Magic Classrooms

Following three years of research into the state of education at poor rural and urban schools in South Africa, the Nelson Mandela Institute introduced the Magic Classrooms project in 2008 to address problems that had been identified.

Research conducted by the Institute revealed a pattern of under-achievement in poor rural and urban schools.

One of the main contributing factors was that classrooms were ill-equipped to provide a suitable learning environment.

The Magic Classrooms project aims to create an environment that makes learning and teaching fun.

After three years of applied research and teaching in rural schools and dialogue with teachers, the first pilot Magic Classroom was launched in Mqanduli, at Pangindlela Junior Secondary School, on the occasion of Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday on July 18, 2008.

There are now more than 70 vibrant and colourful Magic Classrooms in Qunu, Mqanduli and Bizana, in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, from grade R to grade 3.

The main objectives of Magic Classrooms are: to encourage Xhosa-based bilingualism, to encourage interaction in the classroom on all levels, to make it easier for teachers to differentiate between the individual and the group’s needs, and to create a space that is both productive and playful to enhance the foundation-phase learner’s experience.

Through Magic Classrooms, classrooms are redesigned to suit various learning requirements and to allow reading and other activities to happen more effectively. Children are given space to store their personal belongings, which is aimed at encouraging responsibility.

To learn more about the Magic Classrooms and various aspects that inform the way they are established and run, please download the PDF here.