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Cluster meetings this week – plus a new group for colleagues in the North

Here are two reminders and one bit of news

For Hamilton mantlers, don’t forget our final cluster meeting for 2013, which is tomorrow, Thursday 28th Nov at 4.30 at Melville Intermediate School. Come and hear about the exciting things colleagues at this school have achieved with mantle and process drama. You will be inspired.

For those based in the Bay of Plenty, our final meeting for the year is the following day  Friday 29th Nov at the Tauranga Steiner school – also at 4.30 for 5pm. Our focus will be “hooks”. Come and explore some of the different methods used to engage students at the start of a mantle experience. You might be surprised at the variety of ‘ways in’ that have been found to be effective.

For both these gatherings, as always, we ask you to please bring a contribution to shared afternoon tea and, if you can – an interested friend! Huge thanks to all those schools who have hosted us through 2013.  We look forward to more next year.

And now the news – after a very inspiring inservice day with teachers from three primary schools in the Whangarei region, we are looking at beginning a cluster group for Northland teachers in 2014. If you are keen to be involved in this group, please contact Leslee at Kaurihohore school. Her email is principal@kaurihohoreschool.co.nz.

Wow – so much happening – clearly the mantle flame is very much alight!

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BOP MOTE Cluster Meeting 29th November

Reminder

BOP MOTE Cluster Meeting on 29th November, 4.30pm for a 5pm start in Class 1 – please bring nibbles and a smile. Viv running a session on hooks amongst other good stuff.

Location – Tauranga Waldorf School, Welcome Bay Road – if coming from town end of Welcome Bay Rd go past the shops on right (and a Caltex servo) and school is about 1km past there on right (big sign) – if coming from other end – just past Welcome Bay Hot Pools on opposite side of road.

See you’ll there…..

Jon

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Dispelling some mantle myths

Check out this brief blog from Debra Kidd (UK) countering some misunderstandings about MOTE. Debra is well worth reading in general … you might like to subscribe for regular updates

http://debrakidd.wordpress.com/2013/11/15/dispelling-some-mantle-myths/

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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

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Confirming date for next Hamilton Cluster meeting

Hi folks

Date for the next Hamilton cluster group will be Thursday  28th November 4.30pm for 5pm at Melville Intermediate School

Visiting Sue Bleaken’s school will give us the opportunity to hear about how she uses mantle / process drama to develop restorative processes across the school. Inspiring stuff! Other possible topics for the evening are assessment methods within MOTE and ways to use different teacher in role status positions…. Another important topic for discussion at this gathering  is how we might spend our network funding…. Please bring ideas, enthusiasm, stories, interested friends and snacks for the table ….        See you there!

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Hamilton cluster

Thanks Michelle and colleagues at Aberdeen school for making everyone so welcome on Thursday evening. As always, an energizing and reinspiring couple of hours.  We had good numbers attending including several first timers – always good to see! Our focus this time was “hooks” – different ways to start a MOTE experience and build engagement. Experienced teachers shared their favourite ideas and we tried some out in groups. Some of the group’s ideas for hooks are shown below (with specific examples in brackets).

  • Letter or message from someone in need (message in a bottle from Spinifex the alchemist, asking for advice)
  • Teacher in role as someone with a problem (elderly gentleman who has taken in too many stray animals)
  • Teacher as ‘effigy’ (poacher holding an ivory tusk)
  • Vignette or short scene created in advance (Villagers discussing Maui the trickster’s latest trick)
  • Artefact or object (box marked ‘fragile, kiwi eggs’ – found upside down with broken shells nearby)
  • Sound effect or You Tube clip (the talking crab)
  • Partly created setting  (the undersea rainbow cave – children invited to complete the setting before meeting the wise octopus)
  • Transformed classroom or school space (classroom trashed by monster) (school field taped off as possible gold mine site)
  • Taped outline on the floor (human body – crime scene)
  • Symbolic picture drawn in front of the children (tall ship) (whale with netting around the tail)
  • Symbol prepared in advance  (large red blot – paint? blood?)
  • Puzzle pieces (pieces of tuatara)

We spent some time exploring the theatrical aspects of these hooks, and through workshopping we made discoveries about what kind of teaching strategies can help  (ritual, conscious use of pace, genuine questioning, parsimony, spacial signalling). It was certainly interesting to focus in such detail on just one aspect of Mantle of the Expert. There’s so much to explore!

Next cluster meeting will be at Melville Intermediate at the end of November / early December. Date will be confirmed soon.

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First Hamilton cluster meeting for term 4

Greetings colleagues – for those teaching in schools, I hope you have enjoyed a restorative couple of weeks out of the classroom.

A reminder that our next cluster meeting is a few days away. Thursday 17th Oct 4.30pm at Aberdeen School, Aberdeen Drive, Dinsdale Hamilton. Our focus is on starting points, dramatic starters – “hooks” that can be used to launch exciting experiences in inquiry. Bring your favourite ideas (and nibbles or drinks to share) and be prepared to be inspired by others. New faces always welcome ….. Haere mai! 

 

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Mantle of the Expert summer school – enrolments are now open

For those who have been waiting to enrol in the Mantle of the Expert summer school, I hear enrolments are now open.  Click HERE for more.

I am excited to be able to confirm that my co-teacher on this course will be Prof Brian Edmiston (USA).  Brian’s writing on Mantle of the Expert will be familiar to many. He’s a world leader in this area and I’m so excited to have the opportunity to collaborate in teaching and research during his visit. If you wish to join us, I suggest you enrol quickly as place numbers are capped and there has already been a good level of interest.

Feel free to email me if you need further information – or post a comment below.

Viv

 

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MOTE BOP Cluster Meeting

Hi all

BOP next cluster meeting has been rescheduled due to unforseen circumstances – Viv will now be joining us on 29th November at the Tauranga Rudolf Steiner School (Welcome Bay Road) from 4.30pm for a 5pm start in Class 1. Please bring some nibbles and your usual enthusiasm.

Thanks and regards

Jon

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HNS Mantle comes to a close

Just written my final blog post for this year’s mantle at HNS school. Comments from the children include “”I liked getting talked to and talking like an adult” and “I liked being someone else but not at the same time”. Meanwhile the teacher says,  “You should see some of the writing – talk about powerful. You won’t believe some of it is from 10 year old children…”. Check out the whole six week journey by clicking here

Huge thanks to Andy, the school and the students for what has been a fantastic ride… As always so much learned along the way!