Suggestopedia method

Suggestopedia method

Ø definition
Suggestopedia is a teaching method which is based on a modern understanding of
how the human brain works and how we learn most effectively.

Theory of Language

Lozanov does not articulate a theory of language, nor does it seem he is much
concerned with any particular assumptions regarding language elements and
their organization. Lozanov emphasizes the importance of experiencing language
material in “whole meaningful texts” (Lozanov 1978:268) and notes that the
suggestopedia course directs “the student not to vocabulary memorization and
acquiring habits of speech, but to acts of communication” (Lozanov 1978:109).
Lozanov refers most often to the language to be learned as “the material.”

Theory of Learning

Suggestion is at the heart of Suggestopedia. Lozanov claims that his method is

different from hypnosis and other forms of mind control because they lack a
“desuggestive-suggestive sense” and “fail to create a constant set up to reserves
through concentrative psycho-relaxation” (1978:267). (Reserves are like human
memory banks) There are some principal theoretical components through which
desuggestion and suggestion operate and that set up access to reserves.

Premises
1. Lozanov holds the opinion that individuals are capable of learning “at rates
many times greater than what we commonly assume to be the limits of human
performance” (ibid., p. 42). He claims that most people do not make use of their
brain capacity and therefore do not reach the learning ability they would be able
to develop otherwise. According to Lozanov, it is out of fear that learners "do not
use [their] full mental powers" but set up "psychological barriers" because they
are afraid that that they will not be able to perform, that they will be limited in their
ability to perform or that they will fail (Larsen-Freeman, 1986, p.72). Lozanov
believes therefore, that the negative thoughts the learners have about
themselves and their learning have to be "de-suggested" (ibid.).
2. Lozanov sees learning as a “global event” involving the whole person (Stevick,
1976, p. 42).
 3. Lozanov believes that an individual is “constantly responding to innumerable
influences, a few of which are conscious and rational, but most of which are
either nonconscious or nonrational or both” (ibid.).

Targets and Claimsedit

One target of Suggestopedia is to quickly enable students to have conversations
on an advanced proficiency level (Knight, 2001, p. 15). According to Lozanov,
Suggestopedia can help a student to accelerate his memory skills in such a way
that he/she will be able to memorize 25 times as quickly as with conventional
methods (Lozanov, 1978, p. 27). Students are said to develop “super-memories”
and “to learn without any conscious effort or physical fatigue, large amounts of
language material in a very short time” (Bancroft, 1978, p. 168).
Principles

Authorityedit
According to Richards and Rodgers, the method itself is supposed to gain
authority by the use of “scientific-sounding language, highly positive experimental
data and true-believer teachers”(2001, p. 101). The teacher becomes a figure of
authority by displaying self-confidence, acting ability and a highly positive attitude
(ibid.). He is also backed up by the 'success stories' told about Suggestopedia.

Intonation, Rhythm, and Concert Pseudo-Passivenessedit

The teacher varies the intonation and the rhythm of his/her voice when reading to
the students. This is done in order to “avoid boredom” and “dramatize,
emotionalize, and give meaning to linguistic material” (Richards & Rodgers, 2001,
p. 102). Music is used in the background while the students listen to dialogues
being read out to them. The music is supposed to evoke in the students a
“concert pseudo-passiveness” as Lozanov calls it (ibid.). Special breathing
techniques, taken from yoga and supporting the effect of the music, are also
employed.

Ø Key Elements
Some of the key elements of Suggestopedia include a rich sensory learning
environment (pictures, colour, music, etc.), a positive expectation of success and the
use of a varied range of methods: dramatic texts, music, active participation in songs
and games, etc.
Suggestopedia adopts a carefully structured approach, using four main stages as
follows:
a. Presentation.
b. First Concert - "Active Concert".
 c. Second Concert - "Passive Review.
d. Practice.

Key Features of Suggestopedia

 Comfortable environment

In suggestopedia method, the classroom is not the same as common classrooms.

In the classroom, the chairs are arranged semicircle and faced the black or white
board in order to make the students pay more attention and get more relaxed. In
addition, the light in the classroom is dim in order to make the students’ mind
more relaxed (Xue, 2005).

