Suggestopedia

The Suggestopedia is a psychologist Georgi Lozanov and the doctor (Bulgarian: pronounced Losanov ) has, since the 1960s, teaching method, which has been criticized because of their pseudo-scientific character of their action promise in the teaching-learning research. Core of the methodology is the collection of some already known elements of pedagogy and the psychology of learning into a comprehensive overall methodology in which the student is offered and demanded a high degree of personal responsibility for the learning process and a significantly mehrdimensionaleres learning experience than in the conventional frontal teaching, against its propagation the Suggestopedia directed.

While the first applications were exclusively related to the teaching of foreign languages ​​, Suggestopedia is also used in social studies and science as well as in education and training since the 1990s. Although some elements of the Suggestopedia have found their way into education and adult education, it has been enforced as a closed model is not wide.

Basics

Among the two terms Suggestopedia and super-learning are similar approaches to understand both try by providing visual, kinesthetic and auditory stimuli, brain cater prepare the learning process and make holistically.

The aspects of Suggestopedia ( with teachers) and super-learning ( without a teacher ) contradict the psychological mainstream in principle. So is promoted, for example through educational games in small groups within a class of competition idea, the motivation concepts differ greatly from conventional teaching methods. The change of motion and rest of a dramatic coordinated learning process, the role of relaxation for information processing is emphasized and required to make the change of tension and relaxation phases for learning processes available.

In addition, learning strategies are also used in suggestopedic lessons. So blank walls of classrooms through the use of created by the learners learning posters visually design example, initially, so that the content itself created remain visible in the current teaching and serve as peripheral stimuli, making these contents also support the deepening phase of the teaching time.

The term super-learning working with a relaxation method has been known that, but working with teaching media such as text and audio files without teachers. Although the term super-learning is not due to Lozanov and do not show up some elements of Suggestopedia here, the approaches still similarities.

His suggestopedic method has been empirically examined in the French lessons with four suggestopädisch trained native-speaking teachers which are alternately equal length taught all four groups in long-term studies. Due to the change of teachers, the influence of individual teaching skills of the teacher could be excluded. The results were determined by six different tests showed that the method in the extensive teaching of four hours per week had no significant difference compared to the control groups. The fact that here the study area for the result is highly significant ( study design ) is clear if one may call in research results with prolonged use. Compared with the intensive course of four hours a day could be shown that the group was significantly superior to the groups with the changing teachers with a permanent suggestopedic teacher ( Schiffler, 1998).

The establishment of the effectiveness of such methods, which are occupied neither necessary nor sufficient, there are anecdotal reports of alleged Hypermnesien at fakirs and yogis or frequency ranges in which the brain work depending on the activity. However, these go together with the exaggerated claims for effectiveness pseudo-scientific context of the methods.

Development

Lozanov developed with the help of these findings, a methodical system to mediate teaching and learning content in the above suggestopedic circuit. He attached great importance to its sequence, compliance and triggered by the above concert stages relaxation. The most important role for Lozanov the teacher and their integrity, comprehensive education and responsibility for the welfare of the group and the promotion of the learning process. Equally important are the founder of the method, the artistic elements in the learning process, especially in the phases in which the learners the newly appropriated material consolidate (Integration and Transfer). In the integration, the conclusion of a concert started with a learning suggestopedic cycle, the learners make the material in an artistic form itself is available. Often there arise a small theater piece, a common picture or poster, a joint project eg interviews, " global simulation ", or even an " opera ". A holistic picture emerges, " a closed form." This element Suggestopedia also makes its contribution to the transfer (activation of what is learned in changing learning situations) of lesson content.

The modern form of Suggestopedia was especially in the west by the professional organizations in German-speaking countries through the DGSL ( German Society for Suggestopädisches Teaching and Learning ), developed from the Bulgarian basics.

Suggestion and Desuggestion

The effect of suggestion and Desuggestionen plays a strong role in the Suggestopedia. About the founder of what was once said that the modern Suggestopedia has outgrown. Positive suggestions are the focus of the training activity. This is done by its own positive attitude toward the subject, the learner and the environment. In order to fears ( Desuggestion ) and motivation, curiosity, and resources are mined are activated. The methods are chosen so that positive learning experiences in the foreground. Lozanov his investigations became aware in the course of the phenomenon of hypermnesia (abnormal increase in memory ). Originally Lozanov dealt with foreign language teaching, because of this the number of learned words represented a simple detection method of hypermnesia. The hypermnesia reached the teacher by suggestion and Desuggestion. Thus, the teacher is the central moment of the method. Suggestion and Desuggestion done inter alia by the fact that the teacher puts the learner in a state of relaxation, allowing this a completely new learning. In the state of relaxation, the two introductory concert stages, which are designed with classical and baroque music lead. Suggestion and Desuggestion should eventually encourage the learners in the sense that the teacher is convinced of its success in learning. Desuggerieren here means so much that the teachers achieved by his behavior and the way to overcome the barriers to learning that has built its previous learning experience in conventional frontal teaching the learner.

