Use of magic performance as a schema disruption method to facilitate flexible thinking

Abstract

The ability to think flexibly has become increasingly important for success in work, life, and learning in the 21 st century. Flexible thinking enables students to overcome thinking fixedness and generate creative ideas and helps students to apply what they learned when faced with unknown or unfamiliar challenges. However, there has been a lack of effective and engaging teaching methods designed for teachers to facilitate students’ thinking flexibility (Middleton, 2015). This study explored an innovative method based on the activity of magic performance with the aim of facilitating flexible thinking in an interactive and engaging way. An in-depth exploration of students’ experience in this activity revealed how magic performance as a unique schema disruption stimulus influences students’ flexible thinking. The results suggested three aspects of such influence: 1) Magic primes a childlike mindset in students and encourages them to use their imaginations, 2) The curiosity toward the secret of magic drives students to develop a flexible mindset, 3) The principles of magic promote flexible thinking transfer. The results may help creativity scholars understand why magic can be used to facilitate flexible thinking. The outcome may also help teachers form a deep understanding of how magic performance can be used to facilitate students’ flexible thinking in class.