SUGGESTOPEDIA / DESUGGESTOPEDIA
· It was developed by the Bulgarian psyhiatrist-educator Georgi Lazanow in 70s.
· Suggestopedia: apply suggestology to teaching.
· It is a specific set of learning recommendations derived from suggestology.
· The most conspicuous feature of suggestopedia are the decoration, furniture and arrangement of the classroom, the use of music, and the authoritative behavior of the teacher.
· A most conspicuous feature of suggestopedia is the centarility of music and musicial rhythm to learning.
Theory
· The reason for inefficient learning is that we set up psychological barriers to learning.
· We fear we are unable to perform.
· Then, we limit our ability to learn.
· Then, we fail.
· We don’t use the full mental.
v Direct suggestion: consciousness
e.g. T tells Ss they are going to success.
v Indirect suggestion: subconsciousness (more powerful)
e.g. choosing the lengthy dialogue “to want is to be able to”
· Choose a target language name and occupation.
· Role play - pretend temporarily they are someone else and perform in the target language.
· Music is played accompanied with a dramatic reading in target language.
· Various activities are designed and used spontaneously.
e.g. singing, dancing, games, dramatisations.
· No focus on the form of the linguistic message but communicative intent.
v The objectives of suggestopedia are to deliver advanced conversational proficiency quickly.
v Primary elaboration consists of imitation, question and answer, reading, and so on, of the dialogue.
-The secondary elaboration involves encouraging students to make new combinations and productions.
v Learning activities include imitation, question and answer, and role play.
v Learners’ roles are carefully prescribed. The mental state of the learners is critical to success.
§ Learners must maintain a pseudo-passive state.
§ Learners must tolerate and in fact encourage their own “infantilization” to regain the self-confidence, spontenity, and receptivity of the child.
§ Learners sit in a circle, which encourages face-to-face Exchange and activity participation.
v Teachers create situations in which the learner is most suggestible and then present linguistic material in a way most likely to encourage positive reception and retention by the learner.
v The limitation of learning need to be desuggested.
§ To help Ss. eliminate the feeling that they cannot be successful or the negative association they may have towards studying.
§ To help Ss. overcome the barriers to learning.
Characteristics
Stimulates the whole person
Undoes blocks
Goes rapidly forward
Gives creative solution
Encourages relaxation
Strengthens self-image
Talks to all the senses
Optimizes learning
Propagates talent
Enhances learning
Dramatizes material
Includes pictures, music and movement
Addresses the whole person
Teaching
Lazanov:
· Learning is the process of consciousness and unconsciousness.
· Authority
· Infantilisation
· Double-planedness (direct/indirect influences)
· Intonation and rhythm
· Concert pseudo-passiveness
· Relaxed attention
Techniques
· Create classroom environment – bright and cheerful, decorated with scenes from a country of target language.
· Peripheral learning – Ss perceive more in the environment than we consciously attend. e.g. putting poster containing grammatical rules of target language. Ss absorb the necessary facts effortlessly.
v Materials consist of direct support materials, primarily text and tape, and indirect support materials, including classroom fixtures and music.
v Language class has three distinct parts:
1. The first part – we might call an oral review section.
2. The second part – in which new material is presented and discussed.
3. The third part – the seance or concert session – by which suggestopedia is best known. This constitutes the heart of the method.
Conclusion
· Learning will be facilitated in a relaxed and comfortable environment.
· Learning should be as enjoyabla as possible.
Ø Authority – people remember best and are most influenced by information coming from an authoritative source.
· Commitment to the method, self confidence, personal distance, acting ability, and a highly positive attitude give an authoritative air to the teacher.
Ø Infantilization – suggests relation like that of parent to child. In the child’s role, the learner takes part in role playing, games, sounds and gymnastic exercises. These help the older student regain the self-confidence, spontenity, and receptivity of the child.
Ø Intonation-rhythm – varying the tone and rhythm of presented material helps both to avoid boredom through monotony of repetition and to dramatize, emotionalize and give meaning to ilnguistic material.
Ø Double-planedness – the learner learns not only from the effect of direct instruction but from the environment in which the instruction takes place.
Ø Concert pseudo-passiveness – musicial background helps to induce a relaxed attitude, which Lazanov refers to as concert pseudo-passiveness. Anxieties and tensions are releived and power of concentration for new material is raised.
