Why Educational Magic Is Perfect for the 21st-Century Classroom and Entertainer

I remember being inspired by a quote that said, “Teaching children is an accomplishment; getting children excited about learning is an achievement.”

In today’s information-rich and social media-crazy world, it is easy to understand why for some children learning at school is just not that interesting. Playing games online or watching funny cat videos seems so much more exciting than dull lessons on maths.

Hello. My name is Jody Greig and I’m a former teacher of computer science in secondary schools in Scotland. I’m also a professional magician. A few years ago, I had a eureka moment. What if I could combine my passion, skills, and experience in magic and education to create unique, relevant, and memorable learning experiences for the 21^st century classroom?

Fast-forward four years and I am the author of two educational eBooks and the creator of an educational-magic learning system. I have performed to sell-out crowds at the Edinburgh International Science Festival and have been a consultant for the European-funded project TEMI (Teaching Enquiry through Mystery).

In my series of articles for Kids Entertainer Hub, I want to explain my thinking, educational theory, and creative process that underpin my educational magic resources and share with you some of my best workshops that became the foundation of my new show that combines magic and arithmetic. With this in mind, I hope that you will be able to pick up some amazing tools to add to your repertoire.

So, Why Try Educational Magic?

Magic is great for entertainment, engagement, and education. Magic creates the perfect emotional hook and motivation for learning because it piques children’s natural curiosity and makes them ask, “How did you do that?”

However, I should point out that for me, sleight of hand has no place in the classroom. That’s a different game altogether. On the other hand (excuse the pun), ‘self-working’ magic tricks are the perfect tools to use to facilitate learning in a wide range of subjects and contexts. But what is ‘self-working’ magic exactly? Let me explain.

A ‘self-working’ magic trick means that if the performer follows a well-defined set of instructions, then the trick should work all by itself. It requires no sleight of hand or other hidden objects or moves.

This type of tricks is perfect for educational purposes because solving ‘self-working’ magic tricks involves computational thinking and maths. It therefore encourages learners to go beyond just the answer and explore the logic that proves the outcome. It actually provides a wonderful alternative approach to traditional assessment as children can demonstrate their knowledge and understanding through presentation.

Professor Richard Wiseman and a team of researchers carried out a study and concluded that learning how to perform magic tricks helps children develop confidence, self-esteem, and empathy. The improvements seen in children were so marked that the researchers called for magic to be added to the national curriculum. Imagine that.

As curriculums in schools across the globe modernize and people more than ever appreciate the value of education, we see an ever-increasing demand for kids’ party entertainment with educational value. Thus educational magic is very well-placed in this new, thriving, and modern market.

Educational Magic at Work

The findings mentioned above are the reason why I base my workshops on cross-curricular learning (also known as interdisciplinary learning). My educational workshops are designed to create memorable learning experiences that bring together key areas of the curriculum: numeracy, literacy, technology, health, and well-being. By giving learners the opportunity to explore the processes involved in these areas, I get children engaged and excited about learning. The result of this enquiry-based approach has just been overwhelming. It has proven true what the great Aristotle once said: “For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.”

The video below demonstrates the interdisciplinary education-and-magic approach and teaching principles I have described at work. In the video you will see that the kids are learning how to problem-solve, articulate their knowledge, and demonstrate their understanding by performing magic tricks. They are bringing numbers, creative presentation, and magical processes to life using maths magic!

Interested to learn how to do educational magic yourself and add more to the shows you are offering? Stay tuned for the following articles in this series as I will be sharing with you other amazing examples of this approach at work, as well as lesson plans, more videos, and teaching resources. In my next post, we will discuss the 21-Card Trick… and you will never see it in the same light again!