively on the psychology of illiterate adults and technique of handling them.

This module will help the readers to develop a comprehensive knowledge about the Laubauch technique of teaching adults which has helped millions to enter into the threshold of literacy and self reliance.

Learning Objectives

After completion of this module students will come to know about:

• Frank Charles Laubauch and his association with India
• Different methods of teaching
• Difference between teaching children (pedagogy) and teaching adults (andragogy)
• Laubauch method of teaching and Project EOTO (Each One Teach One)
• Principles on which Laubauch Lessons are based on

Frank Charles Laubauch and his association with India

Laubauch was one of the most innovative and enterprising adult educators of the twentieth century. As a prolific writer of primers, efficient trainer of literacy workers, effective mobilisor of resources, and successful builder of literacy organizations, Laubauch had adopted a holistic approach to solve the problem of illiteracy around the world. Literacy was always the top priority programme for him. He believed that “since adults are deciding the fate of the world at present”, their education need to be given top priority.4 He had tremendous faith in the intrinsic strength of literacy in solving the problems of hunger and poverty. Hence he declared an all round war against illiteracy and tapped all possible resources from religious, philanthropic, secular and government organizations for fostering the same.

Laubauch came to India in 1935 and continued to be associated with the development of adult education in the country till his death in 1970. His professional ties with India fall into three distinct phases. First phase (1935 1947) – when India was a British Colony and Laubauch worked primarily as a Christian missionary; second phase (1948-55) – when India had emerged as an independent country and Laubauch worked basically as a US Consultant to Government of India; third phases- (1956-1970) – when Laubauch continued his association with Indian adult education mainly as representative of a non-Governmental organisation-Laubach Literacy And Mission Fund.

During his thirty-five years of association with India, he made ten visits to the country and played an important role in laying the foundation of Indian adult education. It is said that in spite of his involvement in adult education programmes in 105 countries, Laubach’s “heart was always in India for she (India) challenged him to do something big by solving her massive problem of illiteracy and Laubauch liked challenges and doing things on a big scale.”5 India also stimulated his thinking by providing several methodological choices in teaching adults and Laubauch was never satisfied with any one method he had developed.6

Different methods of teaching

Way back in the year 1949 the Educational Bureau of Education in its twelfth International Conference on Public Education held at Geneva for the first time classified various linguistic methodologies of teaching, reading and writing into three main groups namely, the `synthetic’ method, the `analytic’ method and a combination of certain elements of both namely, `analytico-synthetic’ or ‘eclectic’ method.

The term `synthetic’ refers to the mental process of combining the detailed elements of language, (sounds of the letters and of syllables). The main trends in this approach starts from letters or syllables. Here letters are either taught by name (alphabetic method) or by sound (phonic method) and then combined with other letters to form meaningful syllables or words. Hence, synthesis of letters takes place.

Analytic method starts from ‘meaningful wholes’ i.e. words, sentences, or stories. This method broadly refers to the mental process of breaking down the larger units into their constituent elements, i.e., a sentence, which is a larger unit, can be broken down into words, syllables and letters. Here the larger units which can be easily recognised by adult learners are taught first and then the attention is directed towards the constituent elements i.e. they are broken down either into sentences, words, syllables or letters by analysis. This method stimulates interest of the learner because reading here ‘makes sense’ at once.

In the ‘eclectic’ method from the very beginning analysis and synthesis is used simultaneously. Here teaching starts with introduction of some key words which are analyzed into syllables. These syllables are further synthesized to form new and different words.

Some of the popular methods which has been used in India over the period are – Traditional Method, Zero Method, Alphabetic Method, Alphabetic- Picture-Association Method, Awasthi Method, Rhythmic Method, Tomar Method, Ansari Method, Chorus Key Word Method, Picture-Word-Card Method, Raisam Method, Integrated Literacy Method, Naya Savera Method, Freirean Method of Teaching and Integrated Pace and Content of Learning (IPCL) Method.7

Difference between teaching children (pedagogy) and teaching adults (andragogy)

According to Connor (2004:25) “pedagogy literally means the art and science of educating children and is often used as a synonym for teaching. More accurately, pedagogy embodies teacher-focused education where teachers assume responsibility for making decisions about what will be learned, how it will be learned, and when it will be learned”.

By contrast, andragogy, a theory of adult learning, “attempts to explain why adults learn differently to younger learners” (Knowles 1984:56), but more importantly it acknowledges that adults’ reasons for learning are often very different from those of younger learners. Knowles popularised the notion of andragogy. Andragogy is learner-centred.

