UNIVERSITY OF GOCE DELCHEV

Faculty of philology

Paperwork on the subject

English Language Teaching Methods and

Approaches
on topic :

Suggestopedia method of teaching

Mentor:

Prepared by :

Ph. D. Nina Daskalovska

Nikola Stanishkov
ID No.

December, 2014

161453

Suggestopedia

Content

Abstract3
Introduction.4
Theoretical assumptions...5
Characteristics6
Implications for teaching...8
Advantages and disadvantages of the method.9
Conclusion....10
References11

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Suggestopedia

Abstract
Suggestopedia is a teaching method developed by the Bulgarian
psychotherapist Georgi Lozanov. The method has been used in different fields of
studies but mostly in the field of foreign language learning.
Lozanov says that by using this method one can teach languages
approximately three to five times as quickly as conventional methods. However, it is
not limited to the learning of languages, but language learning was found to be a
process in which one can easily measure how much and how fast something is
learned.
Suggestopedia is a system for liberation, the liberation from the preliminary
negative concept regarding the difficulties in the process of learning that is
established throughout their life in the society. Desuggestopedia focuses more on
liberation as Lozanov describes desuggestive learning as free, without a mildest
pressure, liberation of previously suggested programs to restrict intelligence and
spontaneous acquisition of knowledge, skills and habits. The method implements
this by working not only on the conscious level of human mind but also on the
subconscious level, the minds reserves. Since it works on the reserves in human
mind and brain, which are said to have unlimited capacities, one can teach more
than other method can teach in the same amount of time.
Key words:
1. Teaching method
2. Learning languages
3. System for liberation

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Suggestopedia

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

Presentation.
First Concert - "Active Concert".
Second Concert - "Passive Review.
Practice.
The intended 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 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.
This paper aims at describing Lozanovs teaching method known as
Suggestopedia so as to gain deeper knowledge on the theoretical assumptions and
the characteristics of the method as well as to derive possible implications for
teaching.

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Suggestopedia
The present work consists of three different sections being the first one
devoted

to

the

description

of

the

underlying

theoretical

assumptions

of

suggestopedia. Section two will deal with the main characteristics of the method,
while section three will provide relevant implication for teaching. Finally, in the last
section, conclusions will be presented.

Theoretical assumptions
Suggestopedia was developed by the Bulgarian psychiatrist-educator
Georgi Lozanov and it is concerned with the physical environment in which learning
takes place. Lozanov believes that language learning can be accelerated by applying
this method and claims that inefficiency comes from the psychological barriers that
students set up to learning, that is, their feeling of incapacity to achieve their goals.
This results in students not fully using their mental capacities.
In order to overcome this problem, the author states that learners limitations
should be desuggested, that is, memory banks of unwanted or blocking memories
should be unloaded. Suggestopedia is then the application of the study of suggestion
(loading the memory banks with desired and facilitating memories) to pedagogy.
There is an emphasis on using the language as a means of communication,
that is why texts should be meaningful and they should include emotional content. In
this sense, the Suggestopedic course directs the student not to vocabulary
memorization and acquiring habits of speech, but to acts of communication
(Lozanov, 1978).
In words of Richards and Rodgers (1986), Suggestopedia can be best
understood as a theory that aims at describing how attentiveness is manipulated to
optimize learning and recall.

Characteristics
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Suggestopedia

Arrangement of the classroom

The classroom must be as comfortable as possible and it can include easy

chairs, decoration, soft lighting and music. Students should be seated in a circle or a
semicircle so as to face each other during the lesson. Posters displaying
grammatical information are also important since they can encourage students
peripheral learning. This technique is based on the idea that we perceive much more
in our environment than what we think. It is claimed that by displaying these posters
on the classroom walls, students will absorb the necessary facts effortlessly (LarsenFreeman, 1986). These visual aids need to be changed from time to time so that
they bear a relation to what is currently being taught.

The lessons
According to Lozanov (1978), the course should last thirty days and consist of

ten units of study. In addition, classes are to be held four hours a day, six days a
week. Bancroft (1972) understands that the lesson has three distinct parts. The first
one includes a discussion of the material held by the teacher and the students. The
session may involve micro-studies (where attention is given to grammar, vocabulary
and precise questions and answers) and macro-studies (in which the emphasis is on
role playing and innovative language constructions). In the second part of the lesson
new material is presented and any relevant issues concerning grammar, vocabulary
or content are discussed. The third part constitutes the heart of the method. The
teacher plays some music and recites the new text in a harmonic way while the
students follow the script on their textbooks. After that, students remain silent and
later the teacher reads the text again. At the end, learners leave the room silently.
The texts students work from are handouts containing lengthy dialogues in
the target language and including a translation in the students mother tongue
(Larsen-Freeman, 1986). The handouts may also include some notes on the
vocabulary and grammar present in the dialogue.
The text is presented in two phases: the receptive phase and the activation phase. In
the first stage students are exposed to the language in a relaxed atmosphere, while
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Suggestopedia
in the second one students engage in various activities designed to help them gain
facility with the new material.

