There is a lot of interest in this year’s Magical Leaders programme. At Zeeko, we are delighted to have so many schools and teachers on board. We wanted to share with you this piece written by last year’s Magical Leaders teacher, Ronan Barrett from Rathfarnham Educate Together N.S.
“I had visits from Zeeko in the past to deliver different pilot projects for Internet Safety in my class, so I looked forward to seeing what the Magical Leaders programme had to offer. The fact that it was a student lead particularly appealed to me. The idea that children would have the opportunity to present and deliver a programme about 21st century skills for their peers sounded especially appealing. The programme was easily accessible through the links and the Zeeko team were on hand to answer any queries with setup. The teacher modelled the first lesson. The Peer Educators or Magical leaders were selected and briefed on their roles before the delivery of each lesson. The roles of the students were rotated from presenter to computer technician and group leaders. Teachers know there are children in their class who want to be at the forefront but having group leaders allows the less confident students to develop confidence by leading activities with small groups."
"The Magical leaders provided many opportunities for children to use and improve their communication and presenting skills. The support of their peers and an agreed class charter helped the students to plan and deliver each lesson with confidence. The children learned to use problem-solving skills and communication skills and apply them during the lessons and activities. The pupil book consolidated what was taught during the lesson and gave children a chance to offer feedback on what they had learnt. Self-esteem and confidence grew as we moved through each lesson and offered the children lots of opportunities for debate and discussion. The children enjoyed the real-life problems that were presented throughout the programme. It provided opportunities for critical thinking and a platform to link in many areas of the curriculum. They also enjoyed the connection to the Global Goals. There are lots of opportunities for further teaching and learning because of the Magical Leaders programme."
The feedback from the children around the Magical Leaders was very positive and they loved having more responsibility. It gave them a voice both as a presenter and as an audience member and their self-esteem and confidence grew significantly from start to finish. I look forward to seeing the Magical Leaders programme continue to develop.”
The Magical Leaders
Zeeko’s Magical Leaders programme is a peer-led programme that helps children develop 21st century and transversal skills. The programme encourages your students to develop their leadership skills as they oversee leading the lessons. The programme is engaging, fun, and interactive! The Magical Leaders programme is fully developed, with detailed lesson plans and instruction manuals included.
Funded by Enterprise Ireland, the programme is currently free to schools in Ireland. For more information visit our website or get in touch with the Zeeko Team today.
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