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.

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