I know it's one thing if a kid comes to a magic show for the performance. But is it another if you use magical deception to influence a kid?
I have been tutoring an 8-year-old who has been a problem for his regular teachers. He is highly active and prone to temper tantrums. I've found it's most effective to have him in the Staff Room with as little external stimulation as possible.
Any time he would get near the door he would bolt out into the hallway and go hide. At one point, since I knew he liked Dragonball Z, I had an inspiration. I set up in a deep front stance pose and made my best "Force Push" pose with my hands. He tried to open the door and couldn't. The look on his face and "DANG!!!" reaction was something every magician dreams of.
I thought it would be a one-off and he would catch on right away but he wanted me to do it again, several times. I did that because I expected him to catch on eventually. He did not. Then he walked over to the refrigerator and said "Do this!". I thought, OK, now it will be obvious I'm not doing anything special, and that would be the end of it.
The thing is, the fridge had not been opened in some time and it caused a minor vacuum seal. So when I posed and he tried to open it (without my touching it at all), it took some real effort on his part. It just reinforced his belief.
Now, this kid has been a real handful. I've had to chase him down several times a day. So I thought I'd just leave things as they are. He'd still try to get out, but at least for one day he did not throw any tantrums, which is some significant progress.
Now that I've got his trust I'd hate to disappoint him, and I'm not sure what will happen if he figures out I've been "lying" to him. I think he would take it in stride, but as volatile as he is, I just don't know if I should keep it up.
I have been tutoring an 8-year-old who has been a problem for his regular teachers. He is highly active and prone to temper tantrums. I've found it's most effective to have him in the Staff Room with as little external stimulation as possible.
Any time he would get near the door he would bolt out into the hallway and go hide. At one point, since I knew he liked Dragonball Z, I had an inspiration. I set up in a deep front stance pose and made my best "Force Push" pose with my hands. He tried to open the door and couldn't. The look on his face and "DANG!!!" reaction was something every magician dreams of.
I thought it would be a one-off and he would catch on right away but he wanted me to do it again, several times. I did that because I expected him to catch on eventually. He did not. Then he walked over to the refrigerator and said "Do this!". I thought, OK, now it will be obvious I'm not doing anything special, and that would be the end of it.
The thing is, the fridge had not been opened in some time and it caused a minor vacuum seal. So when I posed and he tried to open it (without my touching it at all), it took some real effort on his part. It just reinforced his belief.
Now, this kid has been a real handful. I've had to chase him down several times a day. So I thought I'd just leave things as they are. He'd still try to get out, but at least for one day he did not throw any tantrums, which is some significant progress.
Now that I've got his trust I'd hate to disappoint him, and I'm not sure what will happen if he figures out I've been "lying" to him. I think he would take it in stride, but as volatile as he is, I just don't know if I should keep it up.
via International Skeptics Forum http://ift.tt/1YQfcNH
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire