Paderborn method

The Paderborn Method for language teaching, also known as Paderborn Method or Paderborn Model is a method for teaching a foreign languages, ideated for children. It consists in teaching a simple language (Esperanto), and 2 years later teaching the second language. Many studies confirmed that, having learned a complete and easy propedeutical language, helps in learning a more difficult one with no lost time, indeed with gain of it.

The effectiveness of this method was empirically noticed in different studies of the last century,^[1] anyway the scientific proof was given by Professor Helmar Frank at Institute of Pedagogic Cybernetics in the University of Paderborn (Germany), and this study gave the name to this method.

History of the method

Many adults who learnt Esperanto noticed that they could understand better grammar of their own mother tongue and foreign languages, thanks to this simple language with transparent grammar. So they started to think if such language could have a propedeutical value in language teaching.

Other experiments

Basing on this consideration, many independent experiments were done in different countries (example, Hungary and Great Britain). Following, some of the most important:

• 1918-1921 - Female middle school in Bishop Auckland (GB). Esperanto taught as propedeutical language for French and German^[2]
• 1934-1935 - Public Highschool in New York^[3]
• 1947-1951 - Provincial Grammar School in Sheffield (GB),^[4] focalized on help received by less intelligent students
• 1948-1965 - Egerton Park School, Denton (Manchester, GB).^[5]
• 1958-1963 - Somero (Finland), Esperanto used as propedeutical language for German^[6]
• 1971-1974,^[7] 1975-1977^[8] - The International League of Esperanto Teachers (ILEI), encouraged by previous studies, coordinated international studies, the first in Hungary, and the second in different countries (Belgium, France, Greece. West Germany, Netherlands). In 1977 the students met in an educational week, where they learn about various topics in Esperanto.
• Second half of 70s, first half of 80s - Paderborn experiment (more details below). This time, the experiment consisted in observing two different groups of students and focused on the differences in learning of the two groups.^[9]

• 1983-1988 - After Paderborn, other experiments used two different groups of students to be compared. For example in the primary school "Rocca", in San Salvatore di Cogorno (Italy) with similar results.^[10]

Experiment in University of Paderborn

Under supervision of Helmar Frank professor at Institute of Cybernetics of Paderborn, two groups of pupils (A and B) were created in a primary school.^[9] The mother tongue is German, so the aim is to prove the propedeutical value of Esperanto for learning English (and in general, any other foreign language).

The group A starts to learn English since the 3rd year of study, while the group B in the same year starts to learn Esperanto(160 hours); the group B will start also to learn English after 2 years(5th year of study). Anyway, even if the group B studied English two years less than group A, on 7th year the two groups reach the same level in English, while on the 8th year the level of group B is better than group A.

The following table resumes the Paderborn experiment:

The study demonstrated that not only the group B gained a lot in linguistic skills with English language, but it also could use two languages instead of only one. Also to be noticed is that pupils had a Germanic language (German) as mother tongue, so they didn't get a help from Esperanto because the latter is more similar to English than their mother tongue.

One can easily understand that, in addition to cultural gain, the saving of time and resources causes an economical saving in education.

Hypotheses

There could be many reasons why this method works, notice also that in the following only Esperanto is mentioned, because this method uses it Esperanto, but it is likely that another very easy planned language with similar features could be employed instead.

1. Esperanto is extremely regular^[11] and transparent.^[12] I. e. all adjectives finish by -a and all nouns finish by -o. So the difference between those two parts of speech are passively learned by the student; when he will learn another language, will be easier to explain him what is an adjective and what is a noun. In addition, Esperanto is an agglutinative language, and this involves the student in active use of the lexicon.
2. Teaching this language, that is the whole grammar of a language in a short time, one give the possibility to students to make a comparison between their mother tongue and Esperanto. This comparison can be used consciously or unconsciously when learning a more complex language. This can be compared to observing a model engine for a students who needs to learn how a complex engine works (and in addition, Esperanto is a completely working language, not just a simplified language model).
3. The grammar is minimal, so that children can start to use it actively (speaking and writing) pretty soon, and this allows them to keep their initial enthusiasm that is usually lost after the first impact with a foreign language that needs to be studied for many years before to be able to express non basic sentences. This would give self-confidence and when a new language study is started, it is seen as something easily achievable as it was for Esperanto.
4. On the other side, a failure in learning a foreign language or the difficulties experienced during the first impact with it (as any other subject) can cause a small shock that reduces the self-confidence on the student's language skills. It is possible to create simple sentences since the first lessons of Esperanto, avoiding this shock.
5. The sooner one can use the language, the sooner the language can be used in meeting foreign people and this stimulates the interest of the student in other cultures and of course languages.

