Technical Teaching

In real life one finds a little of all three in almost any learning situation. One type, however, will be more dominant.

Planned teaching daughter how to weave basket, etc. It's often a one-way street - often transmitted in explicit terms to learner. Here the 'reason behind' is often given.

How do they teach technically?

• Do they use parables, proverbs, etc?
• What kind of parables, pictures?
• Is it always personal experience, or from second person?
• Do they use myths to illustrate?
• To what extent do they demonstrate?

Formal Teaching

Corrective teaching. The learner tries, make a mistake and is corrected. "No, not on the right side of the horse, but the left." Remember, never approach the horse from the right." "You can't do that." "Do it." "No, No!"

To what extent (in what areas) are they allowed to make mistakes? Do they do a lot of formal teaching? Oversee and overlook?

Informal Teaching

Imitative teaching. Daughter asks mother how to get a husband. Mother says: "It's is hard to say, just wait and see." Here we have a model to imitate. Often here we have learned things without realizing it. We as children learned lots of rules this way and didn't realize it until we broke them.

(Areas in U.S. culture we teach by imitation we have difficulty teaching spiritual truth technically like - courting.)

Teachers within nuclear family

Several N.G. tribes - the informal and technical teaching is done by the nuclear family, but not together. The father (or men) will teach the boys, while the mother (or women) will teach the girls.

In some other societies - teaching rests on the mother's brother.

• What areas are taught within the family?
• To what extent do men teach women and women men?

Menomnee - Grandmother teaches the girls to look after their husbands, keep their clothes well, put good food on the table, not be lazy around the house.

That she's to stay away from men during menstrual period (not cook for them), to avoid becoming ill and dying. Also taught about abortion, gossip, minding other people's business.

Grandfathers teach the boys to be generous, feed old people, not to boast of their abilities, nor to envy. Their responsibilities toward in-laws, wife, etc.

Teaching within the Larger Social Unit

Kami - their court sessions were teaching sessions. Their leaders (teachers) in spiritual things were not necessarily in the nuclear family.