Mantle of the Expert: explored further

Child prodigy, Adora Svitak:

"Adults can learn from kids creativity".

"Shouldn't be the teachers standing at the head of the class saying do this or do that, the students should teach their teachers".

"Adults should listen more and expect more". 

"Kids need opportunities to lead and succeed".

The Mantle of the Expert is a perfect way to let children teach their teachers, and share power with their teachers. I looked further into this idea and found an article by Hymers, J (2009) who quoted Heatcote and Bolton (2005). 
‘The teacher must share power to position the students (individually and 
collectively) as knowledgeable and competent colleagues and also ensure 
that children position one another similarly’. Heatcote and Bolton (1995)

She goes onto say that fairness in our classrooms helps children to 'think more productively', because roles and rules are removed during this activity. It helps children to feel more comfortable. It is the opposite to traditional classroom teaching where the teacher is at the front, transferring information to a group of people who know less, like Adora Svitak stated in her TED talk.
Going back to the question I asked "Will it benefit the quieter pupils in the classroom?", the answer is yes! The Mantle of the Expert is a perfect tool to build on confidence because they are made to feel so comfortable. They lead their own learning. It lifts the barriers of the 'fear of being wrong' which may have led them to be shy.

"Working together is expressed within a caring, sharing community, in 
which all voices will have equal weight. Teacher and student share power by drawing on the authority of all people in the group rather than relying on predetermined texts or simply the authority of the teacher". (Hymers, J 2009).

 
Reference

HYMERS, J. Little Children, Big Questions. Does Mantle of the Expert create an environment conducive to philosophical thinking in the early years? , Norwitch, 2009.