Comparasion of two methods " total physical response and suggestopedia "

COMPARISON OF TWO METHODS

(TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE AND SUGGESTOPEDIA)

1. INTRODUCTION

Total Physical Response Method is an example of a new general approach to foreign language instruction which has been named “the comprehension approach”. It is called this because of the importance it gives to listening comprehension. Method consistent with the comprehension approach, on the other hand, begin with the listening skill. The idea of focusing on listening comprehension during early foreign language instruction comes from observing how children acquire their mother tongue. A baby spends many months to says a word, no one tells the baby that is must speak. The child chooses to speak when it is ready. That also happen in this method, the students will speak until they are ready. In the total physical response method, students listen and respond to the spoken target language commands of their teacher. Commonly, this method is used with beginning class or kindergarten.

Georgi Lozanov is one of initiator of suggestopedia. He said that if we set up psychological barriers in learning. We fear that we will be unable to perform, that we will be limited in our ability to learn, that we will fail. One result is that we don’t use the full mental powers that we have. According to him and others, we may be using only five to ten percent of our mental capacity. We think that we need to be “desuggested”. Suggestopedia, the application of the study of suggestion to pedagogy, it has been developed to help students eliminate the feeling that they can not be successful and thus to help them overcome the barriers to learning.

2. COMPARISON OF TWO METHODS

2.1. Theory of learning

2.1.a. Theory of Learning of Total Physical Response Method

Commonly, this method is used with a beginning class or kindergarten the analogous of this method is as same as with the baby’s process to speak. A baby spends many months listening to the people around it long before it ever says a word. The child has the time to try to make sense out of the sounds it hears. No one tells the baby that it must speak. The child chooses to speak when it is ready. In this method, the students will want to speak after ten to twenty hours of the teacher’s instructions, although some students may take longer. Student should no be encouraged to speak until they are ready. There are three techniques in this method. The major technique is using commands to direct behavior, meaning and memory can be conveyed and activated through actions.

2.1.b. Theory of Learning of Suggestopedia Method.

A suggestopedia course is conducted in a unusual classroom in which students are as comfortable as possible. Ideally, easy chairs, soft lighting, and soft music are all available to contribute a relaxing environment. Posters displaying grammatical information about the target language are hung around the room in order to take advantage of student’s peripheral learning. The posters are changed every view weeks. The music that is available suggests that learning is easy and pleasant. The teacher should able to increase their student’s confidence that they will be successful learners. This feeling will make that they are better to learn. The teacher should integrate indirect positive suggestions (there is no limitation to what you can do) in to the learning situation. For homework, the students should read the dialog that was given in the lesson at night and in the morning. Suggestopedia has more technique, it is about the technique.

2.2. Theory of language

2.2.a. Theory of Language of Total Physical Response Method

In this method, the area of language are emphasized in grammatical structures and vocabulary. These are embedded within imperatives. The imperatives are single words and multi word chunks. One reason for the use of imperatives is their frequency of occurrence in the speech directed at young children learning their mother tongue. Understanding the spoken word should precede its production. The spoken language is emphasized over written language. Students often don’t learn to read the commands they have already learn to perform until after ten hours of instruction. In learning language, this method refers to the right hemisphere of the brain, the part which control nonverbal behavior.

2.2.b. Theory of Language of Suggestopedia Method.

Giving the dialog is one of the steps in this technique. The teacher should give the dialog that the contains can be used by the students immediately. In this method, vocabulary is emphasized. Claims about the success of the methods often focus on the large member of words that can be acquired. In fact, it is believed that students will learn best if their conscious attention is focused, not on the language forms, but on using the language. Speaking communicatively is emphasized. Students also read the target language (for example, dialogs) and write (for example, imaginative compositions)

2.3. Objectives / Goals

2.3.a. The Objectives of Total Physical Response Method

This method is believed making the students enjoy their experience in learning to communicate in a foreign language. In fact, the Total Physical Response Method was developed in order to reduce the stress people feel when studying foreign languages and encourage the students to persist in their study beyond a beginning level of proficiency. The way to do this is to base foreign language learning upon the way children learn their native language. This method conform to kindergarten, the students of kindergarten really like something or lesson that related to the physical response, therefore this method will be more effective to make the students understand.

2.3.b. The Objectives of Suggestopedia Method

The goal of this method is to increase the student’s confidence about their successful. Teacher hopes to accelerate the process by which students learn to use a foreign language for everyday communication. In order to do this, more of the student’s mental powers must be tapped. This is accomplished by desuggesting the psychological barriers learners bring with them to the learning situation.

