WEB-ресурс научно-практических конференций

Motsok O.G.

Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University , Ukraine

SUGGESTOPEDIA – THE STRANGEST OF THE HUMANISTIC APPROACHES

Suggestopedia is considered to be the strangest of the humanistic approaches. In the late 70s, a Bulgarian psychologist by the name of Georgi Lozanov introduced the contention that students naturally set up psychological barriers to learning - based on fears that they will be unable to perform and are limited in terms of their ability to learn. Lozanov believed that learners may have been using only 5 to 10 percent of their mental capacity, and that the brain could process and retain much more material if given "optimal" conditions for learning. Based on psychological research on extrasensory perception, Lozanov began to develop a language learning method that focused on " desuggestion " of the limitations learners think they have, and providing the sort of relaxed state of mind that would facilitate the retention of material to its maximum potential. This method became known as " Suggestopedia " - the name reflecting the application of the power of "suggestion" to the field of pedagogy.

Lozanov says that the learners need a relaxed but focused state as the optimum state for learning [1 ,p.67 ]. In order to create this relaxed state in the learner and to promote positive suggestion, Suggestopedia makes use of soothing, rhythmic music, a comfortable and relaxing environment, and a relationship between the teacher and the student similar to the parent-child relationship. The students’ feelings have an important place. They need to feel confident and relaxed and their psychological barriers must be „ desuggested ”.

Based on his studies Lozanov claims that the best learning takes place in a relaxed but focused state. To achieve this, instruction takes place on two planes. On the conscious plane there is direct suggestion and the language itself is used here. On the sub-conscious plane instruction is achieved through indirect suggestion by using elements which surround the language.

Each linguistic material is divided into two, including the target language text on the right and its translation into the native language on the left. In the material there is also a bilingual glossary and brief grammar explanations related to the text. When the teacher gives the text, s/he gives time to the students to have a look it and then partly in the target language, partly in the native language and partly through body language s/he outlines the flow of the text and gives a quick and brief explanation of the grammar point/s to be covered. Following this a presentation session with music starts. One of the most unique characteristics of Suggestopedia is the use of soft Baroque music during the learning process. The presented text of the concerning lesson is read twice by the teacher in harmony with the classical music playing in the background. This part of the lesson is called the concert session and it has two stages. Following the presentation of the text there are two-follow up stages aiming student activation. Errors are tolerated since the emphasis is on content not structure. They are not corrected immediately. When errors of form occur the teacher uses the correct form in soft voice following the activities.

In order to stimulate the creativity of the learners Suggestopedia uses almost all the categories of art such as music, visual arts, and stage art. The suggestopedic teachers use music as songs in the elaborations and as classical background music in the concert sessions. They hang colourfully made grammar posters among other art posters in the classroom, and sometimes they give the group drawing tasks. They move like actors in the theatre, use puppets like a show person, and read the textbook like poets at their recital.

The teacher’s attitude and behaviour in the classroom is one of the key elements which ensures the success of a suggestopedic session. He or she has to establish good human relations in the class so that students would help and praise one another. “The teacher in a suggestopedic course not only radiates effective suggestive stimuli, but also coordinates environmental suggestive stimuli in a positive way for students to learn. One of Suggestopedia's unique goals is to release learners' minds from the existing framework of the social-suggestive norms [2, p. 252].

It is maintained that a great number of words can be acquired through this method [3, p.54] so it can be deduced that the lexical part of the language is considered to be very important. Grammar is presented explicitly and spontaneously with the linguistic material. Listening is of great importance. Speaking communicatively is also deemed to be significant . Reading is carried out just by voicing the text dramatically so the strategic reading or reading techniques like finding the main idea are neglected.

So Suggestopedia appears to be an appealing method as it has put forward a bunch of unusual and seemingly interesting techniques tied together for the first time in ELT history. It seems as if it was created by a knowledgeable advertiser since it comprises many of the sub-conscious-oriented techniques that an effective advertisement should have: the use of music, relaxing, pleasing and stimulating environmental set-up, motivated and powerful service people (teachers) giving positive messages with their attractive appearance and never-ending energy so it has the potential to increase motivation, among the learners, to try and use the “product”, which is English here.

References:

1. Bowen T. What is Suggestopedia? – Режим доступу: http://www.onestopenglish.com/News/MagazineArchive/suggesta.htm

2. Lozanov G . Suggestology and Outlines of Suggestopedy . Gordon and Breach Science Publishers, 1979. – 377 p.

3. Lozanov G., Gateva E. The Foreign Language Teacher's Suggestopedic Manual. New York : Gordon and Breach Science Publishers, 1988. – 382 p.