A portrait of the suggestopedic teacher¹

Abstract

The article deals with a neglected yet crucial aspect of suggestopedia - the suggestopedic foreign language (FL) teacher. An attempt is made to analyse her or his value system, preferred teaching styles and dominant personality traits. The main investigation instrument is a questionnaire filled in by a group of teachers. All items are treated with a view to their importance and applicability in the learning process. A discussion reveals their priority order in suggestopedic and conventional FL classes. The portrait of the suggestopedic teacher is given a final touch by learners who consider the impact of teaching on their personality and overall linguistic performance. The ultimate aim of the research is to penetrate deeper into authentic suggestopedic teaching styles and to question their vitality in a wider pedagogical context. The issues raised are of immediate relevance to FL teacher training and development.