'Mantle of the Expert',
is the name given to:
"a dramatic-inquiry based approach to teaching and
learning invented and developed by Professor Dorothy Heathcote at the University of
Newcastle upon Tyne, in the 1980’s. Through role-play, children and teachers work
together, to solve real-life problems in an imaginary context." (Hymers, 2009)
Newcastle upon Tyne, in the 1980’s. Through role-play, children and teachers work
together, to solve real-life problems in an imaginary context." (Hymers, 2009)
Please follow the link for more photos of Dorothy Heathcote following her Mantle of the expert Approach:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mantleoftheexpert/6905560398/in/set-72157629755554787/
I had often heard of drama based learning for children with Autism and the use of drama to teach different subjects such as English Literature, but I had never come across this approach to learning; so it was an eye opener to me!
According to Heathcote and Herbert, (1985):
"The 'mantle of the expert' system of teaching involves a reversal of the conventional teacher-student role relationship in which the students draw on the
knowledge and expertise of the teacher. When the mantle of the expert is used
in drama, the teacher assumes a fictional role which places the
student in the position of being 'the one who knows' or the expert
in a particular branch of human knowledge."
P.173.
As part of Lecture 5 of the Creative Approaches module; I, as part of a group in my seminar class, explored this approach by trying it out for ourselves.
Suzie, our tutor gave us the task of working as a group of experts to come up with a company that specialised in the construction of bridges; we worked collaboratively, using each of our ideas to come up with the branding; work out our roles in the company; the design of our bridge and budgeting costs to name but a few of the things needed in order to design a bridge. As part of this task, we adopted various roles that we believed were critical to the running of such a company, such as: Architect, CEO, Sales and Marketing Executive/Researcher etc., and even took part in an interview where the objective was to pitche our company and bridge design to the council (played by Suzie, our tutor) who were looking for a company to commission a new bridge in the local area.
During this interview, I found myself not able to keep a straight face as my tutor remained in-role, questioning my group on our company. It was comical to me and something I had not experienced since I was in Primary School.
I found it slightly odd, as we were adults pretending to be people that we were not, and talking about things that we didn't have any expertise on. I therefore didn't see much relevance as an Education Studies student, when the task was about building a bridge.
Of-course the relevance was simply to to try the approach for ourselves!
I began to think about young primary aged students and whether they would enjoy this approach. I thought.. well, of-course they would! What child doesn't enjoy playing pretend? Whether that be masquerading themselves as a pop star or a pretending to be a shopkeeper. When I was in School however, I would never look forward to any kind of drama based activity and would occasionally even suffer from eczema from the worry of an upcoming School concert. So, bearing this in mind, I believe that the more reserved children may find something like this a little daunting and prefer individual learning tasks; which also relates to Gardeners theory of multiple intelligences. I believe that this approach would certainly cater for multiple learning styles
“Mantle of the expert provides a centre for all knowledge: it is always
experienced by the students in terms of the responsible human being …. an active,
urgent, purposeful view of learning, in which knowledge is to be operated on, not merely
taken in”
P.32)
John Dewey; Lev Vygotsky; Jean Piaget, Wenger and David Kolb were theorists whose ideologies were closely related to that of Heathcote's, 'Mantle of the Expert' as they were advocates of experiential and child centred learning. Dewey was most notable for his theory of active learning or 'learning by doing' and this approach is a working example of how active learning can be beneficial.
"the greatest similarity between Heathcote
and Dewey’s philosophy is in the reduction of subject boundaries –
‘Dewey’s most lasting effect upon the educational scene
is found in the institution and development of project work
which cuts across traditional divisions between subjects
and involves pupils actively in solving problems’
(Bullock and Stallybrass 1999: 500).
Whereas "Heathcote shares Wenger’s belief that learning must have a real and not an artificial context for it to be rooted and meaningful." Sayers, (2011)
I can definitely see how this approach would gain the attention of young School students that perhaps would otherwise be uninterested, by the teacher simply talking at them. I believe that, as long as students understand the relevance of the 'in role' activity, then the approach can be an extremely influential, and a rewarding learning tool. Although, if relevance is not understood, their ability to apply themselves and stay motivated to actively engage could be hindered.
This approach would put the fun back into education without the student even realising they are learning. It would allow the children to engage in the topic in hand and provide students with the freedom and responsibility to contribute to their own learning.. Through this approach, expertise is developed through capturing the individuals imagination; through playfulness; problem solving; communication; drawing on own knowledge and learning from each other as well as gathering information from sources such as books or the internet, just as individuals would do in every day life.
