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Welcome To Class Magic
Class Magic is a fun and effective teaching approach that can be used to:
Help students to develop creative and critical thinking skills,
Improve students confidence in public speaking,
Foster better writing skills,
Create a fun learning environment,
Enhance motor-coordination,
Create memory hooks for key curriculum concepts & Many Many More
This is An exciting new secondary school programme, brought to you by Educator & Magician Leon Andersen.
An Award-Winning Professional Magician & Qualified Special Needs Assistant (SNA) with a Diploma in Autism Awareness.
Class Magic is a class workshop that helps increase Numeracy & Literacy skills by using specially selected Magic Tricks that encourage the use of Maths, Creativity, and Problem Solving and help level the playing field.
Other areas where learning simple magic tricks can benefit children
>Build confidence, self-esteem and social skills for young teenagers,
>Develops Eye-Hand Coordination, Memory, Sequencing,
>Boosts Attention and encourages concentration,
>Improves Motor Skills, Fine and Gross
Over 30 post-primary schools and 1000's 1st-year students from all across Ireland have already taken part in Leon's CLASS MAGIC Programme.
Contact Leon today if you would like him to visit your school.
Now taking bookings for the 2022/2023 School Year.
Research Findings
Research has been carried out for decades. Here are some findings by some of the top academics
The academic task J. S. McCORMICK
“Magic tricks enhance the learning experience and encourage creative problem-solving skills, observational techniques, and critical thinking”, (McCormack, 1985).
Sadie Broome
Magic tricks provide a strategy for building teamwork and self-esteem in children with Emotional Behavior Disorders (Broome, 1989)
M.A.G.I.C. W.O.R.K.S
“Without self-esteem and self-confidence, the possibility of leading a successful productive life decreases. For children with disabilities, self-esteem and self- confidence are crucial elements to their success”. (Ezell-2003)
M.A.G.I.C. W.O.R.K.S
“Magic tricks in an educational setting can help students with learning differences attain higher self-esteem and self-confidence”, (Ezell, 2003).
Noll & Johnson, 2010; Walkenhorst, 2010
“Integrating magic tricks into core curriculum can engage the student and excite them about the learning process (Noll & Johnson, 2010; Walkenhorst, 2010)
David Copperfield
Project Magic is an innovative program that uses magic as a form of therapy for people with physical, psychological, and social disabilities". (David Copperfield)
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Richard Wiseman and Caroline Watt Published online 2018 Dec 6
Potential benefits of magic-based interventions
The methods used in magic tricks are often surprisingly simple, and frequently involve some form of lateral thinking. Over time, magicians learn the general principles involved and can use these to create new tricks. It seems likely that learning magic will encourage creative problem solving and may even help people to find novel solutions to challenges in their own lives. Indeed, some writers have suggested that the secrets to magic tricks symbolise optimism because they show how seemingly complicated problems can have remarkably simple solutions.
When someone is told how a magic trick is achieved they are being trusted with secret information, and it is hoped that they will not tell others the secret to a trick. This process may help people to understand the importance of trust and to foster a spirit of togetherness.
Creating magic effects involves putting together a narrative that is both entertaining, holds onlookers’ attention and justifies the actions involved in the trick. This is likely to help promote a series of related skills, including imagination, storytelling, and emotional empathy.
Although many magic tricks can be performed with everyday objects, some involve creating objects that are either on display during a performance (known as ‘props’) or those that are hidden from the spectators (known as ‘gimmicks’). The construction of these objects may promote practical building skills and an understanding of how to work with a variety of materials.
Learning how to perform a magic trick usually requires following a series of instructions and a considerable amount of practice. Therefore, learning magic may promote several key cognitive skills, including concentration, preparedness, self-control and memory.
Many tricks involve manipulating objects in unusual ways. Learning those tricks may help to promote gross and fine motor skills, and eye-hand coordination. In addition, occupational therapy often involves highly repetitive actions; incorporating these movements into a magic trick may make the actions more enjoyable and meaningful.
Although people are able to learn tricks on their own, magic is often far from a solidity experience. Tricks can be taught in groups, people can work together to build props and stage a show, and magicians are frequently members of magic societies and clubs. So, learning magic may help to develop teamwork skills, including learning to give and receive constructive feedback, identifying individuals’ strengths, and helping to build community.
As with any type of public presentation, the successful performance of a magic trick involves basic acting skills. However, magic brings several additional challenges, including often having to give clear instructions, controlling onlookers’ attention, overcoming possible nervousness caused by having to conceal certain actions and finding acceptable ways of explaining why one cannot reveal the secret of the trick. Therefore, the performances may promote interpersonal skills, emotional regulation, respect, and self-presentation abilities.
Unlike many performances, the presentation of magic often involves considerable flexibility, as the magician adapts the trick to a particular situation or has to deal with an unexpected event. In addition, tricks do occasionally go wrong, or onlookers may correctly guess the secret of the trick. Therefore any good performer has to be able to cope with failure. These experiences may help build both adaptability and resilience.
Performing magic tricks also promotes self-esteem as the performer can do something the audience cannot, and provides a sense of pleasure and mastery from creating an unusual and enjoyable experience for others.
About Leon
A Professional Magician for more than 20 years now. I fell in love with magic watching Paul Daniels in the 80's then later American Magician David Blaine in 2000.
A wide range of different programmes are in place to help children with Autism, ADHD and other special differences and art, music, play and even laughter therapy to name a few are already in place to help these cases.
It is my goal to introduce Magic Therapy.
With all the ongoing research and positive feedback from teachers and educators from all over Ireland and the world. Class Magic will be the bespoke programme in Ireland.
Leon's List of Achievements are as follows:
© 2022