The Mantle of the Expert

The Mantle of the Expert is an alternative teaching approach which lets pupils learn through being involved in real-world issues and problems. This approach aims to provide a learning experience where the children are not working as students but instead take on various roles of society and become ‘experts’ which reflect these real life situations. Children adopt various roles from factory workers to members of a Victorian village. Learning becomes possible through the mantle of the expert approach as a variety of areas and problems may occur during the exercise and the child is able to tackle the task (Francis Prendiville, 2000).

The Mantle of the expert approach to learning was developed by Dorothy Heathcote as an alternative means of teaching the whole curriculum to pupils. The idea is that the enterprise, which the lesson is based upon, is of interest to the children and also it must be on a subject area which the children have had past experience in. This experience may be from books, television, school, etc. By having this knowledge it means that the pupils can contribute evenly to the task and confidently involve themselves. Some tasks will require the children to undertake further research in order to expand on their knowledge of subjects.

The teacher is this context also takes on the role of the ‘expert’ and joins in as part of the group. As an alternative, the teacher may become the co-ordinator of the task. In both roles, the teacher is able to model the behaviour expected of the children, encourage and inspire commitment to the task and ask questions or provide answers in order to develop the learning. As the mantle of the expert is an approach to experiential learning, it is the teachers’ job to allow children to develop their own learning and skills without controlling it (O'Neill, 2015).

I found that being able to experience the mantle of the expert approach first hand helped me to appreciate its benefit to learning. I was able to experience the scheme in my seminar class. We were asked to work as a team in order to construct a bridge made out of wooden sticks and masking tape. The bridge was expected to be 50cm long, we had a restriction of 100 sticks and 1 roll of masking tape. However, every stick and every 2 inches of masking tape used cost money. The aim of the task was to create the cheapest bridge that was also strong enough to withstand the weight test. As a construction company, each team had to appoint different roles to its team members. These roles were; project manager, designer, constructor and a financial director. While undergoing this task each team member was able to work independently on their assigned roles but also collaboratively. This is the result of our bridge:

Whilst taking part in the mantle of the expert task a number of curriculum subjects were at work. Through becoming a construction company we were using subjects such as; maths, design and technology, art and science. I found the task very compelling and was able to see how it would appeal to school children and the positive impact it has on learners.

Through the mantle of the expert approach children are able to develop skills in; independence, co-operation, perseverance, responsibility and curiosity. Children also have to use language and communication skills in order to work well with other members of the class. The skills developed are basic life skills that children will require all through their lives and in employment. Therefore, having an approach to learning that is similar to the ‘real-world’ is a great advantage to the children.