The Hocus Focus™ Project is the educational aspect of Spencer’s Residency. The project provides opportunities for teacher professional development training, interactive classroom experiences with special education students, undergraduate and graduate university presentations (education, special education, rehabilitation sciences, psychology, and sociology), and access to the Hocus Focus Supplemental Curriculum and Analytics software.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR EDUCATORS
Spencer offers several Professional Development training programs for general and special educators. Topics include:
Teach Like A MAGICIAN:
In this teacher training, participants will explore MAGICIAN as an acronym, each letter representing a research-based practice that is vital for creating an environment conducive to learning. Practical applications are made throughout the presentation and each strategy can be used immediately in the classroom.
Creating a Trauma Sensitive Learning Environment:
Teachers play an important role in recognizing the signs of trauma resulting is an urgent need for educators to be knowledgeable of effective classroom strategies that will assist them in creating a trauma-sensitive learning environment. This professional training provides participants with research-based, interactive, arts-based interventions that can be used immediately in their teaching practice.
Stress & Burnout:
Nearly 50 percent of new teachers leave the profession within their first five years. And 44% of K-12 report feeling burned out often or always. This training explores strategies to assist in solving the teacher burnout crisis and focuses on the importance of self-care in order to care for our students.
In this teacher training, participants will explore MAGICIAN as an acronym, each letter representing a research-based practice that is vital for creating an environment conducive to learning. Practical applications are made throughout the presentation and each strategy can be used immediately in the classroom.
Creating a Trauma Sensitive Learning Environment:
Teachers play an important role in recognizing the signs of trauma resulting is an urgent need for educators to be knowledgeable of effective classroom strategies that will assist them in creating a trauma-sensitive learning environment. This professional training provides participants with research-based, interactive, arts-based interventions that can be used immediately in their teaching practice.
Stress & Burnout:
Nearly 50 percent of new teachers leave the profession within their first five years. And 44% of K-12 report feeling burned out often or always. This training explores strategies to assist in solving the teacher burnout crisis and focuses on the importance of self-care in order to care for our students.
Interactive Classroom Experiences
Spencer will visit special education and inclusive classrooms (upper elementary, middle and lower secondary levels) for 45-minute interactive sessions. Visits to several classes can be arranged throughout a single school day. Multiple days for classroom experiences are feasible.
Spencer will first perform a few minutes of magic and then students will learn simple magic tricks designed to improve cognitive, motor, communication, and social skills while developing creativity. Activities can be coordinated to connect with academic content being taught in the classroom.
These interactive learning experiences are engaging, highly motivating, and provide opportunities for students to participate in meaningful activities that support their learning.
University Presentations
Spencer is an experienced educator whose presentations are based on sound principles of learning and best practices. He is always engaging, structured, organized, content-rich yet simultaneously entertaining, motivational, and very much “hands on” for his audiences.
He brings extensive experience and expertise to discussions relating to the impact and benefits of arts integration in:
- Education
- Special Education
- Psychology
- Rehabilitation Sciences
- Sociology
Hocus Focus Supplemental Curriculum
Website: HocusFocusEducation.com
HOCUS FOCUS™ incorporates simple magic tricks into the learning process to support students with disabilities develop a variety of skills. It combines education and imagination to aid in the improvement of planning, sequencing, organizing tasks and movements, fine motor skills, gross motor function/coordination, concentration, memory skills, communication, social behaviors, and so much more!
Hocus Focus Analytics: Measuring Student Outcomes
What is Hocus Focus Analytics (HFA)?
Hocus Focus Analytics provides visual evidence to support student learning through arts-based activities. This cutting-edge, web-based application allows teachers to easily upload data and then provides visual evidence that students have made progress in five areas: cognition, motor skills, communication, and social skills while developing creative thinking.