Laubauch delved deep into the psycho analysis of learners’ specifically adult learners and devoted a lot of times on formulating the art of teaching illiterate adults. During the early 1930’s when there was practically no research on andragogy, he categorically emphasized the difference between teaching children and adults and wrote extensively on the psychology of illiterate adults and technique of handling them. To Laubauch, the practical process of teaching an adult was as important as the process of building a house.8 He believed that if the illiterates were taught in a proper manner, it would be a delightful process both for students and teachers. He never believed in the formal evaluation of learners. According to him, the best test was the successful teaching of an illiterate by a neoliterate.9’ His writings on the teaching of adults which have stood the test of time are relevant even today.

Laubauch loved teaching illiterate adults and he often stated that he was prepared to forego his food and teach adults as it gave him more satisfaction.10 He never believed in the perfection of any one method. By continuously experimenting in different methods of teaching adults, Laubauch emphasized the need for improving the methods to suit the changing clientele and their socioeconomic background. In his essays on ‘Each One Teach One’ Laubauch has spelt out the details of teaching adults.11 He always stressed the importance of treating the illiterates like “kings and queens” and according them due respect as “equals” and talking to them in soft voice”. He stated that “people like a whisper more than a shout. When a youngman makes love successfully, he whispers in his sweetheart’s ear. He never shouts, if he hopes to win the fair lady. No more will you win your student if you hurt his ears.”12

In nutshell the basic premises of both pedagogy and andragogy can be explained as follows:

Basic Premises of Pedagogy

• Learners only need to know whatever the instructor teaches. The basic purpose for learning the teaching – learning material is to pass the course. Learners do not need to understand how the learning will apply to their lives outside the classroom.
• The instructor’s perception of the learner is that of a dependent entity and the same psychological interpretation is adopted by the learners too. Hence, the learner begins to see himself as a dependent entity.
• Whatever knowledge a learner has acquired previously is of little consequence as a resource for learning. The essential components of the learning process here are the teacher, the text book, and supplemental educational materials.
• Learners become ready to learn what the instructor tells them because it enables them to succeed in the course.
• Learners organize information according to subject matter. Instructors must organize material in a logical manner.
• Learners are motivated by external factors (e.g., parental or instructor approval, good grades).

Basic Premises of Andragogy

• Adults need to understand why they need to learn something. Hence, any information has to have meaning for their lives and be of some applicable benefit.
• Adults are self-directed and have a deep psychological need to be acknowledged by others as capable of self-direction.
• Adults arrive in learning scenarios with a wider variety of knowledge and experience than children. This previous knowledge can be of assistance in a new learning situation but can also be a hindrance if it results in the individual being less open to new concepts. In either case, adults expect their prior experience to be acknowledged.
• Adults are task-centered learners. They become ready to learn subject matter based on the need for certain learning in order to cope with their lives.
• Although adults respond to external motivators like promotions or higher salaries, they are more motivated by intrinsic factors like self-esteem, job satisfaction, and quality of life (Knowles, et al., 2005).

Laubauch and later on Malcom Knowles categorically explained the basic difference between adult learning and child learning. Following are some of the important point in this regard –

1. As a person grows and matures, his concept moves from one of total dependency to that of increasing self-directedness.
2. As an individual matures, he accumulates an expanding reservoir of experience that helps him to become an increasingly rich resource of learning and at the same time provides him with a broader base to which he can relate new learning.
3. As an individual matures, his readiness to learn is decreasingly the product of his biological development and academic pressure and is increasingly the product of the performance -of his evolving social rules.
4. Children have been continued to have a subject-centered orientation to most learning whereas adults tend to have a problem-centred orientation to learning.
5. The learning climate of the children is more formal authority-oriented and competitive by nature, whereas in the case of the adult learners the learning climate is more informal, collaborative, respectful and functions on mutuality.
6. The aspects such as diagnosis of the needs of the learners, planning and formation of the objectives of learning, designing of the course content and evaluation, all these come under the care, duty and responsibility of the teacher in the case of pedagogy and in the case of andragogy these aspects function and operate on a mutual basis, between the adult learners and the teachers, and according to their convenience.
7. Two significant features with respect to the aspects of curriculum design and instructional activities in the context of child learners and adult learners are: (a) in the case of the child learners the course content is set in terms of the logic of the subject matter, and the content units whereas in the case of adult learners, the course content is sequenced in terms of their readiness for learning as well as in terms of problem units, and (b) the teaching activities in the case of the former learners is conducted by means of transmission techniques and in the latter case by means of experimental techniques.