1. The use of music

One of the most uniqueness of this method is the use of Baroque music during
the learning process. Baroque music, with its 60 beats per minute and its specific
rhythm, created the kind of relaxed states of mind for maximum retention of
material. It is believed that Baroque music creates a level of relaxed concentration
that facilitates the intput and retention of huge quantities of materials. Baroque
music helps the students to reach a certain state of relaxation, in which the
receptivity is increased (Radle, 2008). The increasing of learning potential is put
down to the increase of alpha brain and decreasing of blood preasure and heart
rate. The use of music also depends on the expected skill of the students:
listening, grammar, pronunciation, discussion, etc.

1. Peripheral Learning

The students learn English not only from direct instruction but also from indirect
instruction. It is encouraged through the presence in the learning environment of
posters and decoration featuring the target language and various grammatical
information. They are changed everyday. By doing this, the students can learn
many things undirectly in the classroom or outside classroom. For example,
students can produce simple sentence by using the posters or grammatical
information on the wall.

1. Free Errors
 In the teaching learning process, students who make mistakes are tolerated, for
example in pronouncing the word. The emphasis is on the content not the
structure. Grammar and vocabularies are presented and given treatment from the
teachers, but not dwelt on.

1. Homework is limited

Students reread materials given in the classroom once before they go to sleep at
night and once in the morning before they get up.

1. Music, drama and art are integrated in the learning process

They are integrated as often as possible.

Design

Objective

Suggestopedia aims to deliver advance conversational proficiency quickly. It

apparently bases its leaning claims on student mastery of prodigious lists of
vocabulary pairs and indeed, suggests to the students that it is appropriate that
they set such goals for themselves. Lozanov states categorically, “the main aims of
teaching is not memorization, but the understanding and creative solution of
problem”. As learners goals he cited increased access an understanding and
creative solution of problem. However, because students and teachers place a
high value on vocabulary recall, memorization of vocabulary pairs continues to be
seen as an important goal to the suggestopedia method.

Ø Purpose
Theintended purpose of Suggestopedia was to enhance learning by tapping into the
power of suggestion. Lozanov claims in that “suggestopedia is a system for
liberation”; liberation from the “preliminary negative concept regarding the difficulties
in the process of learning” that is established throughout their life in the society.

The syllabus

A suggestopedia course last thirty days and consist of ten units of study. Classes
are held four hours a day, six days a week. The central focus of each unit is a
dialogue consisting of 1,200 words or so, with an accompanying vocabulary list
and grammatical commentary. The dialogues are graded by lexicon and grammar.

There is a pattern of work within each unit and a pattern of work for the whole
course. Unit study is organized around three days: day 1 – half a day, day 2 – full
day, day 3 – half a day. One of the first day of work on a new unit the teacher
discusses the general content (not structure) of the unit dialogue. The learners
then receive the printed dialogue with the native language translation in parallel
column. The teacher answers any questions of interest or concern about the
dialogue. The dialogue then is read the second and third time in ways to be
discussed sub sequently.

The whole course also has a pattern of presentation and performance. On the
first day a test is given to check the level the students’ knowledge and to provide
a basis for dividing students into two groups, one of new beginners and one of
modified (false) beginners. The teacher then briefs the students on the course
and explains the attitude they should toward it.

During the course there are two opportunities for generalization of material. In
the middle of the course students are encouraged to practice the target language
in a setting where it might be used, such as hotels and restaurants. The last day
of the course is devoted to a performance in which every student participates.
The students construct a play built on the material of the course.

Types of Learning and Teaching Activities

The types of activities that are more original to suggestopedia are the listening
activities, which concern the text and text vocabulary of each unit. These activities
are typically part of the “pre-session phase”, which takes place on the first day of
a new unit.

The students first look at and discuss a new text with the teacher. In the second
reading, students relax comfortably in reclining chairs and listen to the teacher
read the text in a certain way. During the third reading the material is acted out
by the instructor in a dramatic manner over a background of the special musical
form described previously.

