TURN YOUR TEACHING INTO MAGIC

Dr. Wendy Ghiora – Posting #35 – January 2, 2010

Let’s start the New Year right by making magic in your classroom. The other day, it occurred to me, there is a definite similarity between being a magician and teaching. I know what you’re thinking. “Yeah, you have to be a magician to get kids to learn anything these days!” And you would be correct in a way.

What is one of the big differences between a great teacher and a mediocre teacher? Actually, it’s the same as the difference between a great magician and a mediocre magician. Most teachers have the same basic knowledge to present to students in a similar way that all magicians have the same basic illusions to demonstrate. The thing that makes a magician great is how the illusion is presented. The same is true in teaching.

Take a moment right now and recall the last time you watched a magic trick being performed. Many of us have seen live magic shows or the ones now shown on TV. As the anticipation grows, so does our interest. Our eyes are glued to the performer as we try to see how the trick is really done. Then, when the magic happens, we think, “How did he do that?”

A good lesson is like a good magic trick. Great magicians begin enticing their audience well before the illusion is performed. They use riddles, magical sounding words, and speak as though they are talking to you as a member of the audience, personally. Basically, they build up the interest and anticipation, thus gaining the audience’s complete attention. This is called “The Hook,” and can be applied similarly to a teaching lesson.

In teaching, a “hook” can be an interesting story, a joke, a riddle, or a video clip. The key is that it grabs the students’ attention and is somehow linked to the lesson at hand.

Once the “hook” takes hold, you can launch into your magical teaching presentation. Magic can be used in several teaching disciplines. Here is one example. Tell your math class they are about to see how an Algebraic Formula can be used to perform a magic trick.

Magic Card Trick
1.
Hand your friend a stack of twenty-one playing cards. Instruct them to pick one out, without showing or telling you which card they chose, and to place the card back into the stack at random.
2.
Deal the cards out face-up in three columns, working row-by-row (1st column-2nd column-3rd column, 1-2-3, 1-2-3, etc). You should have three columns of seven cards in front of you. Have your friend tell you which pile contains their card (without telling you which card it is, of course).
3.
Gather the three columns into one stack of cards again. This time, be sure to put the pile that holds their card in the middle of the three piles. For example, if the first pile contained their card, then you could pick up the third pile first, then the first pile (containing the card) and then the second pile—or the second pile, then the first, then the third. It is very important that the pile containing their card goes into the middle.
4.
Repeat the past two steps two more times. When done, you will have dealt the cards out a total of 3 times. If you have done the card trick correctly their card with be the 11th card in the pile of cards. Do not flip the deck over at the end, or else you won't be correct.

Your amazed students may ask you how you did this. You can tell them, "it was magic;" or, you could explain the simple math that makes it work. Each time you deal out the cards, you are dividing the placement of the card. By the third time, you have gotten the card into the middle of the pile. Thus, you are able to tell where their card will be every time.

The formula is Y=(X + 1)/2, where X is the number of cards and Y is the placement of the card in the pile after the 3rd deal. In this case, since X is 21, Y = 22/2 = 11.
To add to the lesson, before revealing the “magic” formula, divide the class up into groups and see which group can figure out how the trick works. It’s up to you, which clues you give them to get them started.

The magic “trick” is just one example. Magic comes in many forms. Tune in next week for more ways magic can be used as an enchanting learning and teaching tool.

A lesson presented the right way, like a magic trick performed well, leaves your students with a sense of wonder. Teachers, use your great and enchanting presentation skills, and create some magic in your classroom!