SUGGESTOPEDIAIt is a teaching method

for teaching foreign languages developed by the Bulgarian psychotherapist Georgi Lozanov in the 1970s.

It is an acronym of the words suggestion and pedagogy.

Some characteristics of Suggestopedia are the decoration, furniture, and arrangement of the classroom, the use of music, and the authoritative behavior of the teacher. This is to make sure students can feel comfortable and confident.

CHARACTERISTICS

The most relevant feature of Suggestopedia is the centrality of music and musical rhythm to learning. This has relation with the uses of music in therapy. Music of therapy is used to energize and bring order through the potential of rhythm. Then, Lozanov says this helps to relax students likewise to do the presentation of linguistic material.

Lozanov further claims that what distinguishes his method from hypnosis and other forms of mind control is that these other forms lack “a desuggestive-suggestive sense” and “fail to create a constant set up access to reserves through concentrative psycho-relaxation”

People remember best and are most influenced by information coming from an authoritative source and is more appealing for learners.

AUTHORITY

Authority is also used to suggest a teacher–student relation like that of parent to child. In the child’s role the learner takes part in role playing, games, songs, and gymnastic exercises that help “the older student regain the self-confidence, spontaneity and receptivity of the child”

INFANTILIZATION

Students also learn from the environment in which the instruction takes place such as personality of the teacher, the shape of the chairs, etc.

DOUBLE-PLANEDNESS

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 linguistic material.

INTONATION, RHYTHM, AND CONCERT PSEUDO-PASSIVENESS

Both intonation and rhythm are coordinated with a musical background. The musical background helps to induce a relaxed attitude, which Lozanov refers to as concert pseudo-passiveness.

PresentationA preparatory stage in which students are helped to relax and move into a positive frame of mind, with the feeling that the learning is going to be easy and fun.

First Concert - "Active Concert“This involves the active presentation of the material to be learnt. For example, in a foreign language course there might be the dramatic reading of a piece of text, accompanied by classical music.

PROCEDURE

Second Concert - "Passive Review“The students are now invited to relax and listen to some Baroque music, with the text being read very quietly in the background. The music is specially selected to bring the students into the optimum mental state for the effortless acquisition of the material.

PracticeThe use of a range of games, puzzles, etc. to review and consolidate the learning.

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