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Sometimes Magic...
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Sometimes Magic is a tool for learning about learning. It consists of a set of 32 colourful, laminated and boxed cards (business envelope size) or stickers, which can provide insights into how learning occurs, through the eyes of the learner. The cards and stickers work as 'conversational prompts' for having insightful and transformative conversations with adults, kids, classes, co-workers and teams about how they learn.
Sometimes Magic is a useful tool for parents, teachers, counsellors, psychologists, tutors, social workers, trainers, managers, and anyone else who is curious about the magic of everyday learning or whose role is to facilitate learning, growth and change. |
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Sometimes magic happens...when I give feedback We can all identify moments of learning that have changed our lives. The changes themselves may have been big or small but the sources of the changes often lie in the apparently trivial, inconsequential events that surround us. Even when we witness the big magic performances, it is often a little detail that can spark our learning. These moments of learning help shape who we are and build our sense of identity. They are individualised: what works as magic for one person may have no impact at all on the next person. We can probably all recall large segments of our schooling that had no impact on us at all or that even turned us off education. We enrol in a course to find that it is uninspiring and irrelevant. We visit a counsellor but go away feeling unheard and unhelped. We hear of a great presenter who is conducting a workshop and we are excited and hopeful, but the chemistry doesn't work. We are unmoved. Moments of learning can be elusive. At times we may desperately want to learn or change or grow, but the experience just doesn't happen. Because of such disappointment, it is easy to regard moments of learning as fleeting, random and capricious. They can't be predicted and can't be controlled. Libraries are full of books by philosophers, psychologists and educators who try to describe and predict how learning occurs. Yet so much of our learning has a feeling of serendipity - if it happens, it happens. The Sometimes Magic cards depict the many ways in which learning occurs - all through the eyes of the learner. But Sometimes Magic is also proof that none of Innovative Resources' card sets are finished acts of creation. We like to think of all our resources as evolving tools, just as our awareness of social justice needs to keep evolving. Because of this, we greatly appreciate your comments, criticisms and suggestions. The latest edition of Sometimes Magic has an extra card due to feedback we have received. This card is 'I play' and features playful and inquisitive dingo pups. We hope it will open up all kinds of important conversations about learning through play. So, yes, we would like to hear from you, even if it is simply to tell us that you think Sometimes Magic is brilliant! Equally, we would like to hear any ideas for improvements, not only for this card set, but for any of those that we produce.
Slow Publishing—a new card joins the Sometimes Magic set By Karen Masman
You've heard of ‘slow food'.
The very term conjures up images of seeds slowly swelling in moist soil, fruit ripening on the vine and lazy harvesting. Then it's off to the kitchen for unhurried marinations, bastings and slow roastings. Sit back, put your feet up.
But have you heard of ‘slow publishing'?
In many ways it is the art of slow publishing that we practise here at Innovative Resources. On average, a resource takes about 2 years to cook. It begins with the germ of an idea and then slowly unfolds under the careful hands of focus groups, authors and designers. It gets kneaded and shaped by various black-hatters and doubters and then toasted by an eternally optimistic cheer squad of supporters. Come one, come all.
But actually, even when a resource is off the press, it is never really finished. With each reprint we tweak, alter and change various things. Sometimes these changes are very small (an errant comma, for example). Sometimes they are quite significant ( Shadows began life as a set of 12 cards and evolved into the present set of 48).
Sometimes the changes are in response to feedback we receive from people using the resource. For me, these are the most satisfying changes. One example of this is the new card that has recently joined the Sometimes Magic pack.
Sometimes Magic began life as a set of 32 (now 33!) cards or stickers, which celebrate the different ways in which people learn. Each card features a statement about learning and an illustration of a native Australian animal. This is a useful tool for teachers, counsellors, facilitators, psychologists, managers, and anyone else who wants to facilitate a range of learning environments.
Of course, people have differing ideas of what cards ought to be included in a set. Some will feel that the mix is just right and others will feel that important ones are missing. These are fruitful ‘learning' conversations to have in and of themselves. While no card set can possibly cover every base, we do try to reach consensus about key themes to represent in a set.
When a participant in one of our workshops asked why we hadn't included a Sometimes Magic card that spoke of the significant role that ‘play' has in our processes of learning—we agreed that this was a very important omission; and one that we wanted to rectify.
So, here you have it—the new Sometimes Magic card: Sometimes Magic Happens When … I PLAY!
