Sometimes magic happens...when I give feedback

Slow publishing—a new card joins the Sometimes Magic set

Teaching self-reflection

Curiosity

Memories of learning

Celebrating difference

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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.

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Slow Publishing—a new card joins the Sometimes Magic set
 
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 two years to cook. It begins with the seed 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, now there are 33 Sometimes Magic cards. The newest being…Sometimes Magic Happens When … I PLAY!

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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: 
 
 
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.
 
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.
 
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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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.

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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:

What is your earliest memory of learning?

What were the 'magical' moments of learning you had as a child?

Do any of the cards describe these moments?

Looking back to your childhood, how do you think you learned best?
Who have been the 'magical people' in your life from whom you learned how to learn?

What do you think they would say was your preferred learning style?

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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.

In scanning the cards, are you aware of how your learning styles/preferences differ from your friends and colleagues?

How would you compare the way you prefer to learn to that of your parents, siblings, partner or children?

Do these differing learning styles ever create conflict?

To what extent do you think different learning styles reflect age, gender or culture?

Take the 'I take risks' card as an example. How does your risk-taking as a learner differ from others who you know?

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