With regard to the significance of these approaches for the 21st century, it is undeniable that they would be most beneficial for preparing it's students for a questionable future. Developing their life skills and real every day skills needed to co-operate and communicate effectively with others; developing a readiness in the individual to take on challenges; think out side of the box and gain confidence in their own ability and aptitude to work well with others.
Just as the Confucius, the Chinese Philosopher once said:
“I hear and I forget.
I see and I remember.
I do and I understand.”
P.30.
Below are examples of the mantle of the expert in practise
and the love and enthusiasm towards the MoE approach.
The students have clearly found enjoyment in this creative and innovative practice. It's amazing how well they have responded to the approach.
Suzie, our tutor gave us the task of working as a group of experts to come up with a company that specialised in the construction of bridges; we worked collaboratively, using each of our ideas to come up with the branding; work out our roles in the company; the design of our bridge and budgeting costs to name but a few of the things needed in order to design a bridge. As part of this task, we adopted various roles that we believed were critical to the running of such a company, such as: Architect, CEO, Sales and Marketing Executive/Researcher etc., and even took part in an interview where the objective was to pitche our company and bridge design to the council (played by Suzie, our tutor) who were looking for a company to commission a new bridge in the local area.
During this interview, I found myself not able to keep a straight face as my tutor remained in-role, questioning my group on our company. It was comical to me and something I had not experienced since I was in Primary School.
I found it slightly odd, as we were adults pretending to be people that we were not, and talking about things that we didn't have any expertise on. I therefore didn't see much relevance as an Education Studies student, when the task was about building a bridge.
Of-course the relevance was simply to to try the approach for ourselves!
I began to think about young primary aged students and whether they would enjoy this approach. I thought.. well, of-course they would! What child doesn't enjoy playing pretend? Whether that be masquerading themselves as a pop star or a pretending to be a shopkeeper. When I was in School however, I would never look forward to any kind of drama based activity and would occasionally even suffer from eczema from the worry of an upcoming School concert. So, bearing this in mind, I believe that the more reserved children may find something like this a little daunting and prefer individual learning tasks; which also relates to Gardeners theory of multiple intelligences. I believe that this approach would certainly cater for multiple learning styles
Heathcote and Bolton (1996) cited by Edmiston (2013), suggested:
“Mantle of the expert provides a centre for all knowledge: it is always
experienced by the students in terms of the responsible human being …. an active,
urgent, purposeful view of learning, in which knowledge is to be operated on, not merely
taken in”
P.32)
John Dewey; Lev Vygotsky; Jean Piaget, Wenger and David Kolb were theorists whose ideologies were closely related to that of Heathcote's, 'Mantle of the Expert' as they were advocates of experiential and child centred learning. Dewey was most notable for his theory of active learning or 'learning by doing' and this approach is a working example of how active learning can be beneficial.
"the greatest similarity between Heathcote
and Dewey’s philosophy is in the reduction of subject boundaries –
‘Dewey’s most lasting effect upon the educational scene
is found in the institution and development of project work
which cuts across traditional divisions between subjects
and involves pupils actively in solving problems’
(Bullock and Stallybrass 1999: 500).
Whereas "Heathcote shares Wenger’s belief that learning must have a real and not an artificial context for it to be rooted and meaningful." Sayers, (2011)
I can definitely see how this approach would gain the attention of young School students that perhaps would otherwise be uninterested, by the teacher simply talking at them. I believe that, as long as students understand the relevance of the 'in role' activity, then the approach can be an extremely influential, and a rewarding learning tool. Although, if relevance is not understood, their ability to apply themselves and stay motivated to actively engage could be hindered.
This approach would put the fun back into education without the student even realising they are learning. It would allow the children to engage in the topic in hand and provide students with the freedom and responsibility to contribute to their own learning.. Through this approach, expertise is developed through capturing the individuals imagination; through playfulness; problem solving; communication; drawing on own knowledge and learning from each other as well as gathering information from sources such as books or the internet, just as individuals would do in every day life.
With regard to the significance of these approaches for the 21st century, it is undeniable that they would be most beneficial for preparing it's students for a questionable future. Developing their life skills and real every day skills needed to co-operate and communicate effectively with others; developing a readiness in the individual to take on challenges; think out side of the box and gain confidence in their own ability and aptitude to work well with others.
Just as the Confucius, the Chinese Philosopher once said:
“I hear and I forget.
I see and I remember.
I do and I understand.”
P.30.
Below are examples of the mantle of the expert in practise
and the love and enthusiasm towards the MoE approach.
The students have clearly found enjoyment in this creative and innovative practice. It's amazing how well they have responded to the approach.
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