In 2021 we are continuing and expanding our free cluster meetings. These are informal gatherings, usually over afternoon tea, where teachers share stories of success and challenge, develop plans and resources, and take away practical ideas to try in their classroom. If you’re someone who already uses Dramatic Inquiry (Dramatic play, process drama, drama for learning, Mantle of the Expert) or you want to learn more – please join us at one of the events listed below. All welcome … just email the host to notify them if you wish to attend.
After many years of informal networking, and more than a year of careful planning, I’m excited to announce that a group of colleagues from around Aotearoa has formed a Trust dedicated to supporting the future of Dramatic Inquiry in this country. The Dramatic Inquiry Network Aotearoa Trust is a holding name. We intend to review this over time as we form an identity and processes more aligned with te āo Māori.
The Trust has developed a governance structure based on the metaphor of the harekeke. There’s a Board of four (Te Awhi Rito) which includes two chairpersons, with one identifying as tangata whenua. The idea is that this group supports and upholds individuals or groups (Rito) who wish to lead projects, networking and professional development around the country. In turn, the Board is supported by and accountable to our advisors / mentors and other inspirational people within our field, present and past (Kaumatua / Tupuna).
The Trust has been formed with no formal membership model. This means anyone from the wide community of educators around Aotearoa with an interest in Dramatic Inquiry and a passion for sustaining and growing it in future, is welcome to attend meetings, feed in ideas, lead and contribute to projects. The goal is to work together maintaining a fertile soil so that the flowers and fruit of the harekeke can emerge from our projects for the benefit of all tamariki. A key premise of the Trust is that it is run on a not-for-profit charitable basis, with resources freely available to all. Another core focus is on culturally sustaining practices and processes that will help Dramatic Inquiry evolve within the unique context of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Trust hui and other events will be advertised on the ‘Events’ calendar on the front page of this website. The first of these will be held on Thursday 17th December at 3pm over zoom. We will keep subscribers to this website informed on key developments, but are also creating a dedicated mailing list for anyone who would like to be notified directly of Trust matters, including hui. To be included on the Trust mailing list – or for any other information about our activities please email dramaticinquirynz@gmail.com
Please also let us know if you are interested in offering workshops, mentoring or training. We are keen to strengthen our existing networks of expertise and are looking for leaders in this mahi from across all sectors of school and kura.
UPDATE April 2021 – Our Trust’s application for funding under the Ministry of Education’s Networks of Expertisescheme was SUCCESSFUL!
This means we have funding to allow us to extend and strengthen our mahi
Heartfelt thanks are due to Whakarongo Tauranga, Renee Downey, and Carrie Swanson who have agreed to take roles alongside me (Viv Aitken) in the first iteration of the Board. And to Viv Smith, Michelle Hall, Annette Thomson, Gaenor Brown, Priya Gain, Sue Bleaken, Angela Hodgkinson, and mentors Tim Taylor and Rawiri Hindle. All these good folk have put many hours of selfless effort, thought and aroha into the formation of this entity. It’s very humbling and exciting to have reached this point and we look forward to watching the Trust grow from strength to strength in future.
Kotahi te aho ka whati; ki te kāpuia e kore e whati One strand of flax is easy to break, but many strands together will stand strong
Thanks to the editors for permission to share this article: Real Learning in Imagined Worlds: Supporting Literacy Learning with Dramatic Inquiry, recently published in Literacy Forum: the journal of the New Zealand Literacy Association. Here’s a link to their website where you can find out more about this publication and the work of the Association.
The article gives an introduction to the dramatic inquiry spectrum – which includes Mantle of the Expert as well as child-structured dramatic play, process drama, and drama for learning – and discusses how each approach can support literacy learning.
I especially like the way the article includes quotes and examples from real teachers in real classrooms. Thank you to colleagues from Hillcrest Normal and Knighton Normal Schools for contributing these. Identities have been changed for privacy reasons, but I’m sure those involved will recognise themselves and their words!
At the end of the article there’s some planning for a simple process drama with play elements, written for New Entrants by myself and Keirryn Hintz in 2019. It is based on the big book “Monster’s Lunch” by Janice Marriott, illustrated by Scott Pearson (images used with permission).
