"It is not easy to use just one only method"

 Today is Tuesday 13, the supposed bad day of luck. For us, there was not a big problem at all. We began this short week, with a lot of energy and effort. 

Today we have seen some more theories really interesting:

• Total Physical Response: It is a behaviorism methodology, a mix of actions, and speech. They focus on meaning. They work with gestures, called commands. We know they have understood the sentence if they do movements. 
• Suggestopedia: It is concerned as the good environment in class to help them to understand better. They focus on vocabulary, focused on working in pairs. It is common to use role-playing, games and gymnastic exercises, etc. And there is always music in the background. 
• Whole Language: It is not a methodology per sé, it is more like a strategy. "Language is always used in a social context". The students understand language as a whole, not as isolated words or sentences. Because of that, they use authentic texts. Students produce texts too because this strategy is focused on students. They wrote for a real purpose. Errors are assumed as a sign of learning. 
• The Natural Approach: We learn a language to communicate with others. It is a primary function of language. The importance resides in meaning and vocabulary. Learners are not required to speak until they feel ready. The teacher adapts the speech to the student's needs. The lessons are supported by using visuals and materials. We allow students to respond to movements if they do not know how to answer.

Later on, we analyzed a video:

• What are the roles of the teacher and the students in this method?

The student's role, firstly, is passive, they only need to watch and listen to the teacher's play and relax with the music in the background. They have to breathe, chill out and pay attention, it is like mindfulness. At the latest activities, they become active. They need to repeat, answer the teacher's questions, and read the script. 

On the other hand, the teacher's role is completely active. She is the director of the class, she acts and guides the activities. 

• What are the stages and procedures in the implementation of the method? 

We found six stages that divide the class. First, there is the teacher's play of a text or script, while classical music is sounding in the background. Secondly, the song changes and the teacher reads the same text at a normal speed. Thirdly, the teacher gives a copy of the script to every student, and they read it with her. Fourthly, they see different pronunciation of selected words from the text. They repeat the sounds with the teacher's guide. Fifthly, they use flashcards to do a kind of game to keep working on the pronunciation. And, finally, the work on the present tenses with different verbs.  

• What are the main theoretical principles of this method?

We think that some of the principles that are used in this method are:

- The importance of a relaxed and predisposed environment. It is achieved with music and decoration.

- It is focused on memorizing and repeating vocabulary and sentences.

- Role-playing is a good resource to present and work the contents. 

- It is also really important to focus on the rhythm and the variation of the tone. 

•  What are the advantages and disadvantages?

The advantages are that students are paying attention all the time during the class to see what is going to happen and see when they need to interact. Also, we can find (in the first three stages of the class) there is a reserved moment for the silent period for the students. Also, the repetition exercises are really helpful to memorize better. And, finally, we found playful these methods, which motivate students.

The disadvantage we found is that we missed some writing exercises to have the four language skills worked. 

Interesting, right? I completely fall in love with the Suggestopedia methodology, I will do some research to discover more about it.