Pub. 9 2019-2020 Issue 1

15 Which brings us to the implausible. There’s a reason why Harry Potter and company captivated – and continues to enthrall – a generation of kids and adults alike. Magic is an empathetic art; it supports the underdog, levels the playing field, encourages us all – especially kids – to think of and engage with others. The truth is this: you need other people for magic to work, and therein lies the magic of magic. In a world where instant gratification is supported by technology, we are being deprived of our sense of wonder and our need to believe. As educators we can use magic to teach. Magic will transcend the everyday and replace it with wonder and fascination, with speaks to that space in our soul that sparks imagination and captivates our need to learn. Magic can be used in the classroom in many ways: • You can teach using magic • You can encourage students to use magic themselves • You can use magic tricks as a reward to incentivize children to complete other, more mundane tasks Using magic in a classroom setting is simply a way to engage children and build upon a natural learning process while and practicing cognitive skills – such as conceptualization, under- standing sequence, building memory, following complex directions, and solving problems. Magic tricks tend to involve colors, numbers, alphabet/reading, and mathematics, and the methodology of magical tricks seems to trigger our attention in ways that more traditional lesson presentations may not. Magic, in other words, is something that absolutely belongs in the classroom. It has a transformational effect that is unlike any other education tool out there. ADVERTISEMENT