Here’s an exciting professional development opportunity coming up in the new year. On Tuesday 26th January, join Sue Bleaken and Viv Aitken in Hamilton to explore how process drama can be used to teach principles of restorative practice. The one-day workshop is based on Sue’s successful school-wide programme at Melville Intermediate, which ran for several years and was the subject of her Master’s research. Suitable for teachers at senior primary / intermediate / junior secondary level. Note – the links in the image below are not live. Full flyer can be downloaded below – or for registration click on THIS LINK. Places are limited so sign up now!
https://mantleoftheexpert.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Mantle-of-the-Expert-logo-.jpg00Viv Aitkenhttps://mantleoftheexpert.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Mantle-of-the-Expert-logo-.jpgViv Aitken2020-12-16 13:47:332020-12-16 13:47:55Workshop in process drama and restorative practice
Dr Viv Aitken is programme advisor for ATC Creative Learning and an accredited facilitator with the Ministry of Education. She is a specialist in classroom drama with over twenty years’ experience supporting cross-curricular learning through dramatic inquiry.
Lynne Cardy is the Associate Director at Auckland Theatre Company, where she is the driving force behind ATC’s education and outreach programs and the creative director of Storyworlds. An experienced teaching artist, Lynne studied aesthetic education at Lincoln Center Education in New York.
PDF flyer for Teaching-Artist-Training-WorkshopDownload
https://mantleoftheexpert.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Mantle-of-the-Expert-logo-.jpg00Viv Aitkenhttps://mantleoftheexpert.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Mantle-of-the-Expert-logo-.jpgViv Aitken2020-10-30 12:19:442020-10-30 12:20:57The Art of Questioning – free workshop in Auckland
I’m delighted to share this resource created by the fabulous year two teaching team at Hillcrest Normal School: Catherine Blewden, Jordyn Lye, Ashley Patterson, Anna Harrison, and Tina ter Ellen. The planning was inspired by other home learning adventures “Dog Squad”, and “Troll Hunters”. The teachers originally designed the resource for use during home learning in Lockdown, but found it worked equally well back in the classroom.
Teachers worked so hard to craft this adventure, particularly Catherine who did the research and Jordyn who created the slides. It was inspiring to see the effort and care the teachers put in to the process, and to see how obsessed children and teachers alike became with the life story and achievements of NZ science legend Joan Wiffen! This is just the kind of local content we need more of in our classrooms, I reckon…
The team have generously made their planning available to others through this website. Links to the first two episodes are given below, with an overview of the rest of the unit. Please email Viv if you’re interested in accessing more. It’s freely available for individual teachers who wish to use / adapt it.
I understand Catherine and the team have moved on to writing a new adventure based on Antarctic exploration. Good luck – and we look forward to hearing how that one goes…
https://mantleoftheexpert.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Mantle-of-the-Expert-logo-.jpg00Viv Aitkenhttps://mantleoftheexpert.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Mantle-of-the-Expert-logo-.jpgViv Aitken2020-10-20 12:57:292020-10-20 13:56:26Fossil Hunters – a Mantle of the Expert inspired adventure for year 2s
If you subscribe to the UK Mantle of the Expert website, you will have received information about an online training event coming up on 21st November 2020.
Looks like an exciting opportunity. Of course the time difference means it will run in the middle-of-the-night NZ time, but given how many NZ teachers attended the recent ‘Commission model’ talk at 5am, that may not be too much of an issue!
For further information including cost, check out the link below
https://mantleoftheexpert.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Mantle-of-the-Expert-logo-.jpg00Viv Aitkenhttps://mantleoftheexpert.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Mantle-of-the-Expert-logo-.jpgViv Aitken2020-10-15 15:23:482020-10-20 13:58:08Online training event by mantleoftheexpert.com UK
After months of being unable to meet face to face due to Covid restrictions, it’s exciting to be able to invite teachers in the Waikato region to this face to face gathering in Hamilton. The word ‘cluster’ has a whole new meaning these days, but in this context it’s a positive thing to be part of! Come and meet with like minded colleagues, share some afternoon tea, hear stories from the classroom, share resources, and receive some low-key PLD at the same time.
