The Suggestopedic Cycle of Instruction

The suggestopedic/ reservopedic cycle of teaching and learning is performed in four stages. Not in three as was the practice through the years.

1. Introduction (not a deciphering as it was practiced through the years);

2. Concert Session (active and passive);

3. Elaboration;

4. Production (this is a thoroughly new phase, not only a brief moment during the elaborations as it was earlier).

At each stage the seven laws of suggestopedia / reservopedia are respected simultaneously, indivisibly from one another in every moment of the communication.

Here is a very brief description of the alterations within the stages:

1. In desuggestive pedagogy, the introduction is not a lexical and grammatical analysis of the text any more as it was in the process of deciphering; the teacher does not play as if on a scene; now he/she is a good wise old fellow whose interesting expose could change under the impact of the students taking part in the conversation but the teacher skilfully follows the lexis and grammar planned for the lesson intertwined in his/her funny presentation. In order to avoid conscious analysis in the course of the slow “didactic” narration, the teacher should speak relatively quickly but he/she should frequently repeat the phrases – naturally, as if incidentally, or simply habitually. In the introduction to the first lesson, the teacher commences with the end of the material printed in the textbook and goes through to the beginning. Thus students could immediately speak while imitating teacher’s patterns. He/she begins with his/her name and profession, with search for players, etc. Students would be able to tell immediately their names, professions, where they come from, what transport means they prefer, which language they speak, etc. It would be a good idea to present the same information in the third person singular in respect to the members of the group: what is the name of any of them, his/her profession, what languages he/she speaks, where he/she comes from, what transport means he/she prefers, etc. These topics are elaborated during the qualification courses for teachers.

2. In order to avoid possible feeling of passivity during the active concert session, students are invited to stand up twice and read 1 or 2 pages together with the teacher. Thus they again act as co-creators. In moments when the music is very soft and pleasant, the teacher interrupts reading for 2 or 3 minutes and let the group only listen. This is repeated once or twice. 

    The passive concert session is calmer and should not be hurried over or shortened except for very rare special cases.

3. The teacher acts more like a consultant during the elaborations. He/she imperceptibly corrects the students according to the bicycle principle.

4. In the production phase, every student speaks without interruptions for correcting, and the aim is to create conditions for a spontaneous turnover of monologistic speech in dialogistic – the students should begin to ask questions to the speaker in the language they are studying.

ANOTHER METHOD IS AVAILABLE FOR CHILDREN – IT IS CALLED PREVENTIVE SUGGESTOPEDIA.

Children need special books, games, songs, peripheral perceptions, and an appropriate suggestopedic approach.

The method for children is called preventive suggestopedia because, if not applied incidentally and for a short time, it protects the children from many programming and restricting pedagogical influences of society.