Suggestopedia (US English) or Suggestopdia (UK English) is a teaching method

developed by the Bulgarian psychotherapist Georgi Lozanov. It is used mostly to learn

foreign languages. Suggestopedia has been called a pseudoscience.[1] It strongly depends on
the trust that students develop towards the method by simply believing that it works.
The theory applied positive suggestion in teaching when it was developed in the 1970s.
However, as the method improved, it has focused more on desuggestive learning and now
is often called desuggestopedia.[2] Suggestopedia is a portmanteau of the words
suggestion and pedagogy". A common misconception is to link "suggestion" to
"hypnosis". However, Lozanov intended it in the sense of offering or proposing, emphasising
student choice.
Physical surroundings and atmosphere in classroom are the vital factors to make sure that
"the students feel comfortable and confident",[3] and various techniques, including art and
music, are used by the trained teachers. The lesson of Suggestopedia consisted of three
phases at first: deciphering, concert session (memorization sance), and elaboration.[2][4]
Deciphering: The teacher introduces the grammar and lexis of the content. In most materials
the foreign language text is on the left half of the page with a translation on the right half, i.e.
meanings are conveyed via the mother tongue not unlike the bilingual method.
Concert session (active and passive): In the active session, the teacher reads the text at a
normal speed, sometimes intoning some words, and the students follow. In the passive
session, the students relax and listen to the teacher reading the text calmly. Music ("
baroque) is played in the background.
Elaboration: The students finish off what they have learned with dramas, songs, and games.
Then it has developed into four phases as lots of experiments were done: introduction,
concert session, elaboration, and production.[2][4]
Introduction: The teacher teaches the material in a playful manner instead of analyzing
lexis and grammar of the text in a directive manner.
Concert session (active and passive): In the active session, the teacher reads with intoning
as selected music is played. Occasionally, the students read the text together with the teacher,
and listen only to the music as the teacher pauses in particular moments. The passive session
is done more calmly.
Elaboration: The students sing classical songs and play games while the teacher acts more
like a consultant.[2]
Production: The students spontaneously speak and interact in the target language without
interruption or correction.

Teachers

Teachers should not act in a directive way, although this method is teacher-controlled and not
student-controlled. For example, they should act as a real partner to the students, participating
in the activities such as games and songs naturally and genuinely. [2] In the concert
session, they should fully include classical art in their behaviors. Although there are many
techniques that the teachers use, factors such as communication in the spirit of love, respect
for man as a human being, the specific humanitarian way of applying their techniques etc.
are crucial.[4] The teachers not only need to know the techniques and to acquire the practical
methodology completely, but also to fully understand the theory, because, if they implement
those techniques without complete understanding, they will not be able lead their learners to
successful results, or they could even cause a negative impact on their learning. Therefore,
the teacher has to be trained in a course taught by certified trainers.
Here are the most important factors for teachers to acquire, described by Lozanov.[2]
1. Covering a huge bulk of learning material.
2. Structuring the material in the suggestopaedic way: global-partial partial-global, and
global in the part part in the global, related to the golden proportion.
3. As a professional, on one hand, and a personality, on the other hand, the teacher
should be a highly-regarded professional, reliable and credible.
4. The teacher should have, not play, a hundred percent expectation of positive results
(because the teacher is already experienced even from the time of the teacher training
course).
5. The teacher should love his/her students (of course, not sentimentally but as human
beings) and teach them with personal participation through games, songs, classical
arts, and pleasure.

Method for children (preventive Suggestopedia)

The method for Adults includes long sessions without movement,[2] and materials that are
appropriate for adults. Children, however, get impacts from the social suggestive norms
differently and their brains are more delicate than those of adults. Therefore, another method
with different materials should be applied to children, which better matches their
characteristics. Lessons for children are more incidental and short, preventing the children
from the negative pedagogical suggestions of Society. It is important to tell the parents about
the method and their roles because they could influence children both negatively and
positively, depending on how they support the kids.[4]

Side effects
Lozanov claims that the effect of the method is not only in language learning, but also in
producing favorable side effects on health, the social and psychological relations, and the
subsequent success in other subjects.[2]

Unesco's final report on Suggestopedia

Recommendations (Extraction) [5]

Made by the Experts from the Working Group on Suggestology as a Learning Methodology
Meeting in Sofia, December 1117, 1978
...1. There is consensus that Suggestopedia is a generally superior teaching method for many
subjects and for many types of students, compared with traditional methods. We have arrived
at this consensus following a study of the research literature, listening to the testimony of
international experts, observing films portraying Suggestopedia instruction and visiting
classes in which Suggestopedia is practiced. The films were prepared and the classroom
visitations were impressive.
...2. Standards should be set up for the training, certification and maintaining of standards of
suggestopedic training.
...3. Different categories of competency of teachers should be used to reflect increasing levels
of teaching performance in certification.
...4. Suggestopedic teacher training should be started as soon as possible.
...5. An International Association for Suggestology and Suggestopedia should be set up that is
affiliated with UNESCO and should have the assistance and guidance of Dr. Lozanov for
training, research, coordination and publication of results.
...6. UNESCO is requested to give its support to all these proposed activities by all possible
means and under the existing international regulations.

Criticism
Suggestopedia has been called a "pseudo-science".[1] It depends, in a sense, on the trust that
students develop towards the method. Lozanov never admitted 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.[6] Furthermore, several other features of the method, like the
'nonconscious' acquisition of language, or bringing the learner into a childlike state are
questioned by critics.
Lukesch claims that Suggestopedia lacks scientific backing and is criticized by psychologists
as being based on pseudoscience.[7]
Prof. Paulo Sergio, from Brazil has claimed to be using Suggestopedia/Neuropedia in Brazil
since 2000 with amazing results.[8]

Later variations
Suggestopedia produced four main offshoots. The first was still called Suggestopedia but was
developed in eastern Europe and used different techniques from Lozanov's original version.
The other three are named Superlearning, Suggestive Accelerated Learning and Teaching

(SALT), and Psychopdie.[9] Superlearning and SALT originated in North America, while
Psychopdie was developed in West Germany.[9] While all four are slightly different from the
original Suggestopedia and from each other, they still share the common traits of music,
relaxation, and suggestion.[9] It is important to stand out that those variants of Suggestopedia
mentioned above are way too far from the original concept and are based on the early
experiments, which were left behind during the new improvements of the method.
A new development of Suggestopedia has been introduced in Brazil, named Neuropedia. It
follows the same 7 laws developed by Dr. Georgi Lozanov plus 2 more laws, developed by
Prof. Paulo Sergio, from Idiomos Aprendizagem Acelerada, in Brazil. SERGIO, Author of 7
books and trained by Dr. Lozanov in 2000, he claims that Neuropedia has solved some
problems UNESCO had found in Suggestopedia during its observation in 1979, such as, the
lack of an accurate measurement of the initial and final levels of the students abilities in the
new language learned.[10]