2.4. Activity Types

2.4.a. The Activity Types of Total Physical Response Method

The first step, the instructor issues commands to a view student, then performs the actions with them. In the second step, these same students demonstrate that they can understand the commands by performing them alone. The teacher next recombines elements of the commands to have students develop flexibility in understanding unfamiliar utterances. These commands, which students perform, are often humorous. After learning to respond to some oral commands, the students learn to read and write them when students are ready to speak, they become the ones who issue the commands. After students begin speaking, activities expand to include skits and games.

2.4.b. The Activity Types of Suggestopedia Method

The students select target language names and choose new occupations. During the course they create whole biographies to go along with their new identities. In the first concert the teacher reads the dialog, matching her voice to the rhythm and pitch of the music. In this way, the “whole brain” (both the left and the right hemispheres) of the students becomes activated. The students follow the target language dialog as the teacher reads in out loud. They also check the translation. During the second concern the students simply relax while the teacher the dialog at a normal rate of speed. the second major phase, in which students engage in various activities designed to help them gain facility with the new material. The activities include dramatizations, games, songs, and questions and answer exercises.

2.5. The Teacher and The Students’ Rules

2.5.a. The Rule of the Teacher and The Students in Total Physical Response Method

In total physical response method, the teacher is the director of all students’ behavior. The students are imitations of the teacher’s nonverbal model. At some point (usually after ten to twenty hours of instructions) some students will ready to speak. At that point there will be a role reversal with individual student directing the teacher and the other students.

2.5.b. The Rule of The Teacher And The Students in Suggestopedia Method

In this method, the teacher is the authority in the classroom. In order to the method to be successful, the students must trust and respect the teacher. The students will retain information better from someone in whom they have confidence since they will be more responsive to the teacher’s “desuggesting” their limitations and suggesting how easy it will be for them to succeed. Once the students trust the teacher, they can undergo infantilization adopting a child like role. If they feel secure, they can be more spontaneous and less inhabited.

2.6. The Roles of Instructional Materials

2.6.a. The Roles of Instructional Materials of Total Physical Response Method

The instructional materials that are used in the Total Physical Response Method must conform to the technique. The first technique is using commands to direct behavior. In this shape, the commands are given to get students to perform an action, the action makes the meaning of the commands clear. The second technique is role reversal. The students command their teacher and their classmates to perform some actions. The last technique is action sequence the teacher gives connected commands. The teacher will know weather or not the students understand through their actions.

2.6.b. The Roles of Instructional Materials of Suggestopedia Method

Initially, the condition of class in this method does not look like a normal classroom. It uses dim light, soft music, cushioned chairs. In peripheral learning, the wall of the class is put posters containing grammatical information about the target language. Positive suggestion, the teacher gives suggestion to help the students break down the barriers to learning a scene or event, the description is detailed so students feel they are really there. Choose a new identity, the students have an opportunity to develop a whole biography about their fictional selves. Role – play, students are asked to pretend temporarily that they are someone else and to perform in target languages if they were that person. First concern, second concern, primary activation, secondary activation are the others technique of this method.

2.7. The Role of Native and Target Language

2.7.a. The Role of Native and Target Language in Total Physical Response Method

Just as with the acquisition of the native language, the oral modality is primary. In the first time, the teacher introduces the method. She / he uses native language, so that, the students can understand the roles of the method that will be used.

As the teacher and the students enter to the process, the native language is rarely used. The teacher does not speak much, he / she just gives the commands in target language if the students can not perform the action perfectly, the teacher does not explain it. Rather, he / she just repeat the commands and do the action.

2.7.b. The Role of Native and Target Language in Suggestopedia Method

Native language translation is used to make the meaning of the dialog clear. The teacher also uses the mother tongue in class when necessary. As the cours process, the teacher uses the native language less and less. One of the techniques, the text’s student’s work from is handouts containing lengthy dialogs in the target language. Next to the dialog is a translation in the students’ native language.

Language is the first of two planes in the two plane process of communication. In the second plane are the factors which influence the linguistic message. For example, the way one dresses or the non verbal behavior one uses affects how one’s linguistic message is interpreted.

3. CORRELATION

Total Physical Response Method and Suggestopedia Method are some techniques in language teaching. The observers were observing a beginning class for thirty grade 5 students. This method conforms to beginning class or kindergarten’s students whom want to learn the foreign language as beginners. Although the same method has been used with adult learners and younger children as well. They were also beginners in learning foreign language. Therefore, this method also can be used for the beginner’s university class like suggestopedia. If the Total Physical Response Method is presented for the beginner’s university class, they will be really easy to understand the roles and the materials. It is different if suggestopedia is presented for kindergarten’s students. They will feel difficult to understand tough all of they are beginners. What is the difference? It is because of their age and the technique of the method. Adult man can be easier to get the material because their ability to think is more than children. Suggestopedia Method needs a little hard to think that the children can not be doing it. Total Physical Response Method is more suitable than Suggestopedia.

4. SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCE

4.1. The Similarities Both of The Method

a. The Students of The Methods

Kind of the students of Total Physical Response Method and Suggestopedia Method are beginners but in different grade students.

b. Introduction of The Method For The Students

In Total Physical Response Method and Suggestopedia Method, the teacher introduces the method by using native language.

c. The Condition of Teaching Learning Process

Both of the methods have the same condition of teaching learning process that is enjoyable.

d. Techniques of The Methods

Game and song in different way can be given either in Total Physical Response Method or Suggestopedia Method.

e. Students’ Responses

Initially, the students of Total Physical Response Method and Suggestopedia Method can only respond nonverbally, later the Total Physical Response Method and Suggestopedia’s students can respond more appropriately and even initiate interaction them selves.

f. The Way of The Target Language

The target language that is taught in Total Physical Response and Suggestopedia will just come naturally and easily.

g. Area of The Language

Both of the methods are emphasized in vocab.

h. Area of the Language

Both of the methods also emphasized over written language.

i. Evaluation of The Methods

The Total Physical Response and Suggetopedia must not give formal test.

j. Techniques of The Methods

Role – play can be implemented in both of the methods

4.2. The Difference Both of The Methods

a. Grade of The Students

Suggestopedia has grade higher students than Total Physical Response though all of them are beginners.

b. The Capacity of The Class

Total Physical Response can be given for thirty students at once in one class but Suggestopedia can not, because it related to the management of class.

c. Classroom

Total Physical Response has a usual classroom, it is not like Suggestopedia. The class of Suggestopedia contain of cushioned armchairs, dim light, and soft music.

d. Theory

Most of the techniques in Suggestopedia are theory or passage form in Total Physical Response, the main process is physical response form.

e. The Objective of The Methods

Total Physical Response is used to reduce the people stress for studying foreign language but the goal of Suggestopedia is to accelerate the process by using suggesting.

f. The Role of The Teacher

In Total Physical Response, the teacher is as director who must be imitated by the students as imitators. In Suggestopedia, the teacher is a authority who must be trusted and respected by the students.

g. Feeling of The Students

A great deal of attention is given for the students in Suggestopedia. In Total Physical Response, it dealt with reduce the stress people feel when studying foreign language.

h. The Role of Native Language

In Suggestopedia, the material can be clear by translating into native language but in Total Physical Response the action of the students will make the meaning of the material or commands clear.

i. Students’ Feed Back

In Total Physical Response, the students may take longer to implement what they have learned than in Suggestopedia. They will want to speak after ten to twenty hours of instructions but the students of suggestopedia just need one to two hours.

j. The Area of Implementation

Total Physical Response can be implemented for children, adult learners and younger children as well, but Suggestopedia can not be implemented with children although all of them are beginners.

5. THE STRENGTH AND THE WEAKNESS

5.1. The Strength and the Weakness of Total Physical Response

a. One of the strengthness of Total Physical Response is fun learning.

b. The process of learning is effective because the students enjoy it.

c. The teacher can use native language if the students didn’t understand.

d. The teacher is demanded to be more creative.

e. This method can reduce the stress people to study foreign language.

f. One of weakness of this method is the grammatical structures is rarely taught.

g. It is not easy to know weather or not the students understand because the students can just imitate their friends and ignore the commands.

h. It needs long time to get the students can implement by them selves.

i. It is not suitable for adult learners tough it can.

j. It is difficult to implement for the blind students.

5.2. The Strength and The Weakness of Suggestopedia

a. The strength of this method is the students will not feel bored because it is different with usual class.

b. It is faster or easy to get the students understand because they have been adult learners.

c. The students no only get the material but also suggestions from the teacher.

d. This method suggests to use full mental powers.

e. The teacher can use native language if the students didn’t understand.

f. One of the weakness of suggestopedia is it can be the students don’t have concentration because of the music.

g. Too many techniques that must be tough in two hours.

h. Although it is for beginners, but it can not be implemented with children.

i. Homework that is suggested in this method possible to unsuccessful.

j. The formal evaluation is not explained clearly.

6. CLONCLUSION

Total Physical Response Method and Suggestopedia Method are some techniques and principles in language teaching. Both of them are chosen because they are all currently practiced. It depends on the teacher how she or he put these into practice. Total Physical Response Method has characteristic itself, beside that It also has the strength and weakness. Suggestopedia as well. Both of the methods also have correlation. Total Physical Response Method can be implemented for the students of Suggestopedia but Suggestopedia Method can not be implemented for the students of Total Physical Response Method. Because they have different grade students.

Total Physical Response Method is more refers to the physical response, so all of the techniques tend to the actions. It is suitable with the kind of the students in Total Physical Response that is kindergarten’s students. In suggestopedia is more refers to the passage, but the strength of it is it has unusual class that make the students enjoy.