Mantle of the Expert

The Mantle of the Expert is another great way of introducing a creative approach into the curriculum.
It intoduces roleplay into the curriculum, but can be used in any subject much to my surprise, not just drama!
Much like the Leonardo Effect, it encourages pupils to think for themselves. It encourages confidence, communication skills, team work and leadership qualities. As well as opening their imaginations and encouraging their creative instinct.

Some great point made by Sayers, R (2011)

"Heathcote shares Wenger’s belief that learning must have a real and not an artificial context for it to be rooted and meaningful". 

This is an important point. There are always arguments that children are not getting enough experience to help them in the real world. This is a good way of giving them some.

"MoE has been successful in this respect and has been of interest to those wanting to explore drama, creativity in the classroom and speaking and listening". 

 

Much like Leonardo effect, it is giving the students a chance to take hold of their own learning. They also share their own knowledge, and bounce off each other to gain more skills. (Sayers, R 2011).

I had a taste of the Mantle of the Expert when we were given the task to be experts in bridge building, and to build a new bridge somewhere in Swansea.
One question that I thought of when looking more closely at the Mantle of the Expert is:
 Will it encourage further negative gender stereotypes in education? For example will the males be the boss or CEO of their project?
When looking at this further, I came across an article which showed MoE being used in a positive way in regards to stereotypes of gender.
The research took place in a year 5 class. Using the Mantle of the Expert, the children created performances engaging with the versions of gendered femininity in their school.
They based their work on the book "The Boy in the Dress", which shows how the MoE can be used in a literacy lesson.
Research  suggests the use of MoE encouraged the children to explore the 'construction of their own gender', and become more aware of their roles in the 'regulation of gender conformity'. (Terret, L 2013).
Having studied stereotypes in gender and how common it is in 21st century education, I was really surprised to see how the MoE could be used to help children become more aware of it.

Another point that I questioned is will it actually benefit everyone?
What about the pupils who are not as outspoken as others, the quieter pupils? Will they have as much benefit?

Two articles I looked at both expressed the positivity that comes from the Mantle of the Expert regarding this issue.
One I explored features in another post, simply click on the label 'FurtherExplored'.

An article by Fields, D et al (2013) explored the idea of pupils taking on new positions within their classroom environment whilst doing a project based on MoE. They saw the positive effects this had on the children's confidence.  
Personally, I believe even shy pupils will find it easy to speak out, because you become so engaged in the role you play, you forget you are actually in a classroom. You actually believe you are an expert on the project you are given.
This is such a great way to build on children's confidence, especially the quieter pupils who may be overshadowed.

Reference List

ENYEDY, N.; FIELDS, D. Assigned Roles, Assertion of Identity, and Peer Recognition within a Programming Class. Picking up the Mantle of "Expert" , London, v. 20, n. 2, p. 113-131, 2013.

TERRET, L. The Boy in the Dress: queering Mantle of the Expert. Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance, London, v. 18, n. 2, p. 192-195, May 2013