Sometimes Magic in the Classroom
Teaching Self-Reflection English teacher, Jeanette Pritchard writes about her creative ideas for using 'Sometimes Magic' in the classroom. Jeanette's ideas could very easily be used by counsellors, social workers or in any setting where people work and learn together. Sometimes Magic is a set of 32 cards (or stickers) published by Innovative Resources to explore the magical and often surprising way that people learn.
As a teacher of English at Baimbridge College, Hamilton, in Western Victoria I aim to provide learning experiences for the students who are in my classes. However, I have rarely explored with them how learning takes place.
Year 11 explores the concept of learning When I encountered the delightful set of Sometimes Magic cards I decided I would take them into a class and use them as 'conversational prompts' to explore the whole concept of learning. I decided on my Year 11 English class. This is a class of very mixed abilities ranging from very articulate, academically-orientated girls to boys who struggle with school and what is expected of them.
To introduce the lesson I asked the students to think of five things that they had learnt in the last few years. When they had done this they saw that learning is something that is happening in many areas of their lives outside as well as inside school. They also realised that their learning encompassed practical skills such as driving a car, knowledge in areas such as maths and also more subtle areas like interpersonal relationships and self-knowledge. I also asked them to identify how they had learnt and they were able to see the wide array of learning methods ranging from learning from other people to learning from one's own experience.
Learners are also teachers At this point I gave each student a Sometimes Magic card. The students were asked to read the card and then think of a time when the statement on the card applied to their own experiences. They were all very much engaged by this time and they really enjoyed reading the cards and identifying with the animals. Each student was able to identify a personal experience relating to the card. An interesting extension was thinking of times when they were teachers to younger students in coaching situations or as elder bothers and sisters.
To complete the session I had photocopied of all the different statements on the card and they were able to identify what types of contexts they felt were of the greatest value to them when they were learning. I then asked them to think of things they may want to learn in the future and how they could maximise their learning opportunities with these insights.
Finally, I asked them if they felt this self-reflection had been of benefit. I received a very positive response. magic indeed! |
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Using Sometimes Magic: the Who and the How Curiosity
Working with people from a position of curiosity, of 'not knowing' or of 'actively wondering', is a valuable way of opening up conversational space.
It can be an antidote to the ever present pressure to be 'the expert', to 'have the answers' and know 'what is best' for the client or student.
Being 'curious with' a learner creates a conversation between co-consultants. Both consultants can inform the other, neither is regarding as the exclusive holder of 'truth'.
Being 'curious with' can help build 'power with' rather than 'power over' relationships.
Sometimes Magic is a tool that can build and maintain curiosity. It sets up suggestions or possibilities that might be explored further. It suggests questions that come from a wondering about what is happening that invites learners to reflect on and discuss the ways they learn.
By not assuming expert knowledge or questioning from a position of superiority Sometimes Magic allows learners to make sense of their own unique learning styles and preferences. A position of curiosity fosters a mutual spirit of enquire and participation in the investigative process of understanding and celebrating the experience of the learner.
Ways of Using Sometimes Magic
Sometimes Magic, as observed earlier, is a set of conversational prompts. Each individual card, a group of cards, or the whole set can be used to build conversations about learning and change. The ideas on the cards can prompt us to think about aspects of our learning that we might otherwise overlook. The illustrations on the cards open up possibilities for thinking and talking about learning that sometimes words alone cannot achieve.
An individual can pick up Sometimes Magic and use it as a tool to reflect on their experience as a learner. This is like having a conversation with yourself. However, the cards are primarily designed to promote conversations with others. It is by sharing and talking about our moments of learning that we can really develop an appreciation of our unique skills as learners and our similarities with, and differences from, other learners.
Specific
applications
Sometimes Magic has been designed as a generic or multi-purpose tool that is applicable to a broad range of learning situations and professions. The possibilities are truly as broad as the creativity of the user. However, some domains immediately spring to mind:
• Tutoring • Supervision • Management • Counselling • Group work • Adult education • Work place training
No Set Rules As with other strengths-based materials published by St Luke's Innovative Resources, there are no rules, no prescribed methods and no set sequence of activities. All the materials rely on the creativity and sensitivity of the user. They do not require preparatory training courses. They do not come with an instruction manual. They are not games to be played out like 'Snakes and Ladders'.