What? Cluster meeting
Where? Knighton Normal School, Knighton Road, Hamilton. Please sign in at front desk.
When? Wednesday 4th November 2020, after school (4pm – or whenever you can get there). We will finish no later than 6pm
Who? Anyone interested in dramatic inquiry, including dramatic play, process drama and Mantle of the Expert. Beginner to experienced practitioners – all welcome!
What to bring? Yourself, a friend, stories from your classroom, questions, problems of practice.
Please send your RSVPs to WhakarongoTaurangaso we know how many to expect for afternoon tea.
https://mantleoftheexpert.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Mantle-of-the-Expert-logo-.jpg00Viv Aitkenhttps://mantleoftheexpert.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Mantle-of-the-Expert-logo-.jpgViv Aitken2020-10-15 14:52:422020-10-30 12:22:20Face-to-face cluster meeting in Kirikiriroa
I know a number of teachers in NZ have an interest in Heathcote’s “Commission Model” so I’m reposting this from the UK Mantle of the Expert website about a free event hosted by London Drama coming up next week (Wednesday 30th September) Dorothy Heathcote’s Commission Model of teaching: a discussion led by David Allen. The discussion starts very early NZ time (5am!) but it is free of charge. I’m going to attend (probably in my PJs) as it sounds very interesting… If you want to join me, the enrolment page is here
Dorothy Heathcote stated: “I have a dream that has not yet been realized; I would like students, not to learn what their teachers teach them, but to be people who solve problems in the outside world that their teachers bring to them. … This is actually a radical way of learning. I want students to be citizens of the world. The Commission Model brings Mantle of the Expert to the real world.”
The Commission Model may seem, in fact, to be a logical development from Mantle of the Expert. After all, in Mantle, a fictional client is introduced, with a fictional commission. In the Commission Model, there is a real client, and a real commission. But lots of implications follow from this. For one thing: if it is all real, where is the drama?
Dorothy insisted, in fact, that is a drama mode. This may seem paradoxical. The system works, however, through drama “episodes,” and utilises Dorothy’s “conventions” for dramatic action.
The Commission Model occupies, then, a grey area between real and fiction. This is what makes it so interesting, important and revealing in terms of Dorothy’s work as a whole.
This session will be led by David Allen (Midland Actors Theatre). David is currently leading an Erasmus Plus project on the Commission Model, with partners across Europe. The session will introduce participants to the system; provide examples of the system in practice; and highlight some of the practical drama strategies which the system employs.
David Allen is Artistic Director of Midland Actors Theatre. He undertakes regular schools projects with a particular focus on drama and history. He has been team leader on three Erasmus+ Plus KA201 projects, looking at innovation in education: “Mantle of the Expert”; “Breaking Down Barriers” and “The Commission Model.” He has published numerous articles and books on drama including ‘Performing Chekhov’and ‘Stanislavksi for Beginners’.
https://mantleoftheexpert.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Mantle-of-the-Expert-logo-.jpg00Viv Aitkenhttps://mantleoftheexpert.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Mantle-of-the-Expert-logo-.jpgViv Aitken2020-09-27 10:32:102020-10-20 13:58:11An introduction to the Commission Model
You may have noticed a new feature on the Mantle of the Expert website. We now have a calendar of events which can be accessed from the top ribbon on each page.
The calendar will show key events happening around NZ related to Mantle of the Expert and Dramatic Inquiry, including cluster groups, workshops and meetings of the Dramatic Inquiry Trust – many of which are open to any interested members of our community.
The website was set up over ten years ago as a way to facilitate networks and keep teachers around the country in touch – we really hope this new feature will help with this goal by giving a picture of what’s going on around Aotearoa and what you can be part of.
If you have an event to add to the calendar (e.g. a local cluster meeting or an ‘open day’ where colleagues can visit your classroom) please email mantleoftheexpertnz@gmail.com to notify. Include a contact email so people can get in touch.
