Seminar 8 : Suggestopedia and its main features Plan: The history of Suggestopedia

Seminar 8 : Suggestopedia and its main features
Plan:

1. 
   The history of Suggestopedia.
   
2. 
   Its advantageous and disadvantageous effects in FLT.
   

Origin of suggestopedia
Suggestopedia is a teaching method, developed by the Bulgarian scholar Professor Georgi Lozanov – a physician, psychiatrist and brain physiologist.
The name combines the terms "suggestion" and "pedagogy", the main idea being that accelerated learning can take place when accompanied by de-suggestion of psychological barriers and positive suggestion.
The term was coined and published for the first time in Bulgarian in 1965 and in English in 1967. Suggestopedia was founded in the 70s by Professor Lozanov and it was acknowledged in the late 70s by an international group of UNESCO experts.
As a result of their observations of experimental lessons in 1978, the UNESCO experts came to the following conclusions:

• 
  Suggestopedia is a generally superior teaching method for many subjects and for many types of students, compared with traditional methods.
  
• 
  Standards should be set up for the training, certification and maintaining of standards of suggestopedic training.
  
• 
  Suggestopedic training of teachers of various competences should be started as soon as possible.
  
• 
  An International Association of 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).
  

Suggestopedia is a pedagogic system of teaching, which is the combination of pedagogy, psychology and artistic approaches.
In order to understand what suggestopedia is and why it is the method which leads to the best and most long-lasting results, the main differences from traditional forms of education should be outlined.
Suggestopedia is the brainchild of Professon Georgi Lozanov, who was a physician, psychiatrist, psychotherapist, brain physiologist and pedagogue. More than 50 years ago he committed to do research on the potential capabilities of the person and their accelerated and harmonic development.