Suggestopedia is a foreign language learning technique devised by the Bulgarian psychotherapist Georgi Lozanov. The word “Suggestopedia” is a portmanteau of the terms “Suggestion” and “Pedagogy.”
The Suggestopedia style of language learning posits hope in the fact that language learning is made more accessible when the psychological barriers to language learning are de-suggested while positive suggestions enter the language learning process.
Suggestopedia learning usually is made to take place against a soothing background, with music playing where the instructor actively plants and extracts thoughts from the learner’s mind. Any Suggestopedia lesson generally consists of three phases – deciphering, concert session, and elaboration.
In the first stage, i.e., deciphering, the teacher introduces the student to the grammar and lexis of the new language. Meanings of the words in the foreign language are provided in the learner’s mother tongue.
In the concert session, the teacher reads a text in a foreign language in class. Students either repeat after him/her or calmly listen. In the elaboration stage, the students display their learning of this foreign language by way of songs, drama, and games.
Besides these, other new ways of providing instruction using Suggestopedia has also been developed. It is primarily a teacher-based language learning method.