A Pilot Study: Magic Tricks in the ELL Classroom Increasing Verbal Communication Initiative and Self-Efficacy

Kevin Spencer,Stephanie Balmer

doi:10.22158/eltls.v2n1p11

Abstract

Instructional practices for English language Learners (ELLs) are multifaceted. They must address everything from communication skills to learner motivation. As a means of tapping student curiosity, learning to perform simple magic tricks is a creative task-based language teaching approach that promotes student self-confidence and engages them in interactionally authentic language. The learning of a magic trick becomes the means of helping students to use the linguistic knowledge they already have as well as a source for new linguistic knowledge. Teaching ELLs simple magic tricks is one approach that increases student communication and produces improvement in academics, self-confidence, resiliency, and social skills.

Highlights

The elementary and secondary school English Language Learner (ELL) population is the fastest growing student group in the United States and this trend is predicted to continue for decades (Sheng, Sheng, & Anderson, 2011)
Grit is directly correlated with academic success and a better predictor of achievement than IQ (Stoffel & Cain, 2018; Duckworth et al, 2007). 1.3 The Pilot Study This pilot study was conducted to examine how an arts-based Task Based Language Teaching (TBLT) approach would impact the role these three constructs play in increasing verbal communication initiative of ELLs
Each researcher concluded that future investigation should be done based on their positive results, which include: (a) magic tricks offer a creative means for stimulating the senses in special education students (Frith & Walker, 1983), (b) magic tricks enhance the learning experience and encourage creative problem-solving skills, observational techniques, and critical thinking (McCormack, 1985), (c) magic tricks provide a strategy for building teamwork and self- esteem in children with Emotional Behavior Disorders (Broome, 1989), and (d) magic tricks in an educational setting can help students with learning differences attain higher self-esteem and self-confidence (Ezell & Ezell, 2003)

Summary

A Pilot Study

Kevin Spencer1* & Stephanie Balmer Carlow University, Pittsburgh, PA 2 Ogden School District, Ogden, UT * Kevin Spencer, Carlow University, Pittsburgh, PA.

Introduction

Results

Limitations and Recommendations