Accelerated language learning
Encyclopedia
Accelerated learning was developed based on the research and theories of Georgi Lozanov
's suggestopedia
. The term is now associated with diverse methods in education that target accelerated learning. The term "accelerated learning" is a very broad term encompassing diverse techniques, methodologies and approaches to teaching and to learning. Some methods which would generally be considered to fall under the title of accelerated learning would be: mind map
s, Brain Gym(R) / Educational Kinesiology (learning through movement
), which utilizes #6, #7, and #8, below), concert texts, reading to music, applied multiple intelligences theory, various memory techniques, the use of music to influence the emotional and mental state of learners, state setting in a broader sense, the use of songs to aid learning, pattern spotting, the implementation of chunking, suggestopedia, neuro-linguistic programming
, the use of drama, suspension of disbelief and others.
Georgi Lozanov
Georgi Lozanov is a Bulgarian educator and psychiatrist who developed suggestopedia/suggestopaedia, a learning/teaching theory based on his early-1960s study of suggestion which is called as "suggestology". His suggestopedia theory and practice were examined by UNESCO in the late 1970s and proved...
's suggestopedia
Suggestopedia
Suggestopedia or Suggestopaedia is a teaching method developed by the Bulgarian psychotherapist Georgi Lozanov. It is used in different fields, but mostly in the field of foreign language learning...
. The term is now associated with diverse methods in education that target accelerated learning. The term "accelerated learning" is a very broad term encompassing diverse techniques, methodologies and approaches to teaching and to learning. Some methods which would generally be considered to fall under the title of accelerated learning would be: mind map
Mind map
A mind map is a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks, or other items linked to and arranged around a central key word or idea. Especially in British English, the terms spidergram and spidergraph are more common, but they can cause confusion with the term spider diagram used in mathematics...
s, Brain Gym(R) / Educational Kinesiology (learning through movement
Kinesthetic learning
Kinesthetic learning is a learning style in which learning takes place by the student actually carrying out a physical activity, rather than listening to a lecture or merely watching a demonstration. It is also referred to as tactile learning...
), which utilizes #6, #7, and #8, below), concert texts, reading to music, applied multiple intelligences theory, various memory techniques, the use of music to influence the emotional and mental state of learners, state setting in a broader sense, the use of songs to aid learning, pattern spotting, the implementation of chunking, suggestopedia, neuro-linguistic programming
Neuro-linguistic programming
Neuro-linguistic programming is an approach to psychotherapy, self-help and organizational change. Founders Richard Bandler and John Grinder say that NLP is a model of interpersonal communication and a system of alternative therapy which seeks to educate people in self-awareness and effective...
, the use of drama, suspension of disbelief and others.
Applications
In terms of the teaching and learning of foreign languages specifically, accelerated learning can really come into its own. It has been and is being put to good use by language teachers across the world. An accelerated learning language lesson could vary from the traditional language lesson in a number of ways:- The learning environment may be seen as being of prime importance - a great deal of attention will be focused on the use of colour, the temperature in the room(s), the positioning of furniture, background music, smells, textures and so on. Also, posters and displays may have been carefully selected with the aim of helping students to absorb vocabulary and ideas subconsciously. Posters containing vocabulary for a unit which may not be introduced for a few weeks may be present in order to gradually familiarize students with the vocabulary in advance.
- State setting may be important - this is done partly through the learning environment (see number 1), but also through the use of body language by the teacher, the type of music used throughout the lesson - this might change depending on the mood/atmosphere the teacher wishes to create at any given time, the tone of voice employed at any given time by the teacher, the use of colour in presentational materials and so on. The emphasis is likely to be on making the student feel comfortable, relaxed and free from anxiety and stress.
- MnemonicMnemonicA mnemonic , or mnemonic device, is any learning technique that aids memory. To improve long term memory, mnemonic systems are used to make memorization easier. Commonly encountered mnemonics are often verbal, such as a very short poem or a special word used to help a person remember something,...
s may be frequently used to help students retain and recall lists of vocabulary. Instead of relying on vocabulary lists, flash cards and repetition drills, the accelerated learning language teacher will often employ these creative techniques when first introducing a new topic. Students may be encouraged to use their imaginations to link items of vocabulary to parts of their body or to locations in the classroom (Loci). This injects a sense of fun and usually promotes a more relaxed and free-flowing learning environment. - Over-stimulation: whereas in many language classrooms, the teacher is wary of throwing too much at the student at once, the accelerated learning language teacher may bombard the student with material knowing that the human brain can often assimilate around 80% more information than we assume. Using longer texts, dramatisations and the like (often carefully supported with the English meaning along one side) allows students of varying levels of ability to take what is useful for them at that stage of their learning. This approach also allows for more opportunities to expose students to the rhythm and pronunciation of the new language.
- Pattern spotting and learning in broad strokes: often accelerated learning language teachers will introduce broad concepts to their students, enabling them to learn a great deal in a short amount of time. For example, if a beginner learning Spanish is told that thousands of nouns which end in 'tion' in English can easily be changed to Spanish by changing the 'tion' ending to 'ción', the student immediately has access to thousands of words and can gain confidence by producing these words independent of the teacher or learning resources.
- Theory of multiple intelligencesTheory of multiple intelligencesThe theory of multiple intelligences was proposed by Howard Gardner in 1983 as a model of intelligence that differentiates intelligence into various specific modalities, rather than seeing it as dominated by a single general ability....
application: MI Theory (proposed by Howard Gardener) asserts that there are 8 types of intelligence: interpersonal, intrapersonal, logical-mathematical, verbal-linguistic, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical-rhythmic and naturalist. In the traditional classroom environment, the verbal-linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligences are often over represented. Accelerated learning attempts to redress this imbalance by including activities which allow for the activation of the other intelligences such as: simple activities that develop visual, auditory, and motor coordination (as in Brain Gym(R)), games that involve movement, use of colour on worksheets/mind maps etc., use of songs, raps and music, manipulation of objects (word cards, realiaRealiaRealia may refer to:* Realia * Realia * Realia...
etc.) and so on. - The use of chunkingChunking (psychology)Chunking, in psychology, is a phenomenon whereby individuals group responses when performing a memory task. Tests where individuals can illustrate "chunking" commonly include serial and free recall, as these both require the individual to reproduce items that he or she had previously been...
: chunking lessons into shorter periods takes full advantage of the attention cycle of the human brain. We are most likely to retain information presented at the beginning and end of a session; therefore if a lesson is divided into smaller chunks, we are creating more beginnings and endings and so increasing the amount of information retained. - Objective setting: this practice is very widespread in education now and is also a vital aspect of any accelerated learning lesson. The student must understand clearly what he/she is going to learn in any particular lesson and how this is going to happen. There is then a predefined goal to work towards and a higher sense of achievement at the end of the lesson (particularly if the lesson objectives are listed on the board and can be ticked off as the lesson proceeds). What's In It For Me (W.I.I.F.M) is a key phrase to remind teachers that students want to know how what they are going to learn is relevant to them and their day-to-day experiences.