Laubauch Methods

On his visit to India in the late 1940s Laubauch discovered that the old literacy methods were going slow only because their focus was not on the common words used in the everyday language. Thus the unfamiliar words represented only the written text and held no meaning for the adult learner. Therefore Laubauch recommended the use of common words and sounds used in the printed word to both motivate the learners and hasten the learning process. (Frank Laubach – The Each One Teach One way).

The “Laubauch method” is a comprehensive system that includes a teaching methodology, a specific set of materials, the use of volunteer teachers and the publication of literature for new literates. This strategy uses a one-on-one method, called “each one teach one,” by which one literate volunteer teaches one illiterate person to read. That new literate then volunteers time to teach another illiterate person. The eventual goal is that the whole community achieves literacy.

The method uses a highly structured curriculum and standardized teaching materials. The basic Laubauch teaching tool is a pre-designed picture-letter-word chart. Each picture on the chart has been carefully chosen to represent both the shape of the letter to be learned and a word that begins with that letter. The teacher uses the chart to help the learner recognize the letters of the alphabet and the sounds they represent. As soon as the learner understands the picture-letter-word associations the teacher moves on to simple stories in a reading primer that is keyed to the words on the chart.

Laubauch was one of the first adult educator in India who had recognized the importance of preparing basic word lists prior to the development of lessons for illiterates understood and used frequently. Basic words are those which are regarded as sufficient to express ordinary ideas in a given language and they are prepared after listing one million words. His method is based on the use of simple phonetics, pictures of the words described, and the written word itself (in the language spoken by the adult). For example, for a Hindi primer, he started with the first vowel Aa that basically is supposed to be a part of every consonant in Hindi. The word associated with Aa is Aam-meaning mango. The picture associated with mango was somewhat related to the shape of written word Aa. Thus, every time the student sees a mango, the picture of the written word emerges in his/her mind. Another example is the consonant Ba. The word associated with Ba is Bania- meaning money lender. The picture associated with Bania is that of a man with a big belly, so that every time, the student sees either the money lender or a person with a fat belly, he/she visualizes the letter Ba.

So, the characteristics of the adult learning programs based on the Laubauch methods were:

• Use of common sounds and phonetics to make the learning material more relevant to the learners
• Use of pictures to help in associated learning of the sounds and pictures
• Association of the printed word with the common sound, the picture and its use in everyday life

Laubauch’s methods were the first methods of adult literacy used in India. He suggested the concept of “Each- One-Teach-One Program” (EOTO) which is in action since the 1930s. EOTO uses volunteers and requires no extra funds, once the basic materials are printed. Furthermore, this one on one teaching method allows a special bond to be built between the tutor and the taught, which is the foundation of any learning process.

Tutoring Strategies, Techniques and Resources

The development of materials for this method was always undertaken in groups. Apart from Laubauch, the group consisted of local literacy workers, linguists, an artist and an expert in writing in simple language. To start with, Laubauch familiarised himself with the alphabets, vowels and consonants of a particular language in which the primer was to be developed. Depending upon the special characteristics of the language, Laubauch tried to reduce the number of letters if there were too many, and grouped them into 4 or 5 families. Subsequently, with the help of local people, Laubauch identified 3 or 4 key words which were known to maximum number of people in the area and in which the different consonants are used. Since a primer consisted of 10-12 lessons, Laubauch developed each lesson in the form of a chart depicting a picture, word and syllable. A particular letter is taught through the association of a known picture of an object whose name began with that particular letter. For example, to teach the letter‘s’, the word ‘snake’ and its picture were used. Most of the pictures were selected keeping in view the shape of the letter. In the absence of a suitable picture, the artist prepared a sketch resembling the shape of the alphabet and selected a relevant word.

From experiments and experience, Laubauch had found that an illiterate person could easily learn a new word if it was repeated five times. He found that on an average, while an illiterate person could master six new words within half an hour, a neo-literate could learn ten new words if they were taught with due emphasis on phonetics, word and syllable.13Laubauch adopted different methods in different languages. While in Hindi and Marathi, he adopted the alphabet method, in Tamil and Telugu he switched over to story method. In the preparation of post-literacy materials, Laubauch emphasised the need for providing locally relevant and useful information to the learners through the lessons. In his widely acclaimed book for the neo-literate Anand (The Wiseman), Laubauch has provided an example of imparting useful knowledge related to health, agriculture, community, etc., through the story of a character – Anand.

The materials developed by Laubauch in Hindi were in use till 1963, when the Literacy House at Lucknow replaced them with a new set of primers. In other languages, Laubauch materials are being used only in a limited manner, either by some Christian missionaries or Laubauch Literacy centre in Kerala.

