Dr. Georgi Lozanov and Buckminister Fuller

At the conference opening, Bobbi DePorter, co-founder of QLN, shared a bit of the QL history and how it started more than 40 years ago. Quantum Learning Network’s inspiration dates back to a business Bobbi joined in the 1970s that focused on relationships, being 100% responsible for your results, and working on personal development. This business was not only changing the lives of the principals, but the lives of their clients. When written up in a national magazine, the company drew a lot of attention. This positive endeavor eventually led to Bobbi cofounding a business school for entrepreneurs, which is where she connected with and learned from two legendary global thought leaders—Dr. Georgi Lozanov and Buckminister Fuller.

Dr. Georgi Lozanov is known as the “father of accelerated learning.” He actually referred to his work as suggestopedia, meaning that everything makes a suggestion (hence QL’s “everything speaks/everything is on purpose”).

Developed in the 1970s, suggestopedia is based on neuroscience and brain research and there is consensus that it’s a generally superior teaching method. UNESCO acknowledged Lozanov’s work, considering it a methodology worth duplicating. On a side note, Dr. Lozanov asked Bobbi to contribute to his updated report at the request of UNESCO. He considered our work with accelerated learning part of his legacy.

In 1979 Bobbi and her partner arranged for Dr. Lozanov to spend three weeks in her home teaching them and those working with them his accelerated learning methods. Dr. Lozanov was from Bulgaria and there was great intrigue around the process of getting him to the U.S. He came with a bodyguard, not so much for his protection but to ensure that he would return to Bulgaria where his research was based and his family lived.

His methods were soon applied to the business school with great success. The reaction of the participants was along the lines of I don’t remember learning being this engaging and meaningful, and this eventually inspired the start of SuperCamp.

R. Buckminister “Bucky” Fuller is another important mentor whose teachings are foundational to Quantum Learning’s work.

Bucky committed his life to “make the world work for 100% of humanity.” Bucky believed that “environment is stronger than will.”

Both Lozanov and Bucky spoke of the importance of the environment and its impact on all of us. And another side note . . . Bobbi was invited to write a chapter in the book A Fuller View: Buckminister Fuller’s Vision of Hope and Abundance for All by Steven Sieden.

We know the importance of culture—environment, atmosphere and foundation—and because of the culture at the business school where learning was accelerated and fun, the adult participants decided “we have to do something for our kids”—and SuperCamp soon became a reality.

And Quantum Learning Education, the focus of our 2019 QL Conference, was created as a result of SuperCamp. During its eighth year, we became aware of reactions of teachers and principals who noticed changes in some of their students returning to school after the summer break. When they asked questions along the lines of What happened to you over the summer? they learned about SuperCamp. Through this growing awareness, in 1989 we were requested by a school in Georgia to provide training for their teachers and students in the methods used at SuperCamp. It was memorable as our first test program was covered by CNN!