Teacher’s Roles

Teacher should create situations in which learners are most suggestible and then
to present linguistic material in a way most likely to encourage positive reception
and retention by learners. Lozanov lists several expected teacher behaviors as
follows:

1. Ø Teacher’s Roles
2. 1. Show absolute confidence in the method.
3. 2. Display fastidious conduct in manners and dress.
 4. 3. Organize properly, and strictly observe the initial stages of the teaching
process-this includes choice and play of music, as well as punctuality.
5. 4. Maintain a solemn attitude towards the session.
6. 5. Give tests and respond tactfully to poor papers (if any).
7. 6. Stress global rather than analytical attitudes towards material.
8. 7. Maintain a modest enthusiasm.
9.

Learner and teacher roles

One of the teacher's main roles is to see that she/he creates the right
environment for the students in which they find it easy to learn (Knight, 2001, p.
154). He/she is meant to correct the students very carefully, if at all, in order not
to discourage them. He/she is expected to be “positive, yet authoritarian”
(Bancroft, 1978, 170) and to have "complete faith" in the method (Knight, 2001, p.
154). Teachers should even be "specially trained in such disciplines as acting
and psychology" so they can "suggest" the meaning of new words to their
students by acting them out and using their voice to convey meaning (Bancroft,
1978, p. 169). The learners should also have “faith in the system and accept that
they are in a childlike situation where they follow the teacher/parent" (Knight,
2001, p. 154). The students should not be critical but simply "absorb what is
presented to them" (Knight, 2001, p. 154).

Learners’ Roles

The learners as well are should have “faith in the system and accept that they are
in a childlike situation where they follow the teacher / parent” (Knight, 2001, p.
154). The students should not be critical, but simply absorb what is presented to
them.

Stages of Suggestopedia

There are three stages in using suggestopedia method. They are:

1. 1. Presentation
Presentation is the basis of conducting Suggestopedia in class successfully. The
main aim in this stage is to help students relaxed and move into a positive
frame of mind, with the feeling that the learning is going to be easy and funny.
Desuggestion and suggestion happen at this stage at the same time.
2. 2. Concert

First Concert
 This involves the active presentation of the material to be learnt. The original
form of Suggestopedia presented by Lozanov consisted of the use of extended
dialogues, often several pages in length, accompanied by vocabulary lists and
observations on grammatical points. Typically these dialogues will be read aloud
to students to the accompaniment of music.

Second Concert

The students are now guided to relax and listen to some Baroque music. The best
choice of music according to Lozanov, with the text being studied very quietly in
the background. During both types of reading, the learners will sit in comfortable
seats, armchairs rather than classroom chairs, in a comfortable environment.
After the readings of these long dialogues to the accompaniment of music, the
teacher will then make use of the dialogues for more conventional language work.
The music brings the students into the optimum mental state for the effortless
acquisition of the material. The students, then, make and practice dialogue after
they memorize the content of the materials.

1. 3. Practice

The use of a range of role-plays, games, puzzles, etc. to review and consolidate
the learning.

Advantages of Suggestopedia

There are some benefits in utilizing suggestopedia:

1. A comprehesible input based on dessugestion and suggestion principle

By using this suggestopedia method, students can lower their affective filter.
Suggestopedia classes, in addition, are held in ordinary rooms with comfortable
chairs, a practice that may also help them relaxed. Teacher can do numerous
other things to lower the affective filter.

1. Authority concept

Students remember best and are most influenced by information coming from an
authoritative source, teachers.

1. Double-planedness theory
 It refers to the learning from two aspects. They are the conscious aspect and the
subconscious one. Students can acquire the aim of teaching instruction from both
direct instruction and environment in which the teaching takes place.

Suggestopedia regards the learners' environment as an important factor for learning.

Classrooms are therefore supposed to have certain characteristics. A classroom's
decoration is to be "pleasant and cheerful" while the lighting should be "soft and
unobtrusive" (ibid., p. 169). The chairs are cushioned and specially constructed for this
kind of classroom. The seats are placed in an open circle with the teacher's chair being
placed at the head of the class (ibid., p. 170).