However, there are factors that need to be considered to ensure the materials are used purposefully and respectfully. The cards work best when the timing and circumstances are conducive to learning. Judging the right moment to introduce the cards relies on the skill, creativity and sense of timing of the person introducing them.
Before using the cards-useful questions The following questions may be useful to consider before deciding to introduce Sometimes Magic:
• Is there a learning opportunity the cards might facilitate or create? • Is it the right time to introduce the cards? • Will the cards get in the way of the learning that is occurring? • Can the cards be introduced respectfully in these circumstances? • Is there a trusting, respectful relationship between those who will be using the tool? • Is there a mutual interest in exploring processes of learning? • What is the energy level? • Is there sufficient time to work through the insights and issues that may be raised? • Are the cards culturally relevant to the user?
Used carefully and respectfully, the cards may generate lots of questions. As conversational prompts they can assist conversations to evolve in different, even unexpected ways. Sometimes we refer to this as creating different windows into learning. We also talk about the cards' capacity to open up different 'pathways' of conversation.
As an Evaluation Tool The Sometimes Magic cards can also be used as an evaluation tool for reflecting on a particular learning opportunity or event such as a course or a workshop. Participants (including the facilitator) can have conversations around the following questions:
Celebrating
the Magic of Everyday Learning
Sometimes Magic is a celebration-of the expertness of learners and the magic of learning. Approaching learning from the point of view of the learner is not new, but is often overwhelmed by the emphasis on teaching curriculum and formal education. As learners, we know that little of our learning occurs in classrooms and that is is rarely as structured and sequenced as the manuals describe. And we also know that we learn in subtly different ways from friends, family and colleagues. Yet how rarely are we asked the question 'How do you prefer to learn?'
Sometimes Magic grew out of a conversation with a long time teacher friend, Kevin Valence, about the assumptions about learning made in common by teachers and social workers.
As learners we know that learning can be elusive and serendipitous. We know it is hard to predict when or what learning will occur, but we do know that if learning can't be scripted, it has to be active; that none of us absorb learning passively like sponges. However often when we take on the role of teacher, counsellor or supervisor, we are prone to deify our teaching skills and inflate our ability to impart learning.
'Looking at learning through the eyes of the learner' led us to the multiple intelligences theory of Howard Gardner and to the idea of tipping points as articulated by Malcolm Gladwell. Gardner argues for at least seven different intelligences rather than the single dimension of intelligence claimed to be measured by I.Q. tests. While our society may value linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligences the most highly, Gardiner identifies a range of other 'intelligences' which may have a high value in other cultures and may suggest differing learning preferences to ours. Gladwell's notion of a tipping point is that of a seemingly miniscule event that may have huge consequences and repercussions. In Gladwell's terms much of our learning could be conceptualised as a series of tipping points or sparks each of which ignites something in our imagination.
Sometimes Magic attempts to honour these ideas by identifying 32 suggested ways that learning might occur. With a little thought, you will find more. Each card is illustrated with an indigenous Australian fauna that represent each concept together with a short zoological description of the animals' behaviour. By identifying the 'magic' of learning, these cards have the potential to build curiosity about the nature of learning and to instil hope in those who may feel excluded from possible learning.
Memories of Learning
Reviving the magic of learning in one's childhood can often unlock some of the joys of learning and remind us (as adults) of our own personal learning styles.
Spreading the Sometimes Magic cards out and using them as memory joggers invites questions like:
Celebrating
Difference
As learners, we have much in common with other learners around us, but perhaps there are differences. Some of these differences may be very subtle, but with some reflection other differences may become apparent.
Undoing Stuckness
Everyone has the experience of feeling stuck in a learning task. Sometimes the challenge seems too hard. Sometimes stuckness comes from a feeling we can't learn in a way that suits us. Sometimes it is just not wanting to learn. At other times, maybe you overcame stuckness by persevering or trying a different approach. Sometimes we carry stuckness right through our adult lives.
Learning Disabilities
In a sense, to talk about learning disabilities is a nonsense. Everyone has a bunch of abilities, and some 'disabilities' when it comes to learning. There is no such thing as the perfect, all round, comprehensive learner. But some disabilities are more pronounced or given more prominence that others in our society. Such forms of stuckness such as 'dyslexia' can have much more profound social consequences.
The Sometimes Magic cards are, of course, no panacea or solution to these more severe disabilities. However, many teachers and tutors have found them to be useful in building conversations about ways to experiment with alternative strategies to perhaps get around the disability. |