Elements of Suggestopedia

Core elements

• Motivation: negative self-assessment is defused, promote positive self-assessment
• Music: it is used as a catalyst for long-term storage of knowledge ( especially suitable: Baroque music, including Largo sets of Bach or Vivaldi ). The Lozanov used by classical music has not prevailed in the following years. The reason is probably that the correct native pronunciation was distorted and thus could not be a learning model.
• Games: educational games and spontaneous interpersonal actions promote the storage of knowledge
• Mental debate: critical analysis of the subject matter promotes analytical thinking and cognitive skills training
• Variety: dramatically coherent phases of mental Prompted awareness and concentration with active game moments help to avoid tension
• Group work, partner and small group work, encourage the exchange and the shared experience.
• Stimuli: peripheral stimuli ( mostly educational posters on the walls or NLP anchor) support by unconscious absorption of the learning material Keep rate.
• Interior design: light, temperature, table arrangement, color and smell can affect the learning performance. The Suggestopedia uses this information.
• Metaphors and stories, especially in the form of fabric placement: they simplify the presentation of complex content and increase memory performance.
• Artistic elements: the individual makes use of the learned material in an artistic form available, so inserts it into its own system of perception of the world and of self-expression. The well-established knowledge is as sustainable as the transfer more widely available.

Game pedagogy

Parallels to the game pedagogy in working with children and young people can be seen from the increasing acceptance of business theater and improvisational work in role-playing company continuing education pedagogy. According to Müller- Rolli, 1988, the game pedagogy is a young approach educational work with the media and theater and puts its focus on short-term projects, where more emphasis is placed on the process of playing as on the artistic end product. This process can social learning content through context- related tasks from the business environment work.

Teaching according to this principle first of all means a considerable extra effort to prepare. Thus, this extra effort is worthwhile, should have at least two lessons are available. Especially for the intensive course with several hours a day, maybe even several days or weeks at a time, this method is essential to prevent excessive demands on the learner. That's why we find the method again, especially in long-term measures such as language courses, retraining and intensive training courses.

Criticism

Critics of Suggestopedia point out that often known effects ( eg relaxation techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation, or known as the Rosenthal Effect faith of the teacher to the success of the student ) are combined with exaggerated effect promises under suggestopedic teaching materials and seminars from research ( cf.. Lukesch, 2000). Theoretically, they mostly resort in simple form on brain research back (for example, hemispheric specialization ), empirically the alleged successes are not confirmed. "

The pseudo- science is therefore critical to Suggestopedia Publications in scientific journals with peer -review process regardless of any effectiveness of the methods presented as a main point of criticism. In addition, critics of the Suggestopedia point out that just do not have withstood the alleged spectacular effects of the experimental method replication experiments ( cf. Lukesch, 2000; Beitinger, Mandl & Renkl 1993, Dieterich 1987 and Edelmann 1991). Lozanov impressive results in empirical short-term experiments ( 300, 500 and 1000 words in several hours ) that established the reputation of his Suggestology and Suggestopedia and supposedly led to the support of UNESCO, could not be replicated by its critics. The collection of elements of exploratory teaching in the classroom, the use of educational games and group dynamic demands on the learners as well as the rhythm of instruction with address of all the senses acts but without the exaggerated promises of action as a holistic approach. The diverse, published in journals with peer - review system negative reviews from the perspective of psychological teaching-learning research are therefore also positive reviews by the foreign language didactics Ludger Schiffler opposite ( Schiffler, 1989). This will found a hypermnetisch to be named learning performance also in some subjects have ( Schiffler, 2002). Not academically, especially freelance teachers and lecturers ( in -company training, working at private institutions of further education and coaches ) have usually no problem with the use of methods that do not need to be approved by rector of a state institution. Here suggestopädisches work is purely application oriented especially practiced during long-term use.

Training

There is a legally unprotected degree as Suggestopäde DGSL. Critics point out that this training is anchored in any way in university structures within the new teaching-learning research ..