3. Double-planedness theory
It refers to the learning from two aspects. They are the conscious aspect and the
subconscious one. Students can acquire the aim of teaching instruction from both
direct instruction and environment in which the teaching takes place.

1. Peripheral learning

Suggestopedia encourages the students to apply language more independently,

takes more personal responsibility for their own learning and get more
confidence. Peripheral information can also help encourage students to be more
experimental, and look to sources other than the teacher for language input. For
example, the students can make some sentences using the grammatical structure
placed on the classroom’s wall, describe a particular place in an English speaking
country by looking at the poster on the wall, etc. When the students are
successful in doing such self-activities, they will be more confident.

4. Peripheral learning
Suggestopedia encourages the students to apply language more independently,
takes more personal responsibility for their own learning and get more confidence.
Ø
Ø Disadvantages of Suggestopedia
Suggestopedia also has limitation since there is no single teaching method that is
categorized as the best based on some consideration such as: the curriculum,
students motivation, financial limitation, number of students, etc.
1. Environment limitation

Most schools in developing countries have large classes. Each class consists of 30
to 40 students. One of the problems faced in utilizing this method is the number
of students in the class. There should be 12 students in the class (Adamson,
1997).

1. The use of hypnosis

Some people say that suggestopedia uses a hypnosis, so it has bad deep effects
for human beings. Lazanov strongly denied about it.

Infantilization
Suggestopedia aims to establish a “teacher-student relation like that of parent to child”
(ibid., p. 102). The student is supposed to engage in role-plays, games, songs, and
gymnastic exercises (ibid.). Part of the infantilization process is also that the student
chooses a new name for himself/herself (Bancroft, 1978,Suggestopedia class is
conditioned be child-like situation. There are some students who do not like to be
treated like this as they think that thay are mature.

CONCLUSION

Teacher will find different situation and different types of students in learning.
Therefore, teacher should be creative and smart in choosing and using different
types of methods in teaching different skill of language. Teacher can use
suggestopedia as teaching method in their teaching. Using suggestopedia is very
interesting but challenging to do. It can be seen from some considerations. In one
side it has some benefits, but on the other side it also has some weaknesses. In
addition, the key factors of effective teaching are not the approaches and
methods in language teaching themselves but the teacher’s deliberate selection
of different approaches and methods and the devoted practice of putting theories
into real teaching activities in a corresponding social-cultural context. It is a fact
that no approach or method is perfect. However, there is no end for teacher to
seek the perfection of the approaches and methods in language teaching. The
language teaching method known as Suggestopedia provides some valuable
insights into the power of cognition and creates techniques that make students
feel comfortable, relaxed and suggestible to the material being learned.
 Criticism
Suggestopedia has been called a "pseudo-science" (Scovel, 1979, cited in
Richards & Rodgers, 2001, p.106). It strongly depends on the trust that students
develop towards the method by simply believing that it works. Lozanov himself
admits that Suggestopedia can be compared to a placebo. He argues, however,
that placebos are indeed effective. Another point of criticism is brought forward by
Baur who claims that the students only receive input by listening, reading and
musical-emotional backing, while other important factors of language acquisition
are being neglected (1984:294). Furthermore, several other features of the
method, like the 'nonconscious' acquisition of language, or bringing the learner
into a child-like state are questioned by critics.
On the other hand, in Principles and Practice in Second Language
Acquisition, Stephen Krashen refers to the excellent results achieved by the
method, mentioning that its students tend to score higher on vocabulary tests and
are "vastly superior" in communicative terms (while at the same time showing no
difference between control groups regarding pronunciation and grammar - two
areas almost totally ignored by Suggestopedia).[1]
He goes on to point out, however, that while the results are indeed excellent, they
"are not superhuman", since the month-long course is quite intensive - four hours
per day, six days a week.

Ø CONCLUSION
Teacher will find different situation and different types of students in learning. Therefore,
teacher should be creative and smart in choosing and using different types of methods
in teaching different skill of language. Teacher can use suggestopedia as teaching
method in their teaching. Using suggestopedia is very interesting but challenging to
do. It can be seen from some considerations. In one side it has some benefits, but on
the other side it also has some weaknesses.