Suggestopedia

Suggestopedia•Background•Definition•MainGoal&MainIdea•MajorCharacteristics•Approach•RolesofTeachers&Learners•Advantages&Disadvantages•ConclusionBackground•Suggestopedia,alsoknownasDesuggestopedia,isamethoddevelopedbytheBulgarianpsychiatrist-educatorGeorgiLozanov.ItisaspecificsetoflearningrecommendationsderivedfromSuggestology.•InfluenceofYogaandSovietpsychologyFromYoga,Lozanovhasborrowedandmodifiedtechniquesforchangingstatesofconsciousnessandconcentration,andtheuseoftherhythmicbreathingFromSovietpsychology,Lozanovhastakenthenotionthatallstudentscanbetaughtagivensubjectmatteratthesamelevelofskill.Definition•A“Science…concernedwiththesystematicstudyofthenon-rationalandnon-consciousinfluencesthathumanbeingsareconstantlyrespondingto.•ThenameofSuggestopediaisfromthewords“suggestion”and“pedagogy”.Asthemethodimproved,ithasfocusedmoreon“desuggestivelearning”andnowisoftencalled“desuggestopedia.”•Acommonmisconceptionistolinksuggestiontohypnosis.However,Lozanovintendeditinthesenseofofferingorproposing,emphasizingstudents’choice.Maingoal•Todecreasetheanxietyrelatedtolearninganewlanguage,sothatthestudentscannaturallyandcalmlyproducethelanguage.Mainidea•Lozanovbelievedthathumanbraincouldprocessgreatquantitiesofmaterialifsimplygiventherightconditionsforlearning,amongwhichareastateofrelaxation.•Studieshaveshownthatstudentslearnmorewhilelisteningtomusic.MajorCharacteristicsofSuggestopedia•ThemostconspicuouscharacteristicsofSuggestopediaarethedecoration,furniture,andarrangementoftheclassroom,theuseofmusic,andtheauthoritativebehavioroftheteacher.Theclaimsforsuggestopediclearningaredramatic.•Centralityofmusicandmusicalrhythmlearning.Suggestopediathushasakinshipwithotherfunctionalusesofmusic,particularlytherapy.Approach1.TheoryofLanguage:•Suggestopediadoesnotadoptanytheoryoflanguage.•Theemphasisonassumptionsofvocabularypairsatargetlanguageitemanditsnativelanguagetranslation.•Lozanovrecommendshowstudyofrecordingsofwholemeaningtextscouldbecomeinteresting,thatis,thetextsshouldbelightenedstorieswithemotionalcontent.2.TheoryofLearning:Lozanov'sview:•Suggestopediaisnotthenarrowclinicalconceptofhypnosisasakindofstatic,sleeplike,alteredstateofconsciousness•Hismethodisdifferentfromhypnosisandotherformsofmindcontrol:Theseotherformslackadesuggestive-suggestivesenseandfailtocreateaconstantsetuptoreservethroughconcentrativepsycho-relaxationTherearesixprincipaltheoreticalcomponentsthroughwhichdesuggestionandsuggestionoperateandthatsetupaccesstoreserves.•Authority•Infantiliazation•Double-planedness•Intonation•Rhythm•Concertpseudo-passivenessRolesoflearners•Thementalstateoflearnersiscriticaltosuccess,whichiswhylearnersmustforgomind-alteringsubstancesandotherdistractionsandimmersethemselvesintheproceduresofthemethod.•Learnersmustnottrytofigureout,manipulateorstudythematerialpresentedbutmustmaintainapseudo-passivestate,inwhichthematerialrollsoverandthroughthem.•Studentsareexpectedtotolerateandinfactencouragetheirown“infantilization.”Rolesofteachers•Theprimaryroleoftheteacheristocreatesituationsinwhichthelearnerismostsuggestibleandthepresentlinguisticmaterialinawaymostlikelytoencouragepositivereceptionandretentionbythelearner.Advantages•Lozanovclaimsthattheeffectofthemethodisnotonlyinlanguagelearning,butalsoinproducingfavorablesideeffectsonhealth,thesocialandpsychologicalrelations,andthesubsequentsuccessinothersubjects.•Agoodwayforstudentstolearninarelaxenvironmentsothatitcanenhancetheirmemory.•Amethodfullofcreativity,anditmakes“supper-learning”possible.•Leadingstudentstoappropriatementalandemotionalstateandrelaxstudentsinabetterframeofmindtolearn.•Bringlanguagefromsubconscioustoconsciousthroughtextmanipulation,games,songs,activitiesandallkindsofstimulations.Disadvantages•Itstronglydependsonthetrustthatstudentdeveloptowardsthemethodbysimplybelievingthatitworks.•Thestudentsonlyreceiveinputbylistening,readingandmusical-emotionalbacking,whileotherimportantfactorsoflanguageacquisitionarebeingneglected.•Severalotherfeaturesofthemethod,like“bringthelearnersintoachild-likestate”isquestionedbycritics.Conclusion•FromLozanov’spointofview,thisairofscienceiswhatgivesSuggestopediaitsauthorityintheeyesofstudentsandpreparesthemtoexpectsuccess.HemakesnobonesaboutthefactthatSuggestopediaisintroducedtostudentsinthecontextofa“suggestive-desuggestiveritualplacebo-system”,andthatoneofthetasksofthesuggestopedicleaderistodeterminewhichcurrentritualplacebosystemcarriesmostauthoritywithstudents.Thisisabeautifulnight.Wecanseestarsabovehead.Afullmooniscomingoutwithlight.Oh,andaplumblossomisalsointhesight.