Suggestopedia

A. Background

Suggestopedia is a method developed by Georgi Lozanov. It can be called suggestopedy or suggestopedagogy. The experiment of this method was held in Bulgaria (1975). The main reference of this method is a lozanov's book : Suggestology and Oulines of Suggestopedy, 1983.
The most conspicuous characteristics of suggestopedia are the decoration, furniture, and arrangement of classroom, the use of music, and the authoritative behavior of the teacher. Lozanov has borrowed and modified the techniques for altering states of consciousness and concentration and the use of rhythmic breathing. There are three functions of using music in the method:

• to facilitate the establishment and maintenance of personal relations.

• to bring about the increased self-esteem through increased self-satisfaction in musical performance.

• to use the unique potential of rhythm to energize and bring order.

B. Approach

• Theory of Language

Lozanov does not articulate a theory of language. The emphasis on memorization of vocabulary pair suggests a view of language in which stess is put on Lexis and lexical translation.
The suggestopedic course direct the students to act of communication. Lozanov recommends home study of recordings of "whole meaningful text" that are, above all, interesting. The text should be light hearted stories with emotional content.

• Theory of Learning

Suggestopedia  derived from suggestology: a science concerned with the systematic study of the nonrational and/or nonconcious influences. The heart suggestopedia is suggestion, which involves loading the memory banks with desired and facilitating memories. Desuggestions, on the other hand, involves unloading the memory banks, or reserves, of unwanted or blocking memories.
The are some basic theoretical components through which desuggestion and suggestion operate:

1. Authority. People remember best and are most influenced by the information coming from an authority source.
2. Infantilization. Authority is also use to suggest a teacher student relation like that of parent to child.
3. Double-planednees. The learner learns not only from the effect of direct instruction, but also from the environment in which the instruction takes place.
4. Intonation, rhythm, and correct pseudo-passiveness. Varying the tone and the rhythm of presented materials helps both to avoid boredom and to dramatize, emotionalize, and give meaning to the linguistic materials.

Both intonation and rhythm are coordinated with a musical background, called Baroque. The rate of presentation of materials to be learned within the rhythmic pattern is keyed to the rhythm.

C. Designs

• Objective

Suggestopedia aims at delivering advanced conversational proficiency quickly. The main aim of teaching is not memorization, but the understanding and creative solution of problems. However, memorization of vocabulary pairs is an important goal of the suggestopedic method.

• Syllabus

A suggestopedia course lasts three months and consists of ten units of study. Classes are held four hours a day, six days a week during three months with 1200 words fcr the course. The central focus of each unit is a dialogue. The dialogue is graded by lexis and grammar. The study unit is organized around three days:

1. On day one (half a day), the teacher discusses the general content. The learners receive the printed dialogue with a native language translation. The dialogue is read a second and third time.
2. Days two end three are spent in primary and secondary elaboration of the text. Primary elaborations consist of imitation, question and answer, reading and so on of the dialogue and of working with the new vocabulary items. The secondary elaboration involves encouraging students to make new combinations and productions based on dialogues.

The whole course also has pattern of presentation and performance. On the firs day, a test is given to check the level of student's knowledge ond to divide students into groups. Then, the teacher briefs the students on the course and explains the attitude they should take toward it.
It the middle of the course, students are encouraged to practice the target language in a sitting provided. The last day of the course is devoted to a performance in which every student participles.

• Types of Learning and Teaching Activities

The type of activities is listening activities, which concern the text. 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 reading the text. During the third reading, materials is acted out by instructor in a dramatic way over a background of the special musical form.

• Learner Roles

Students volunteer for a suggestopedia course, then, they are expected to be committed to the class and its activities. the mental state of the learner is critical to success: students are expected to tolerate and encourage their own infantilization.

• Teacher Roles

The primary role of the teacher is:
a. to create situations in which the learner is most suggestible.
b. to present linguistic material in a way most likely to encourage positive reception and retention by the learner.
Lozanov lists several expected teacher behaviors:

1. Show absolute confidence in the method.
2. Display fastidious conduct in manners and dress.
3. Organize properly and strictly observe the initial stages of the teaching process.
4. Maintain a solemn attitude toward the season.
5. Give tests and respond tactfully to poor papers.
6. Stress global rather than analytical attitudes toward materials.
7. Maintain a modest enthusiasm.

• Roles of instructional Materials

Materials consist of direct support materials, primarily text and tape, and indirect support materials, including the appearance of the classroom, the furniture and the music. The textbook should have emotional force, literary quality and interesting characters.

Learning environment plays such a central role in suggestopedia that the important elements of the environment  need to be enumerated.

D. Usual Classroom Techniques

The four-hour language class has three distinct part.

• Oral review section.

• Presentation and discussion of new materials.

• Seance or concert session.

At the beginning of the concert session, all conversation stops for a minute  or two, and the teacher listens to the music coming from the tape recorder. Then, he begins to read or recite the new text. The students follow the text in their textbooks.

Between the first and the second part of the concert, there are several minutes of solemn silence.

Before the beginning of the second part of the concert, there are again several minutes of silence and some phrases of the music are heard again before the teacher begins to read the text.

Now, the students close their textbooks and listen to the teacher's reading. They are not told to do homework except for reading it curiously before going to bed and before getting up.

E. Results

The method has  shown better results in the experimental classes than that in the usual classes. Word retention for German, French, English, and Italian is 93.16% , the average (Lozanov, 1982 : 209). Word retention after three years is still perfect  (Lozanov, 1982 : 125)

Lozanov's follower claimes that the results of the suggestopedia method are better than those of the anthers. Bordon and Schuster (in Bancfroft, 1978) claims that the results is 2,5. Suggestopedia  teacher in lowa claims that the results is 3 times (Bancroft, 1978 : 169). Strander and Schruder (in Bancroft, 1978 : 168) claimes that the result is 50 times better than that of the other method.