Why Should we Revitalize “Suggestopedia”?

Mourad EL HANAFI | MENA English

Conventionally, teachers are supposed to bring two things that are of value into their instructional settings: subject expertise and teaching methods. The former has to do with the content being taught, whereas the latter refers to the teacher’s training and pedagogy to structure the content presented.  As such, if you ask students what they think is an ideal teacher, they will most probably come up with comments like, “an ideal teacher is the one who explains the lessons well,” “the one who answers all our questions,” or “the one who cares about and understands his/her learners.” While the two former comments can be classified under the two teaching aspects we mentioned earlier respectively (i.e., subject expertise and teaching methods), the last comment lurks outside, not fitting either side. It rather sets the tone for emotional intelligence, a different skill that has been given scant attention in teaching. Nevertheless, Suggestopedia, also known as Desuggestopedia, has always addressed this issue of emotionality in teaching as it puts students’ feelings at the core of the teaching/learning process.

Many methods have directed a great deal of attention to the technical aspects that can make of one a great instructor, but Desuggestopedia has come to partially and implicitly fill a chasm that has been poorly addressed in teaching: the use of emotional intelligence, a tool that may come in handy to manage one’s classroom successfully. Interestingly enough, most authors have come to the conclusion that if one does not use emotional intelligence in their teaching, the value of their knowledge of their subject and learning and teaching methods can seriously be diminished (Mortiboys, 2005). I have always believed that through subject expertise and teaching methods we, teachers, can only make a living, but once we take teaching to an upper level and are able to wipe out students’ psychological barriers to learning, it is only then we can pride ourselves on making lives – and not only a living. 

Though it is not a mainstream approach to teaching, Desuggestopedia has brought a lot to teaching. It pinpoints what instructors should consider before they channel their energy into devising activities or orchestrating discussions: they should make sure learners are happy to be there. In other words, “[T]eachers are advised to create a comfortable environment in class in order to determinate any fear of failure on the part of their learners.” (Kumaravadivelu, 2006, p. 94). Here, Desuggestopedia purports that teachers should have empathy, which is one of the characteristics of emotional intelligence. It is worth noting that the term emotional intelligence was popularized by the success of Goleman’s book “Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ.”  In his definition of this neglected teaching skill, Goleman identifies five characteristics emotionally intelligent people have: “the capacity for recognizing our own feelings [self-awareness] and those of others [empathy] for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well in ourselves [self-regulation] and in our relationships [sociability]” (Goleman, 1998, p. 317). 

According to Desuggestopedia and this notion of emotional intelligence, planning the emotional environment is at the heart of the teaching and learning process. Jenson (1998) asserts that “all learning is state depending” (p. 192). That is, the state you are in is the most important factor determining your readiness to learn. In a classroom where students’ feelings are overlooked, retention is likely to diminish as the emotionally unsafe environment holds them back from reaching their full potential in learning. Basically, teachers should not lose sight of the fact that learners bring their individual experiences into the learning situation (Larsen-Freeman, 2003). If these experiences are bad, they will certainly present psychological barriers to learning. It is the teacher’s mission to desuggest students from this situation and create an emotional environment in which learners feel safe rather than threatened, trustful rather than suspicious, challenged but not pressured, and motivated but not disengaged. In this regard, Desuggestopedia suggests “dramatization” as one of the techniques that reduce psychological barriers to learning. It is really effective. You could only ask puppeteers or ventriloquists how they first got into using puppets and you will find out that the reason is mainly to hide shyness and less self-confidence. 

Planning for the physical experience of learners also comes within the scope of Desuggestopedia. “The most conspicuous characteristics of Suggestopedia are decoration, furniture, and arrangement of the classroom, the use of music and the authoritative behavior of the teacher” (Richards & Rogers, 2001).  This is exactly one of the implications of emotional intelligence for teachers. Our physical state and all we can see in the context we are in can affect our emotional state in a great measure. In her book Molecules of Emotion, Pert (1999) asserts that “every change in the physiological state is accompanied by an appropriate change in the mental emotional, conscious or unconscious” (p. 137). Therefore, dyeing the instructional setting with bright colours, hanging posters on walls, giving free rein to learners to try different setting arrangements or even move every now and then or treating them to some music can yield amazing results in one’s teaching.

Similarly, maintaining an authoritative behavior as an instructor is a key component in Desuggestopedia. Without building a strong bond and trust between learners and their teachers, chances for effective learning are minimized. Once teachers can demonstrate trust and genuineness that students can acknowledge as such, they will set out on a new fruitful learning journey. Throughout his career as a clinical psychologist, Rodgers (1951) could come to the conclusion that it is not mainly his expertise that helped his clients change; it was the qualities of trust, genuineness, and acceptance he could exhibit with his clients that made difference. He then formulated a theory known as “client-centered theory”. Rogers (1951) soon suggested that what was in the therapy room could also apply in the classroom.

So many studies have been conducted as to the qualities of highly effective teachers. Most of the findings show that teachers with some emotional intelligence are considered to be relatively more efficacious. For instance, in a very interesting study, Carson (1996) gathered the responses of former students, who graduated over a period of 26 years from Rollins College in Orlando, about teachers who they perceived to be most effective. She found out that the single quality the Rollins alumni most frequently associated with effective teachers was the special attitude towards and relationship with students

Desuggestopedia and emotional intelligence discussion takes me back to consider a question that has lurked within for so long: How do some instructors touch lives and are always remembered, while some others’ names are just mentioned in passing? I think it is high time syllabi on Emotional Intelligence in teaching were developed and incorporated in teacher training centers. 

References: 

• Carson, B. H. (1996) ‘Thirty Years of Stories: The Professor’s Place in Student Memories’ Change 28 (6): 10–17
• Goleman, D. (1998) Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. 
• Jensen, E. (1998) Super Teaching San Diego: The Brain Store
• Kumaravadivelu, B. (2008) Understanding Language Teaching. ESL and Applied Linguistics Professional Series.
• Larsen-Freeman, D. (2003) Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching. Oxford university press.
• Mortiboys, A. (2005) Teaching with Emotional Intelligence A step by step guide for higher and further education professionals. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
• Pert, C. (1999) Molecules of Emotion New York: Touchstone
• Richards, J., C., and T., S., Rodgers. (2001) Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching A description and analysis. Cambridge University Press.
• Rogers, C. R. (1951) Client-centred Therapy: Its Current Practice, Implications and Theory Boston: Houghton Mifflin