This is a very interesting question. Though the question assumes “no electricity” in the note attached to this extends the assumption to an environment where there is almost no technological support. Of course this is a hypothetical situation but studies on this may give us some insight about the development process through which we could achieve the present day education system. The only difference between the hypothetical environment and the prehistoric situation is the amount of knowledge that a member of the Research Gate is having today. Therefore the experiment that is intended to be done is to study the behavior of an experienced teacher placed in a prehistoric environment. To make the experiment interesting let us also assume that the developed world is not accessible. Since the technology is not unknown to the teacher he will try to implement or emulate similar tools by using the available materials as described by Prof. Krishnan Umachandran. I believe the process will also call for the development of other associated technologies.

Though this is very hypothetical, it can also be true to some extend, if it were like - Lost in a Village unknown to everyone....

Teaching without the aid of electricity is the real RAW TEACH-LEARN Technique....

Difficulty is the mother of Invention

Dear @Jin, my friend @Kamal responded as I did. Yes, no much money for such type of generator and UPS for PC! We can not go back! It is not acceptable at all! Without sharing the knowledge in 21st century, we can not speak about modern teaching and learning.

I would organize donors' meeting in order to collect the money needed for such a school!

This is a very interesting question. Though the question assumes “no electricity” in the note attached to this extends the assumption to an environment where there is almost no technological support. Of course this is a hypothetical situation but studies on this may give us some insight about the development process through which we could achieve the present day education system. The only difference between the hypothetical environment and the prehistoric situation is the amount of knowledge that a member of the Research Gate is having today. Therefore the experiment that is intended to be done is to study the behavior of an experienced teacher placed in a prehistoric environment. To make the experiment interesting let us also assume that the developed world is not accessible. Since the technology is not unknown to the teacher he will try to implement or emulate similar tools by using the available materials as described by Prof. Krishnan Umachandran. I believe the process will also call for the development of other associated technologies.

Oral history has been able to preserve ancient truths, traditions and cultural essence of hundreds of groups of people. So it is possible to convey and preserve information, whether it be of personal nature such as recipes, or remedies; or historical events of a particular group or families in our time. Although we have written information of the Mayas, and the Aztecs, we do not of the Incas and many other Indoamerican tribes in the Americas. Yet, we know of their traditions. In Mexico, for example, the Spaniards burned the library of the Aztecs, and Landa and Company did the same to the manuscripts of the Mayas. There was a clear intention to obliterate Indoamerican history.  Later, however, when they intended to reconstruct the history they had destroyed, Sahagún, Landa, Benavente, and most of the cronistas wrote their crónicas from oral traditions from the Indoamericans themselves (informantes). There are over a hundred Crónicas de América, and all of them came from oral traditions.

In the Codice Mendoza, the Aztecs taught their children how to fish, cook, etc. by drawing images on the subject they were teaching them. Obviously they did not have all the technological amenities we have today, yet they were able to transfer knowledge from generation to generation. If I were to teach them in the same circumstances, I would do the same, draw images to illustrate my concepts and repetition. Children basically learn through the same concept either visually or orally. I taught intense Spanish classes to prepare and train missionaries to teach in Latin America; and repetition and control time were the basic elements in my teaching. In two months they were ready to go. Consequently, I would say, yes, knowledge can be transferred without our technology and we would be just as effective, or more.  

In those days, we cannot live without electricity. When electricity is cut off in your house for 10 minutes, every thing is up side down.

In ancient time teaching was done using oral presentation. It is therefore stated by Prof Josue Sanchez that it should be possible also for the present experiment. However his conclusion will depend on the knowledge status of the people residing in the village. If it is compatible to the prehistoric age then oral presentation should be adequate. I believe along with such form of teaching an effort for technological development will also start. Since the teacher has experience of using technological tools, first phase of development may take less amount of teme. On the other hand if the students are also from the present time then the situation will be fairly complex. The teacher needs to teach advanced concepts even without any writing facility. In this situation I think both teacher and the students together should first implement a rudimentary writing facility before starting any teaching activity.

I believe Books (may be hand written) and writing facilities are more fundamental than electricity operated ICT based tools.

A living without electricity is possible. Look at Western Samoa. They have only a power station with some diesel generators. When the doorman of the station forgot to order fuel 30.000 people have no electricity. But it is normal and the men organized things to do later and there is no thing up side down.

I'm trying to suggest that we think about the basic essence of being a teacher.

Electricity definitely makes the task easier.(and the inventions that it powers)

It allows us to use pictures that we don't have to draw for ourselves..It brings new information (books, papers, maps, etc.) from other places outside our 'villiage'.  BUT  Because we can use new technology, sometimes we concentrate more on the technology. We often overlook the role of teaching - explanation, discovery of ideas,  content , excitement of new worlds.

