, ,

Drama in the literacy classroom

This video from the UK-based  ‘Teachers TV’ channel on You Tube introduces a simple but effective process drama based on a sophisticated picture book. The video shows teacher in role, writing in role and various drama conventions in use.

I love how the video moves between a classroom example, the enthusiastic insights offered by the teacher and students and a theoretically-informed commentary from an education advisor. Plenty to enjoy here … a nice bit of advocacy for drama, particularly as a means of ‘energizing’ and ‘extending’ reading and writing.

, ,

Interview with Tim Taylor on podcast

Enjoy this podcast from The Teachers’ Education Review Forum (an Australian podcast channel) in which Dan Haesler interviews Tim Taylor about Mantle of the Expert.

https://soundcloud.com/ter-podcast/ter-079-mantle-of-the-expert#t=26:25

Tim talks about:

  • His first introduction to Mantle of the Expert through Luke Abbott and Dorothy Heathcote [26.51]
  • What Mantle is and how it works [31.23]
  • The ‘paradox’ of Mantle – real vs fictional expertise [33.00]
  • Engaging all students in the fiction [35.00]
  • Negotiating with students – asking permission & preparing for work in role [37.00]
  • Importance of collaboration and dialogue [40.45]
  • Possibilities for teacher in role – 1) as collaborator  2) as an ‘other’ from the fiction with a different point of view or status position 3) as helper [42.30]
  • Impacts of Teacher in role on learning – power shifting, safe risk-taking, exploration, dialogue and collaboration [46.25]
  • Using Mantle with different ages [51.30]
  • An example of Mantle with older students – Titanic [54.33]
  • Practical activities for Titanic context – creating artefacts, using drama conventions [58.55]
  • How drama conventions work – setting limits & prompting philosophical discussion [1.03.29]
  • How long should a Mantle be, and how is learning assessed? [1.05.50]
  • How Mantle enhances learning dispositions – authentic purpose, student agency, enduring understandings and passion for learning [1.10.10]

After the interview, Dan continues with his own reflections on learning through Mantle of the Expert and suggests it’s the sense of emotional attachment that deepens memories and retention of content. He muses on the importance of narrative in sense-making and concludes with a personal anecdote of how using role and positioning strategies helped him engage an unwilling class in a novel study. Well worth a listen.

, , , ,

Speaking truth to power

This short clip is something rather special. It was captured at the recent Te Aho Tapu symposium, in Hamilton (October 2016) and shows the climax of a teaching demonstration by Prof Peter O’Connor and a group of young people from Rototuna Junior High School. Peter and the children worked together over two sessions exploring ideas and moments from John Marsden’s Home and Away – a quality picture book about the experience of young children caught up in conflict and taken to a refugee camp.

The children were ‘distanced’ from the material by taking on a variety of roles and perspectives. Here we see them in role as advocates for Toby – a five year old boy whose application for entry  is being considered by the Minister for Immigration (Peter in role). See how Peter uses his high status position  to pose complex questions, model elevated language and press for commitment… and see how he trusts the silence – and the children. And look how well the children listen to each other, appeal for empathy and reach for poetic language to express their views… Some of the children said afterwards they were so absorbed in the moment they forgot about the circle of onlookers. Some also reflected how this experience had made them want to learn more about refugees and reach out to refugee families in their own community. Powerful stuff!

Thanks to Miguel Garcia who shot the footage and to Peter and the children for permission to share it here.

Click here for video

, ,

Intermediate teachers talk about MOtE

These natty little film clips have been created by Luke Willis from Melville Intermediate. Here you can see Luke, colleague Jacqui and the school’s DP Sue talk about their explorations in MOtE. As you will see, these teachers were blown away with the student engagement and with the learning outcomes from their first try at MOtE.

In the first clip,  Luke describes how he developed a Mantle adventure based on a movie /novel called “City of Ember”. Students were charged with designing an underground city.

Click here for link

Next, Jacqui talks about how she made links between her mantle (based on a fictional property development company) and the real world enterprise learning project, PrEP.

Click here for link

Finally, Luke has captured these teachers’ answers to my questions  about working in dramatic inquiry with intermediate students.

Click here for link 

Sincere thanks to Luke for producing these very polished clips in record time. There is very little information out there on Mantle at Intermediate – so this is very valuable material.

Enjoy!

, ,

Teaching history to year two students through Mantle of the Expert.

This is a really nice video from the UK showing two teachers using MOTE to engage young children in the story of the life of Nelson (a figure from their local history). This is a great example of how MOTE can help children gain factual knowledge through emotional engagement. Bet NZ teachers can think of ways to adapt this concept to teach in depth about our own local historical figures….

Some of you may recognise the male teacher here – he is the lovely Tim Taylor, who was one of the presenters at our 2009 conference. Check out Tim’s use of teacher in role (as a teacher!) and how he uses older children  to help with “assessment”.    View video HERE

, ,

Video from scotland

Here’s a cute video from Holy island school in Scotland, where teachers have been using Mantle of the Expert for some years.

Sound quality is a bit mixed, but it gives some good explanations of MOTE and I love the way the children talk about how much they love this way of learning.

Click here for link 

, ,

Living with wolves – a video about imaginative inquiry in primary classrooms

I hope everyone will take a moment to watch this video. It’s lovely.

Brian Edmiston working with young children in imaginative inquiry / mantle of the expert approach, extending the story of the three pigs into a cross curricula inquiry adventure.

Click here for link 

, ,

Project starter using a You Tube Clip

Here’s a nice little idea….  A teacher in Blackpool, UK created this “hook” for a mantle of the expert exploration with year two children using a simple video with voice over on You Tube. Something you could try too?

Click here to view 

,

Sugata Mitra – school in the cloud

Not sure I’m quite ready for the teacher-less classroom, but there are some exciting ideas in this TED talk that remind us how much children are capable of if they are motivated to learn through inquiry.

The fundamental statement that “We need to look at learning as the process of self-organisation” is one that resonantes very well with Mantle…. don’t you think?

Click here for link

, ,

Flicker the penguin – the video!

Here’s a real treat for you. Remmber Rebekah Whyte’s year 1-2 planning for ‘Flicker the Penguin” – a mantle of the expert response to the Rena Oil Spill? This was loaded on the site about a month ago…. Well now we get the movie!

Rebekah and her children created this lovely documentary about Flicker’s journey, which went on to win first prize in the MADE awards, 2012. Congratulations to all!

Please note – The link below will send you to an unlisted You Tube site (it is only viewable by those from this link). Thanks to parents and children for their permission to share this.

CLICK HERE to link to film