Some reflections on the recent Masters summer school from Annette Thomson – thanks Annette!
This report was originally published in the Drama NZ newsletter. For more info on Drama NZ visit www.drama.org.nz
The link to Hundred.org mentioned in the article is here https://hundred.org/en/innovations/mantle-of-the-expert
After requests for a workshop in the Auckland region, the IPL is running this ‘Introduction to Mantle of the Expert’ workshop on 12th October in West Auckland. If you are new to the approach and keen to learn more – especially if you are considering enrolling for the January summer school at University of Waikato – this is the session for you! Participants will experience a taste of Mantle in action and be introduced to some key elements of planning and implementation. Cost is $50 plus GST. For enrolments – click here
For PDF of flier click here Mantle of Expert
Delighted to confirm details of the 2018 Mantle of the Expert summer school at Waikato University.
Please see flier below for dates, information, and very humbling testimonials from past students. Enrolments are open now – with a cut off date of 17th November.
Please visit https://papers.waikato.ac.nz/2018/ARTSE/ALED515 or email viv.aitken@waikato.ac.nz (lecturer), claire.coleman@waikato.ac.nz (convenor) or traceyr@waikato.ac.nz (administrator) for more information.
For PDF click this link SUMMER SCHOOL 2018
Following on from last month’s well attended ‘Introduction to Mantle of the Expert’ session, the Institute of Professional learning in Gisborne is hosting a ‘First steps in Planning in Mantle of the Expert’ workshop on 31st August. All welcome. Check out the flier here.
First Steps in Planning for Mantle of the Expert
To enrol, go to www.iplworkshops.ac.nz
The Institute of Professional Learning at the University of Waikato is hosting an Introduction to Mantle of the Expert session in Gisborne on Thursday 22nd June. Details are on the attached flier.
You can also enrol via this online link. http://iplworkshops.ac.nz/workshops/?course_id=5349
I’m delighted to be taking this session to Gisborne, where there’s a fair bit of interest thanks to colleagues from the area doing great work with dramatic inquiry in their schools.
Please spread the word to anyone you think might be interested in attending. Cost is $50 per person.
Thanks to Renee Downey and the team from Otaika Valley in Whangarei who are hosting two PD sessions for local teachers with an interest in Mantle of the Expert. It’s short notice (sorry) and places are limited but here’s the information in case colleagues from the Northland region would be interested in a last minute registration … Haere mai – all welcome.
Thursday 23rd March is a session focussed on Mantle in the Junior school…. This will follow on from our session in November last year – with an introduction to planning and some further drama conventions. Even if you didn’t make the previous one, it would be great to have you along.
Tuesday 28th March is a session designed for those with a little more experience in Mantle… though once again, anyone is welcome to attend. Participants are asked to bring questions or problems of practice, which we will explore together.
For more information about either of these workshops, including cost, start & finish times and directions to the school, please contact Renee on r.downey@otaika.school.nz
Process drama is a great way to bring stories to life in the classroom – and to become familiar with the conventions and strategies used in Mantle of the Expert. Picture books provide a wonderful starting point for planning, as they provide many of the ‘raw ingredients’ for successful drama. In this post I share two resources:
The first is a plan adapted from one of the units in the excellent ‘Playing our Stories’ resource (Learning Media 2001 – now sadly out of print). It’s a fairly straightforward drama based on The Lighthouse Keeper’s Rescue by Rhonda and David Armitage. Designed to support for those trying teacher in role and drama conventions for the first time, the plan is fully ‘scripted’ with links to curriculum etc.
The second resource follows on from the first and gives a set of 12 steps to follow to create your own drama using the same structure with a different picture book. This is a framework for planning I developed and trialled with student teachers over many years. It seems to work pretty well, with many fabulous original dramas developed using these steps. An advantage of developing your own drama is you can choose books that suit your context (for example using texts in te reo, or more complex sophisticated picture books for senior students). The same structure could be adapted for other books too, including novels or playtexts.
Creating drama from a picture book 2018
I do hope you find these resources useful. Just to clarify, they are not ‘mantle’ plans in the sense of setting up full-length cross curricula dramatic inquiry … but I hope they may be useful in developing the drama skills needed for mantle teaching.
See other posts on this site for tips for teaching in role including dealing with uncertainty from participants and the importance of clear signalling.
Kia Ora Colleagues
I’m excited to tell you about three workshops coming up in Christchurch shortly. Drama NZ is promoting two opportunities to learn about Mantle of the Expert – a ‘taster session’ on March 7th and a more in-depth planning workshop on May 22nd. Meanwhile, Canterbury Literacy Association is hosting a session focussed on using drama to enhance literacy teaching. This is on March 9th. Further details are on the attached fliers. Huge thanks to Annette Thompson and Sophie O’Rourke for their energies in making these events happen. Christchurch flyer March May 2017 Literacy flyer March 2017
Here’s an album of photos from the Te Aho Tapu Symposium held in Hamilton in October. Huge thanks to everyone who was involved in this fantastic event including the presenters, organisers, student helpers and children.
A full list of presentations is included on the ‘research’ page of the Mantle Aoteroa website.
The symposium was a wonderful opportunity to connect and reconnect with like-minded educators from around the country and share ideas, stories, tips and new research. I have received several emails from participants saying they went home feeling re-inspired in their practice … that’s great to hear!
Photo credits: Viv Aitken and Miguel Garcia
There are few places still available for this workshop facilitated by Christine Hatton, from University of Newcastle.
Christine (who is fabulous) will share a unit of work exploring Shaun Tan’s “The Red Tree” through process drama – suitable for senior primary, intermediate or junior secondary levels. Great PD for those who want to enhance their understanding of drama conventions.
The workshop is being hosted by Drama NZ, and held at the University of Waikato.
If you would like to come, you would need to register to secure a place, so please email Gaenor Stoate [gaenor@waikato.ac.nz] and do pass this leaflet on to others you think might be interested.
