Minds-on Audio Guided Activity 



MAGA in action Instruction by Minds-on Audio Guided Activities (MAGA on The Physics Teacher) emphasizes physical activity, encouraging learners to engage their bodies and minds simultaneously. The activities include kinesthetic and cooperative learning as well as a guided discovery process.

Podcasts are first designed as a written outline of the activity. A full script is created and revised based on material, content, and objectives. During class (or outside of class, depending on the topic to be covered), students either use MP3 players with preloaded Podcasts or they stream MP3 files to their own audio device from the CMU course Blackboard page. Material requirements for MAGA instruction are designed to be minimized and are provided by the instructors. 

Work started with  A. O'Keefe and J. Miller (see Projects) a few years ago. Since J. B. Hancock, II joined the effort the project is blooming and we have now completed the design of several activities and tested the approach in PHY127 "Table top physics".

Examples of the soundtracks are available:
  • Distance and displacement

  • Inertia

  • Forces

We have also designed supporting materials, if you are interested in trying MAGA in your classes. We would be happy to provide:
  • Lecture notes
  • Guide to the MAGA experiment
  • Assessment quiz


Minds-on Audio Guided Activities (MAGA) instruction emphasizes physical activity, encouraging learners to engage their bodies and minds simultaneously. The activities include kinesthetic and cooperative learning as well as a guided discovery process.

Podcasts are first designed as a written outline of the activity. A full script is created and revised based on material, content, and objectives. During class (or outside of class, depending on the topic to be covered), students either use MP3 players with preloaded Podcasts or they stream MP3 files to their own audio device from the CMU course Blackboard page. Material requirements for MAGA instruction are designed to be minimized and are provided by the instructors.

Work on started with  A. O'Keefe and J. Miller (see Projects) few years ago. Since J. B. Hancock, II joined the effort the project is blooming and we have now completed the design of several activities and tested the approach in PHY127 "Table top physics"