Activities
The type of activities students engage in may include role playing, question-

and-answer, repetition, translation, games, songs and other activities that can derive
from the dialogues. In addition, learners are told to choose a new target language
name and occupation at the beginning of the course. Visualization exercises may
also be included so as to promote students relaxation as well as to activate their
creativity before writing tasks.

The teachers authority and the learner

People remember best and are most influenced by information coming from

an authoritative source (Richards and Rodgers, 1986). The teacher is the authority in
the classroom and students must trust and respect him/her in order for the method to
be successful. The students will retain information better from someone in whom
they have confidence (Larsen-Freeman, 1986). The teacher is the one in charge of
providing positive suggestions so as to help students break down their psychological
barriers.
Once the students trust the teacher, they can undergo what Lozanov terms
infantilization. Authority is also used to suggest a teacher-student relation like that
of parent to child. In the childs role the learner takes part in role playing, games,
songs, and gymnastic exercises that help the older student regain the selfconfidence, spontaneity and receptivity of the child (Richards and Rogers, 1986).

Implications for teaching

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Suggestopedia
In relation to the classroom, we believe it should be as comfortable as
possible since this helps students to be focused on the content of the lesson and feel
relaxed when learning.
As regards the teachers attitude, he or she should speak reassuringly in
order to inspire trust and respect. In addition, he or she should emphasize how easy
and fun the learning experience can be by means of different activities in which
students assume different roles and play games.
Another activity that teachers can carry out so as to keep students relaxed is
to invite them to take imaginary trips with him/her. In this way, learners activate their
imagination and their creativity is enhanced.
By asking students to choose a new target language name and identity, they
will gain confidence since they will experience a feeling of security, which will allow
them to express themselves more openly.
Bringing music into the classroom can become a powerful tool for facilitating
learning. By playing music while the teacher reads the dialogues out loud, the
students perceive the learning process as both easy and pleasant.
Students can learn from what is present in the environment, even if their
attention is not directed to it (Larsen-Freeman, 1986). This means that students learn
subconsciously, so it is very useful to stick posters on the walls containing
information relevant to the topics that are being dealt with.
Teachers should provide students with appealing material whose content is
known by them and which can be used immediately. In addition, the focus of the
activities should be on communicating meaning rather than on paying attention to
form. A way to achieve this goal is to avoid correcting students on the spot so that
they are not afraid of making mistakes.

Advantages and disadvantages of the method

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Suggestopedia
Advantages of Suggestopedia
-There are some benefits in utilizing suggestopedia:

A comprehensible 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.

Authority concept
Students remember best and are most influenced by information coming from

an authoritative source, teachers.

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.

Peripheral learning
Suggestopedia encourages the students to apply language more

independently, takes more personal responsibility for their own learning and get
more confidence.
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.

Environment limitation; The use of hypnosis; Infantilization learning.

Conclusion
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Suggestopedia
The main purpose of this paperwork was to describe and analyse the central
aspects and characteristics of the Suggestopedic method, as well as its theoretical
assumptions so as to derive relevant implications for teaching. Moreover, the
analysis of the method was meant to take advantage of the aspects that can be
applied to modern classrooms.
After having analyzed and described the method, we consider that although
it has a large number of positive aspects, it has some limitations. Suggestopedia, as
originally developed by Lozanov, would be difficult to follow in todays classrooms
given that it is highly structured (rigorous number of lessons, students and stages)
and it would demand a considerable public investment (appropriate furniture for the
classroom, a higher number of classrooms and specially trained teachers).
In relation to the positive features of the method, we believe that it provides
us with inspiring and useful ideas. Encouraging students confidence, selecting
interesting topics, creating a pleasant and playful atmosphere and promoting a close
teacher-student relationship will certainly improve the quality of our teaching.

References
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* Larsen-Freeman, D. 1986. Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching.

Oxford University Press. Chapter 6.
* Richards, J. and Rodgers. 1986. Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching.
Cambridge University Press. Chapter 10.
* Harmer, J. 2007. The Practice of English Language Teaching. Pearson Longman.
Chapter 4

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