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Palmer, Professor of Education at Winona State University, Minnesota.
They disclosed that only 29 percent of the "regular course" students reached the
required "level one" of basic German in the 360 hours, while 73 percent achieved
the required level of "listening understanding" and 64 percent the required
level of reading ability in the 120 hours.
Dr. Palmer recorded the results statistically in a
joint paper headed: The 661% Solution: A statistical evaluation of the extraordinary
effectiveness of Lynn Dhority's U.S. Army accelerated learning German class.28
And for us he summed them up even more succinctly: "Lynn Dhority achieved more than
twice the results in less than one-third the time. Statistically, that was a 661 percent
increase."29 Major savings were also achieved,
of course, in instructor time and expenses, daily expenses for trainees, and time away
from the job.
An accelerated integrative learning
teacher
For a glimpse at a new-style teacher in action, visit a
Leo Wood's chemistry class at Tempe High School in Arizona, at the start of a typical
year. Walk into the room and you're struck first by the paintings and photographs: a
Monet, a mountain scene, portraits of Albert Einstein and Linus Pauling, and graphics on
chemistry and the miracle of life. From the ceiling hang posters and models of molecules
and polyatomic ions. Relaxing baroque music fills the room. The classroom is colorful,
interesting and relaxing.
Wood uses techniques brought to the United States by
another Bulgarian, Dr. Ivan Barzakov, and perfected with his actress partner Pamela Rand.
Like Lozanov, Barzakov experimented early with yoga and relaxation techniques. Later he
was the star teacher at Lozanov's experimental school in Sophia before fleeing Bulgaria.
Since then he and Rand have built on Lozanov's basic principles, making great use of many
types of music, visual art and metaphorical stories. In 1978, with a group of teachers and
psychologists, they formed the Barzak Educational Institute in Novata, California. The
Barzakov team have since trained more than 10,000 people in 17 countries.
Ivan Barzakov calls his method OptimaLearning. While
Lozanov used his techniques mainly for foreign language-learning, Barzakov applies his
principles to any subject. Effectively he combines Lozanov's "two concerts" into
one. And he's developed a careful selection of music tapes which are used not just for
learning and memory, but for imagination, creativity, problem solving and decision making.
He carefully
Contents Page Preface
Introduction
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