Other hypothesis are discussed by Claude Piron in some of his articles.^[13]

See also

• Esperanto
• Esperanto grammar
• Propaedeutic value of Esperanto
• Education
• Psychopedagogy

References

1. ↑ Italian OFFICIAL BULLETIN of MINISTRY for PUBLIC EDUCATION YEAR 122°, ROME, MAY 25th - JUNE 1st 1995, N. 21-22. Contains high number of studies and experiments (original in Italian)
2. ↑ Alexandra FISCHER, Languages by way of Esperanto; Eksperimento farita en Bishop Auckland (GB) en la jaroj 1918-1921 in "Internacia Pedagogia Revuo", 1931.
3. ↑ Helen S. EATON, An Experiment in Language Learning, in The Modern Language Journal Volume 19, Issue 1, pages 1–4, October 1934
4. ↑ J. H. HALLORAN (teacher of pedagogy at University of Sheffield), A four year experiment in Esperanto as an introduction to French. In "British Journal of Educational Psychology", vol.22, n. 3, 1952 (nov.), pp. 200-204.
5. ↑ Report: Norman WILLIAMS (didactical director) Report on the teaching of Esperanto from 1948 to 1965. - It concluded that a child can learn as much Esperanto in 6 months as in about 3-4 years of study of French. So, if all children would learn Esperanto during the first 6-12 months in a 4-5 year course of French, they would gain a lot of time without losing anything.
6. ↑ J. VILKKI, V. SETÄLÄ, La eksperimenta instruado de Esperanto en la geknaba mezgrada lernejo de Somero (Suomio); V. SETÄLÄ, Vizito al la eksperimenta lernejo en Somero, Finnlando.
7. ↑ Marta KOVÁCS, Internacia Didaktika Eksperimento Kvinlanda; Johano INGUSZ, Instruspertoj en esperantfakaj klasoj (en Hungario)
8. ↑ Helmut SONNABEND, Esperanto, lerneja eksperimento
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Prof. Dr. Helmar Frank, "Das Paderborner Experiment zum Sprachenorientierungsunterricht" in the publication of the Hanns-Seidel Stiftung eV, Verbindungsstelle Brussel/Bruxelles and Günter LOBIN, Der propedeutische Wert von Plansprachen für den Fremdsprachenunterricht, (tesi di laurea), Universität Paderborn, Institut für Kybernetik, Wartbürgerstrasse 100, D4790 Paderborn
10. ↑ Report: Elisabetta FORMAGGIO (Chiavari, Italia), Lerneja eksperimento pri lernfacileco kaj transfero en la fremdlingvoinstruado
11. ↑ example, to make the plural form of a word the ending -j is used, and this rule has no exceptions as, example, the English tooth-teeth, the Italian ginocchio-ginocchia
12. ↑ verbs, adverbs, nouns, adjectives are marked by a particular ending
13. ↑ I. e. L'esperanto dal punto di vista psicopedagogico, Esperanto from the psychopedagogical point of view

Bibliography

• Günter LOBIN, Der propedeutische Wert von Plansprachen für den Fremdsprachenunterricht,, Universität Paderborn, Institut für Kybernetik, Wartbürgerstrasse 100, D4790 Paderborn.
• J. H. HALLORAN, A four year experiment in Esperanto as an introduction to French. In "British Journal of Educational Psychology", vol.22, n. 3, 1952 (nov.), pp. 200–204.
• R. Selten: "The Costs of European Linguistic (non)Communication.", ed. Esperanto Radikala Asocio, 1997
• Raif MARKARIAN, The educational Value of Esperanto Teaching in the Schools, In: R. Schultz & V. Schultz (compilers) "The solution to our language problems" pp. 362–386, Bailieboro, Ontario, Esperanto Press, Canada, 1964.
• Judit BALOGH, Rule of Esperanto as bridge language for foreign language teaching, (in Ungarian). PhD thesis in General linguistics at University of Eötvös Lorand, Budapest, 1979, 182 p.
• Wilhelm SANKE, Linguistische und sprachdidaktische Aspekte eines Sprachorientierungsunterrichts - Thesen und Fragen am Beispiel einer Plansprache. In: I. Meyer (Red.): "5. Werkstattgesprach- Interlinguistik in Wissenschaft und Bildung, Arbeitspapier n. 62", IfKyP. Paderborn: FEoLL GmbH, 1981, pp. 18–206.
• Lian O'CUIRE, An Cas do Esperanto, Esperanto-Asocio de Irlando, Dublin 1984, 5 p.
• Ludovik PREBIL, Internacia pedagogia eksperimento en 5 landoj (1-a regiono), nella rivista "Esperanto", 1972, n. 121, luglio-agosto.
• W. PERRENOUD, Conférence International sur l'enseignement de l'espéranto dans les écoles, au secrétariat de la Société des Natios, du 18 au 20 avril 1920. Compte rendu sommaire en français. Genève.
• Antoni Grabowski, Esperanto kiel preparo al la lernado de lingvoj, in "Pola Esperantisto" 1908, n. 1, p. 48.

External links

• Orientamento linguistico in esperanto con il metodo di Paderborn (in Italian)
• New Educational Instruction-method Guaranteeing Heterogeneity (and) Bilinguism (while) Observing Universal Rules - Proposal for a pilot-project (language experiment) in the framework of the Socrates-Program.