Some of the scholars have criticized Laubauch materials as “mechanical” and “repetitive”.14 However, defending his methods and materials, Laubach stated:

“People who do not teach illiterates themselves sometimes criticise our stories for not being interesting enough. They ask why we do not have a plot. The answer is this: The one great objective of the student is to learn to read as quickly as possible. If he can read without the help, he gets a tremendous thrill and he does not need any exciting story to add to thrill. If on the other hand, he finds the page difficult, his difficulty will destroy all sense of excitement. Have you ever tried to read a joke in a foreign language which you knew imperfectly?…Interest must never be attempted at the expense of simplicity.”15 (Italics added).

One of the significant achievements of Laubauch was the demonstration that his method worked. The materials developed by him served as a model to some and even stimulated others to take up material preparation.

Summary

Study of Laubauch technique of teaching not only connects you with one of the most widely appreciated and effective methods of teaching but also take you for a sojourn in the annals of history where in you learn a lot about the beginning and chronological development of literacy movement in India as well as across the world. Laubauch started his work in the Philippines in 1930 and founded the “Each One Teach One” literacy program in which one literate volunteer teaches one illiterate person to read. Primarily this method is a way of teaching that focuses on learning through association rather than rote memory. His approach has a definite advantage of teaching the adults to learn to read speedily in their own language that too in a cohesive and lively situation which helped him to reach many people in a sort of chain reaction. Probably this was the prime advantage which helped his technique in making 60-100 million people literate. However, doubts were also raised about the success of the method as the natural resemblances of letters and objects (as used by laubach) cannot be found for all the letters and hence adult educators involved in the process need to work out some artificial resemblances. In such artificial resemblances’ it becomes difficult for the learners to notice the association between the object and the letter, which it is supposed to represent.

References

• Laubauch, B, The vision lives on, Syracuse: New Readers Press, 1984, p. 22.
• Each One Teach One, Laubauch’s Materials and Methods by S Y Shah, 1991, Indian Adult Education Association, New Delhi. For a list of languages in which Laubauch developed primers, see Laubauch Collection, Box Nos. 248 and 259 (George Arent’s Research Library for special collections at Syracuse University.

Since the entire Laubauch collection is located at Syracuse, and no other collections are used in this study, the location of the Laubauch Collection will not be cited again.)

• Mason, D.E., Frank C. Laubauch: Teacher of millions. Minneapolis: T.S. Denison Company Inc. 1967, p. 83.
• Mason, D.E., Frank C. Laubauch, p. 15 I.
• Based on the discussion held with Dr. Robert F. Caswell, Director of Laubauch Literacy International, on 17 April, 1990, at his office in Syracuse.
• Each One Teach One, Laubauch’s Materials and Methods by S Y Shah, 1991,Indian Adult Education Association, New Delhi.
• Nitty-gritty of teaching & learning, Rajkumari Chandrasekar, The Hindu, Tuesday, Aug 13, 2002
• Laubauch, EC. Teaching the world to read: A handbook for literacy campaigns,New York: Friendship Press, 1947, 12-13.
• See notes by Mason, D.E. dated October 1964, in 6. Each   One   Teach   One, Laubauch’s Materials and Methods by S Y Shah, 1991, Indian Adult Education Association, New Delhi, Box No. 302.
• Laubauch memorabila. In Laubauch Collection, Box No. 126, p. 13.
• See-How to teach ‘Each One Teach One’ primers, Each One Teach One, Laubauch’s Materials and Methods by S Y Shah, 1991, Indian Adult Education Association, New Delhi, Box No. 299, p. 21-28.
• Each One Teach One, Laubauch’s Materials and Methods by S Y Shah, 1991, Indian Adult Education Association, New Delhi,p. 22.
• Laubauch, F.C., Report on how to make the world literate: The each one teach one way in Laubach Collection, Box No. 119, pp. 8-12, p. 22.
• On this point see Meyer, V. And Keele, D. The Laubach way to reading: Review,Lifelong Learning 1988, Vol. 12, No. 1, 8-10: Also see Ahmed, M. Methods of teaching reading, New Delhi : State Resource Centre, 1989, 5-6, (Mimeograph).
• Laubauch, EC. and Laubauch, R.S., How to make the world literate : The each one teach one way, p. 12, in Laubauch Collection, Box No. 119.
• S Y Shah, 1991, Each One Teach One, Laubauch’s Materials and Methods. Indian Adult Education Association, New Delhi.