DESUGGESTOPEDIA

In order to make better use of our reserved capacity,

the limitations we think we have need to be desuggested.

Desuggestopedia, the application of the study of

suggestion to pedagogy, has been developed to help students eliminate the feeling that they cannot be successful or the negative association they may have toward studying and to help them overcome the barriers to learning

PRINCIPLES
Learning is facilitated in a cheerful environment
The classroom is bright and colorful Students can learn from what is present in the

environment, even if their attention is not directed to it (Peripheral learning)

PRINCIPLES
If students trust and respect the teachers authority,

they will accept and retain information better

The teacher needs to speak confidently

PRINCIPLES
The teacher recognises that learners bring

psychological barriers to the learning situation

The teachers should attempt to desuggest them The teacher gives the students the impression that

learning the target language will be easy and enjoyable.

PRINCIPLES
Assuming new identities enhances students feeling of

security and allows them to be more open

The students choose new names and identities and

feel less inhibited since their performance is really that of a different person

PRINCIPLES
The dialogue that students learn contains language

they can use immediately

Songs are useful for freeing the speech muscles and

evoking positive emotions

PRINCIPLES
The teacher should integrate indirect positive

suggestions into the learning situation e.g. there is no limit to what you can do
The dynamic interplay between whole and part is

important. Teacher presents and explains grammar and vocabulary (in bold) but not focus on them. The bold print allows students focus to shift from whole text to details and to whole text again.

PRINCIPLES
Fine art provides positive suggestions for students
One way that meaning is made clear is through native

language translation

PRINCIPLES
Communication takes place on two planes: on one the

linguistic message is encoded; and on the other are factors which influence the linguistic message.
On the conscious plane, the learner attends to the

language; on the subconscious plane, the music suggests that learning is easy and pleasant.
When there is a unity between conscious and

subconscious, learning is enhanced.

Sometimes the distinction between conscious and

subconscious is blurred, thus learning can occur.

PRINCIPLES
A calm state, such as one experiences when listening to

a concert, is ideal for overcoming psychological barriers and for taking advantage of learning potential.

PRINCIPLES
Dramatisation is a valuable way of playfully activating

learning materials. Fantasy reduces barriers to learning.

The fine arts (music, art, and drama) enable

suggestions to reach the subconscious. The arts should be integrated as much as possible into the teaching process.

PRINCIPLES
The teacher should help the students activate the

material to which they have been exposed. Novelty aids acquisition.

Music and movement reinforce the linguistic material.

If they trust the teacher, they will reach this state more easily.

PRINCIPLES
In an atmosphere of play, the conscious attention of

the learner does not focus on linguistic forms, but on using the language. Learning can be fun.
Errors are corrected gently, not in a direct,

confrontational manner.

WHAT ARE THE GOALS OF TEACHERS WHO USE DESUGGESTOPEDIA?

Teachers hope to accelerate the process by which

students learn to use a foreign language for everyday communication.

Thus more of the students mental powers must be

tapped.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF TEACHER?

The teacher is the authority in the classroom.
For the method to be successful, the students must

trust and respect her.

When the students trust the teacher, they can feel

more secure. If they feel secure, they can be more spontaneous and less inhibited.

WHAT ARE SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TEACHING/LEARNING PROCESS?

The posters are change every few weeks to create a

sense of novelty in the environment.

Students select target language names and choose new

occupations. They create whole biographies to go along with their new identities.

WHAT IS THE NATURE OF STUDENT-TEACHER INTERACTION?

The teacher initiates interactions with the whole group

of students and with individuals right from the beginning of a language course.

HOW ARE THE FEELINGS OF THE STUDENTS DEALT WITH?

If students are relaxed and confident, they will not

need to try hard to learn the language.

It will come naturally and easily.

HOW IS LANGUAGE VIEWED?

Language is the first two planes in the two-plane

process of communication.
In the second plane are the factors which influence

linguistic message.

HOW IS CULTURE VIEWED?

The culture which students learn concerns the

everyday life of people who speak the language.

The use of fine arts is also important in

Desuggestopedic classes.

WHAT AREAS OF LANGUAGE ARE EMPHASIZED?

Vocabulary is emphasized. Grammar is dealt with explicitly but minimally.

WHAT LANGUAGE SKILLS ARE EMPHASIZED?

Speaking communicatively is emphasized. Students also read in the target language (e.g.

dialogues) and write (e.g. imaginative compositions).

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE STUDENTS NATIVE LANGUAGE?

Native-language translation is used to make the

meaning of the dialogue clear.

The teacher also uses the native language in class when

necessary.

HOW IS EVALUATION ACCOMPLISHED?

Evaluation usually is conducted on students normal

in-class performance and not through formal tests, as it would threaten the relaxed atmosphere considered essential for accelerated learning.

HOW DOES THE TEACHER RESPOND TO STUDENT ERRORS?

Errors are corrected gently, with the teacher using a

soft voice.

TECHNIQUES/CLASSROOM SET-UP
Classroom set-up :
First concert (active

bright & cheerful

Peripheral learning
Positive suggestion

concert)
Second concert (passive

concert)
Primary activation Choose a new identify

Creative adaptation
Role play