Magic + Maths = Inspired Teaching

Ken Ring has taken his own special brand of mathematics to the UK. The former teacher is now president of the New Zealand Society of Magicians – a career change reflected in his “eccentric approach to the subject.” Ring performs a magic act for children using the basic language of maths: “when he makes something disappear he calls it subtraction.” The idea is for children to see the “big words” at work for themselves, in a way which is entertaining rather than intimidating. His act shows pupils that maths, like magic tricks, can be de-coded: “Ask your teacher to share the secrets and anyone can do it. But first you must learn the special words …”