But - what is the essence of being a capable teacher without electricity at all. Either when the power goes off, or when there is little or no money to bring in that power, or perhaps someone threatens to turn off access to the internet or to libraries...and so on. We know that a lack of money has a similar effect.

Some people still live half way up a mountain side or down a remote road where there is no wifi/broadband, much less electricity, and NO money to be collected locally.

How do we invent ourselves as teachers?  How do we teach in spite of these problems..? 

There is a lot of truth in both views implied by the last 2-3 comments. I still remember the following situation and conversation from the beginning of my teaching career. When I came at the institute where I was supposed to deliver some lecture for 2-3 hours, a professor came to me and started explaining and making apologies that very probably the beamer in the classroom wasn't working - he would accompany me and see what could be done. So together we went to the classroom. On our way, I assured him in a self-confident way that in the event it would not be a problem for me: I would do my lectures without a beamer (indeed I was well-prepared for the worst case). The professor was flabbergasted and asked: "Really!?" I guess, his experiences were such, that most lecturers would flip out or something, not knowing how to cope with such an awful situation in the 21st century classroom. Since then, we are best friends!

Teaching is the process of carrying out those activities that experience has shown to be effective in getting students to learn. Learning, on the other hand, means to correlate the new input information with the existing knowledge.

As teacher, therefore, our task is to correlate the relevant information with the existing knowledge of our target student. On our part this requires deep understanding and realization about the subject. Once that is achieved we can very easily perform our required task. Non availability of electricity driven technology should not cause any problem for such action.

The most of the threat members associated the teaching always with electricity.  But the electricity is only a luxury that we use to dazzle the success of the teaching. It is not necessary to use a beamer, a glossy brochure, a computer or other high tech

machines.

On the one hand teaching is the transfer of knowledge. On the other hand a teaching person has to guide how to evaluate informations and how to form new ideas. Therefore only the speech, some enthusiasm and the right interaction between the teaching and the learning person is needed.

It is a great experience for pupils to imagine a teaching  only with the awareness of former times. For example the evaluation of the Theorem of Pythagaras in relation of the Greek Lyra, its euphonious playing and a rectangular floor stone in the garden of Phythagoras.

Or the hour of the Satyr at the time about noon in the mediterranean region. All living seemed to come to a stop, the air is flaring and melting away, only a little sound in the fields and after a time the new beginning of the cicadas noise. How to imagine this in the literature or in the natural sciences?

For this kind of teaching a good knowledge over the background of interdisciplinary points of intersection is needed. But I think that this is only possible with the respection of the philosophical theorems, with open eyes for all living aspects  and with a affinity for playing.

Do as Socrates did? ;-)

I have not really been a teacher, but have awoken in a village without electricity. My first concern might be learing what is important to the community at this time. What is it that they "need to know" and that I can teach? What are the long-term goals of the education and what is the best path to take in order to achieve those goals? Much time might be spent in learning about the community (well I do have an anthropology background), and its challenges, its needs, and its threats. Also being a physician,I'd remember, "First, do no harm."

If I get into this stage - I would teach villagers / students some basic lessons of science and life, easily understandable, language skills, demonstrate some common practical things, and few good social things, also about hygiene and ways to prevent diseases and health awareness and useful manners and disciplines,

Atleast primary education can be given and for higher education alternative arrangements of electricity may be explore

Also would try to use some alternatives like of Wind fans generating electricity, Methane gas and collectively would make all efforts so that if feasible some electrical arrangements can be made approachable by some means...   

Dear Jean,

Today I received a mail from RG that a new answer has been added to this question. I wanted to post one and therefore started going through the old posts so that I can add something relevant.

I quote from your answer “or perhaps someone threatens to turn off access to the internet or to libraries..” Let me concentrate on the part of this quote viz., the word “libraries”. I believe this could be considered a serious threat against the entire education system. As a matter of fact this is happening in various parts of the world. Yong people especially girls are being denied from their right to education. The host of knowledge that has been accumulated during the entire history of mankind is our ancestral property, and therefore no one should be denied from its access. As a teacher we have the responsibility to combat this situation.

Dear Kumar,

Thank you for 'bringing to light' a serious point that I wanted to make. Yes, this is a serious threat to civilization.

This question is really great. Our students can't appreciate the facilities of civilization, that's why we must find new and new approaches to motivate them nowadays. I remember my mother's stories about her poor childhood. It was WWII, and little children learned mainly through practical lessons. Their teachers played with them a lot, narrated stories, walked in the fields and forests. It was very important gardening, sewing, planting, taking care after the oldest. They read and wrote by the light of splinter or kerosene lamp and wrote with the quill on the old newspapers. Their cleaning woman went to school very early and used the stove for warmth. It was in my life, when I taught in a very cold classroom. We played with children and read and watched English classics, drank tea and discussed their problems. It was their favorite classroom.The main thing is mutual understanding. 

In the late 1990's i took upon myself to teach English to illiterate persons in a town in the interior of Brazil, the task seemed impossible to my peers, however the way I thought abaout this was: If children are tought to speak with no literacy why not adults who are keen in learning. Afeter a few month you could go around town and hear the street sweepers calling out to one of their coworkers -- Zé pease give me the shovel!  where is the large broom? instead of using the same in Portuguese. But the reason for this was to tell about outdoors teaching, the town square was the starting point and going around town the continuation all being senn and talked about in English, very entertaining and extremely educational, as seen above it worked with no technology nor electricity!! 

exactly! - 

Hi Jean, this is a challenging question. How well is this village coping with their situation? How much does it need a teacher!

Does their culture enrich their lives or are there survival pressures that will diminish their humanity. 

I think it is asking not only about the "how" of teaching in a difficult situation but also the "what" - what is it the pupils or rather the community need to know? How will teaching the children empower them or alienate them from the adults.

One big challenge that grows from this question is how can cultures change to meet new ideas without loosing their identities? How to make a rigid, dry stick that can break so easily soften and bend like a flexible bamboo?

Papua New Guinea-  possession of a spirit duplicator in a list of key elements for school improvement

In rural areas without electricity, a school with a spirit duplicator can produce handouts which can transform the processes of teaching and learning – group work, individualised work etc all become more possible.

Reference - Vulliamy,G. (1987) ‘School effectiveness research in Papua New Guinea’, Comparative Education 23, 209-33

I wonder what your responses would be if you found yourself in a village where you had to do your teaching with no electricity, no books, no paper, no pens, no chalk. How would you do it?

I will do the following:

The difference between above scenario vs olden days was we know what is achievable e.g. creating electricity, developing paper & pencil etc vs we were trial & error during the olden days.

I agree with Han Ping Fung, I would teach verbally. Mulling over this thought experiment that Jean has proposed, I think it would be important for the community to tell its story first. The adults would relate how their myths presented their understanding of their world and describe the skills they had developed; and the children would speak of the stories that carried the village morals and hopes and their own curiosity.

(I have in mind the occasions when dilemma tales of West Africa were told.)

My role would then be a facilitator to their self expression and then a generator of questions to provide them with the"tools" for growth and strength to meet future challenges, which presumably would be all the technology that we encounter today.

Do you think of the internet as a source of texts...something like a library tries to continue to be...depending on where one lives?

I like the idea of story telling as it is an old-fashioned but tried and trusted method. 

.I also have lived where there is no electricity..

Words and actions are the only 'resources' for learning...So listening to the older people and hearing the stories is the teaching and learning technique. The stories that have been handed down are the  'texts'.  The younger people discuss and experiment.

Dear Jean,

What an interesting question and thought experiment!

I think of the Internet as Jorge Luis Borges would, envisioning it as a kind of Library of Babel. Even with such a resource at my disposal, I would be hard-pressed to decide where to begin. Should I start with "e", since it is the most frequently occurring alphabet in the English language? And since it is claimed, "By this art you may contemplate the variation of the 23 letters..."? Learning and teaching (i.e. knowledge in use) becomes more of the art of navigating/curating the ever-expanding ocean of knowledge.

In stark contrast, the implication that follows from not having any paper, and books or any other form of record of knowledge (or library if you will) is that the teacher in such circumstance would be drawing from solely from the resources (library) of their lifetime up to that point in time.

While an aged teacher would be the best deal (I need to learn from someone so that I can teach others), it may turn out that the most observant/ contemplate/reflective among these, would be a better teacher.At some point, it would also be inevitable that knowledge will have to be recorded in some medium. That would be my second priority after learning from the sage.

Otherwise learning will have to be restarted with each newborn. The impact of my teaching, since it is transferred orally, would solely be a function of individual and collective memory. And to extend the oral tradition of learning, I would need to compose and teach them to sing songs. Not "to sing in perfect harmony", but to ensure that ideas thrive through the mnemonics of rhyme and tune.

Interestingly your question conjures up two scenes:

One coming from the movie, Interstellar and its link to the Library of Babel

http://www.cafleurebon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/interstellar_library1.png

The other coming from the movie, Edge of Tomorrow, where everything depends on the length of a lifespan, because to die is to reset everything and start all over again:

http://catalystjohn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/edge-of-tomorrow-poster-live-die-repeat-preview.jpg

Many methods that are suitable for teaching in a constrained environment where no facilities are available has been suggested in this thread. I think in the real scenario some more constraints need to be added, that is poverty. Let us consider in the same village the people are so poor that they feel sending there children to somewhere for education is a luxury. They will rather prefer to send them to a place where they can earn. In this scenario what would be our role as a teacher?

Depending too much on technology and teaching aids which are electric power driven is unreliable in developing countries where electric power is erratic in supply. Teaching contents in such a way that students can remember and realize the importance on a "felt mode" will be a sure methodology of long lasting (if not ever lasting) learning. Experimentation, prototyping etc., add value in learning.