Fourth Year English Dept/Methods.2o12/2013.
Suggestopedia
From what I have read in the sources available to me, the classic
suggestopedia class, as conducted in Lozanov's Institute of
suggestology in Sofia, Bulgaria, consists of the following. Courses
are given to small group, around 12 at a time, and are intensive ,
meeting for four hours per day for one month. Each for four class,
according to Bancroft consists of three parts;
1. Review down via traditional conversational, games, plays,etc.
etc. It may include some exercises and error correction, but does
not include the use of a language lab or pattern drill.
2. Presentation of new materials. New material is introduced in the
Bancroft notes that new material presented in a some what
traditional way , with necessary grammar and translation.
3. The portion is the truly original feature of suggestopedia and
itself divided into parts. The dialogue is read by the teacher ,
while students follow the text.
4. Concentration is greatly promoted by the retention or
suspension of breath.
The second part , labeled the passive or concert part of the
séance, involves music. The central idea of activity is the
teacher's reading of the dialogue with emotional or artistic
intonation, The students with eye closed , mediate on the text
while baroque music is played. That is necessary for
unconscious absorption of the language materials which are
taught. The three elements of Lozanov method are considered
essential for the system to work effectively inside the class.
Requirements for optimal input
1. Comprehensible; Several suggestopedia procedure are
specifically designed to aid comprehensibility of input.
Initial dialogues are based on situations familiar to the
students , and the use the student' first language in part
one is partly justified on the ground that it helps the
student confirm that he has indeed understood the text
2. Interesting/relevant; The topics of the dialogues are
designed not only to be of inherent , but also to be of some
practical value and relevant to student' need. In
suggestopedia course designed to teach French to
Anglophone public service in Canada , at the public
service commission in Ottawa, the aim was to take into
account both student interest and their communicative
needs in t6he office situation.
3. Filter level; While suggestopedia attempts to meet the
other goals discussed both above and below, its primary
focus and greatest apparent success is here. Practically
every feature of suggestopedia is aimed at relaxing the
students, reducing anxieties , removing mental blocks, and
building confidence. Here are just a few more examples;
The design of the classroom is meant to produce a
pleasant and warm environment . Students are seated on
comfortable chairs in a circle to encourage informal
contact and free natural communication.
Music is also as a means of lowering anxiety and
diminishing tension, and inducing the state of relaxed
alertness considered optimal for second language
acquisition. The teacher behavior is meant to build the
student ' confidence both in their own potential for second
language acquisition and in the method itself; the teacher
should be confident, but not tyrannical, exercise firm over
–all control but also encourage student initiative for
excellent discussion .