Just thinking out loud, here. As a science teacher, I loved the magic that science demonstrations could bring to science lessons. One of my favorite field trips was to take my 6th graders to see a pair of UTEP professors who did a Flying Circus of Physics and Chemistry. One old guy with crazy gray hair would come rolling across the stage in a Radio Flyer propelled by a fire extinguisher to start his show and the other guy was blowing stuff up and setting off chemical reactions, drawing oohs and ahs. It was very much like a magic show. The hope was that it would inspire students to get interested in science, possibly as a career. But sitting here this morning, it seems to me that very few people who go to see a magician decide to go into magic because of it. I have some ex-students who are seriously involved in scientific research and will have to ask them about their reasons for pursuing the careers they have chosen. . Liz, Matt, Anaisa, Ilse?
Flashy experiments were a great way to get into learning, but in teaching, making lessons meaningful and relevant are the key. When I was able, I tried to set up business type environments into which the learning would be very meaningful and relevant.
So, imagine a magician who wasn’t on stage performing his magic for an audience expecting magic tricks, but throughout the day, at the appropriate time, making his tricks meaningful and relevant what an amazing thing that would be. Word would spread quickly. That right there is worth further contemplation. But, that is what a science teacher should strive for. The magic is there, and the impact could be so much more powerful if the magic was used in the context of meaningful and relevant learning experiences, without it being presented as a magic trick. I used to try to do this, but I have to admit that I used the magic of science as a magic trick more often than I should have. So, please if you are a science teacher, realize that you have the ability to create magic, but a magic trick in a show is a magic trick. A magic trick in the right situation in real life is a miracle. You scientific magic has the same potential impact if you use it wisely.