Magic as Motivation for Handicapped Students

Frith, Greg H.; Walker, Judi

doi:10.1177/004005998301500212

Cited by 19 publications

(18 citation statements)

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“…This trend for framing science demonstrations within the context of conjuring continued through the centuries (for a review see Dawes, 1979;Lachapelle, 2008) and became especially popular during the 1800s (e.g., Brewster, 1832;Pepper, 1890). The area still attracts a considerable amount of interest, with modern-day writers producing 'science magic' books for the general public (e.g., Gardner, 1941;Gibson, 1975;Windley, 1976;Friedhoffer, 1990;Spangler, 2010), and academics publishing journal articles on the topic (e.g., Subramaniam & Toh, 2004;Ruiz, 2006;Featonby, 2010;Ellenstein, 2017). In related work, Österblom et al (2015) have noted how an understanding of the way in which magic tricks exploit perceptual and cognitive biases might help those wishing to devise and conduct scientific studies.…”

Section: Promoting Science and Mathematicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Unlike using magic tricks to promote science and mathematics, this work does not necessarily involve revealing the secrets of illusions, but rather uses tricks to energize students, increase attention and communicate key information and ideas. Some writers have speculated that magic tricks are an especially useful tool for teachers as they are entertaining, promote attention and aid knowledge retention (e.g., Vidler & Levine, 1981;Frith & Walker, 1983;McCormack, 1985;McCormack, 1990). In addition, several magicians and educational practitioners have employed magic tricks within an educational context, including therapist Sadie Broome (1989) and Broome (1995), 'The College of Magic' in South Africa, and magician Kevin Spencer's 'Hocus Focus' initiative (Spencer, 2012).…”

Section: Delivering Information and Educational Messagingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Conjuring cognition: a review of educational magic-based interventions

Wiseman

Watt

2020

PeerJ

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For hundreds of years, magic tricks have been employed within a variety of pedagogic contexts, including promoting science and mathematics, delivering educational messaging, enhancing scepticism about the paranormal, and boosting creative thinking for product design. This review examines this diverse body of work, focusing on studies that have assessed the impact of such interventions. Although the studies tended to yield positive outcomes, much of the work suffered from methodological shortcomings, including measuring the impact of interventions over a relatively short period of time, focusing on self-report measures and failing to employ control groups. The paper makes several recommendations for future study in the area, including assessing the longer-term impact of magic-based interventions, comparing these interventions to other types of pedagogic techniques, focussing on knowledge retention and behavioural outcomes, and collaborating with magicians to develop more impactful interventions.

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Section: Promoting Science and Mathematicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Delivering Information and Educational Messagingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conjuring cognition: a review of educational magic-based interventions

Wiseman

Watt

2020

PeerJ

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“…After students watch magic, they experience a sequence of emotions that include frustration, wonder, and envyemotions that motivate individuals to extend their knowledge (Krell & Dobson, 1999; see also Ezell & Klein-Ezell, 2003) and solve problems more creatively (McCormack, 1985). Furthermore, after students learn to perform magic, their interpersonal confidence improves because these skills are perceived as exclusive (Frith & Walker, 1983); their motivation, concentration, and coordination also improve because these skills, although challenging, develop rapidly over time. Anecdotal reports indicate that magic can benefit a range of individuals, from special needs students (Frith & Walker, 1983) to participants of management training programmes (Krell & Dobson, 1999).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The magic of magic: The effect of magic tricks on subsequent engagement with lecture material

Moss

Irons

Boland

2016

Brit J of Edu Psychol

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“…In the late 20th century, a modest number of education researchers evaluated the effectiveness of using magic tricks with students diagnosed with learning disabilities. The results indicate that: (1) magic tricks offer a creative means for stimulating the senses in special education students (Frith & Walker, 1983); (2) magic tricks enhance the learning experience and encourage creative problem-solving skills, observational techniques, and critical thinking (McCormack, 1985); (3) magic tricks provide a strategy for building teamwork and self-esteem in children with Emotional Behavior Disorders (Broome, 1989); and (4) teaching magic tricks in an educational setting can help students with learning differences attain higher self-esteem and self-confidence (Ezell & Ezell, 2003). While these studies showed positive results, no subsequent research was conducted for several years.…”

Section: Performing Magic As a Multidisciplinary Art Formmentioning

confidence: 87%

Development and Psychometric Investigation of an Arts Integrated Assessment Instrument for Educators

O’Rourke¹,

Spencer²,

Kelley³

2019

Journal for Learning through the Arts

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The development and initial psychometric investigation of the Hocus Focus Analytics (HFA) Scale, an instrument to measure student growth and outcomes using an arts-integrated teaching approach, is reported. A 15-item instrument consisting of five subscales (cognitive, motor, communication, social skills and creativity) was developed to measure the outcomes of students (n = 31) with disabilities through the performance of four different magic tricks. The performance of each trick was assessed by the students' teachers (n = 4) at four different times for a total of 124 completed assessments using the HFA Scale. Results of the present study offer initial support for the psychometric properties of the HFA Scale. Internal consistency as measured by Cronbach's alpha was .91 for the total scale. The authors discuss the importance of using an instrument to measure student progress through a multidisciplinary, arts-integrated curriculum and future research implications. An arts-rich environment produces a setting conducive for learning, and, consequently, students of all abilities thrive (Brown & Vaughan, 2009; Eisner, 2004; Fiske, 1999). Considering what is known about multiple intelligences (Gardner, 1993) and alternate ways of learning, the arts serve as an ideal vehicle to impart knowledge to a wide variety of students, including those with diverse learning needs. According to Gerber and Horoschak (2012), "The arts have always provided a visual, auditory, or movement approach to learning and they use sensory modalities that reinforce concepts and teach to the students' strengths" (p. 125). The National Art Education Association (NAEA, 2010) has an equally compelling position on the value of early childhood art education, stating that it is essential to early learning. According to the NAEA (2010), the arts (1) support multiple ways of knowing and learning that are inherent in the unique nature of each child; (2) empower children to communicate, represent, and express their thoughts, feelings and perceptions; (3) offer opportunities to develop creativity, imagination, and flexible thinking; and (4) can enrich a young child's understanding of diverse cultures. The Multidimensional Value of an Arts Education Widely known for his contributions to art education, Elliot Eisner was an unrelenting advocate for arts programs in schools. In his book, The Arts and the Creation of the Mind (2002), he expounded on the importance of the arts and their ability to develop thinking skills in children. Intrinsic to the arts is the construct that diversity, ambiguity, and variability are not only accepted, but encouraged. Eisner wrote, The arts teach children that problems can have more than one solution and that questions can have more than one answer. The arts celebrate diversity. The arts celebrate multiple conceptions of virtue. They teach that there are many ways to see and interpret the world and that people can look through more than one window. Furthermore, this lesson is seldom taught in schools (p 9). When students are encoura...

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Magic as Motivation for Handicapped Students

Cited by 19 publications

References 0 publications

Conjuring cognition: a review of educational magic-based interventions

Conjuring cognition: a review of educational magic-based interventions

The magic of magic: The effect of magic tricks on subsequent engagement with lecture material

Development and Psychometric Investigation of an Arts Integrated Assessment Instrument for Educators

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