Chapter One: Introduction

1.1 The significance of this study

There has been an astronomical growth in the number of international schools worldwide

since the first truly international school opened its doors in Geneva during the 1920’s (Hill,

2001). Since then there has been an explosion in the number of international schools. The

number of international schools worldwide at this moment is well over a thousand (Hayden

and Thompson, 2000; Macdonald, 2006). The exact number is hard to reliably pinpoint,

due to the inability of the industry’s experts to define an international school (Hayden and

Thompson, 2000; Murphy, 2000; Sylvester, 2000).

Due to the amount of competition in the market place, original expatriate international

schools, for instance, must search for ways to differentiate themselves from other

international schools, namely those which are bi-lingual or provide host country curricula

(www.teachanywhere.com). International schools do this in a number of ways. One such

way is through which curricula the school uses as the basis of the teaching and learning at

the school. The International Baccalaureate Organisation diploma (Drake, 2004), and the

International Primary Curriculum (http:// www.internationalprimarycurriculum.com ) are

the curricula that are the most widely used. Both these curricula are similar in their aims

and goals.

International school principals are constantly being asked by the marketplace to find ways

of differentiating their school from other international schools in the area. Global

Educational Guidelines are also challenging international schools to inspire and motivate

learners and educators through innovative teaching and pedagogy (http://www.coe.int).

The overall aim of this study is to explore whether international schools could use Mantle

of the Expert as a way of achieving the competitive edge that is demanded in the crowded

marketplace of international education.

Drama as a method of education has become popular due to the work of drama theorists

such as Dorothy Heathcote and Gavin Bolton. Dorothy Heathcote created a dramatic way

of learning called ‘Mantle of the Expert’ (Edmiston, www.mantleoftheexpert.com; Taylor,

2006; Taylor, 2005; Heathcote and Bolton, 1995). Mantle of the Expert is championed by

many as a new innovative pedagogy that is embedded with enquiry, community learning,

and dramatic learning (Taylor, 2006; Taylor, 2005; Heathcote and Bolton, 1995). Mantle

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of the Expert is underpinned with work by many of the famous educational theorists, but it

has some identifiable problems, which make it a demanding system for some teachers.

Mantle of the Expert allows students to take control of their learning from the teacher, thus

becoming a student led style of learning.

1.2 The aims of this dissertation

The overall aim of this dissertation is to explore the use of Dorothy Heathcote’s ‘Mantle of

the Expert’ in an international school. The secondary aim is to discover whether Mantle of

the Expert can reflect the educational theories that underpin practice an international

classroom. The study will explore the use of Mantle of the Expert by international

classroom teachers who are not drama specialists.

1.3 How will the aims be achieved?

Action research will be the approach used to assess the aims of this dissertation. The

researcher will use a mixed methods approach to collecting the data. Interviews will be

held with a small focus group of representative students to understand their feelings before

and after the mantle unit. Questionnaires will be used to assess student, teacher and

parental opinion. The dissertation will review the current literature available both

nationally and internationally regarding international schools and drama in education,

particularly Mantle of the Expert.

The research questions that will be asked to assess the aim of this dissertation are:

Can Mantle of the Expert enable the development of independent learning skills?

Will a Mantle of the Expert programme allow students in an international school

setting to develop an understanding of other cultures?

Can working through Mantle of the Expert encourage the development of the social

capital of the class?

Does Mantle of the Expert allow the development of peer tutoring?

Does Mantle of the Expert generate enthusiasm for learning with different activity

based episodes?

Does Mantle of the Expert enable students to develop confidence to participate in

class, by using different skills in different episodes?

Can Mantle of the Expert be used by international school classroom teachers who

have little or no experience of drama?

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1.4 Dissertation layout

Chapter one examines the background to the study, which puts the research into context.

Chapter two will review current literature in the fields of international schools and

international education. The chapter will also review literature pertaining to drama in

education and Mantle of the Expert.

Chapter three will outline the design of the research, the data collection methods and the

manner in which the data will be analysed. Chapter three will also provide a description of

the context of this dissertation. The research questions that drive this dissertation will also

be presented.

Chapter four will present the data collected and analyse the data against the research

questions set out in chapter three.

Chapter five will summarise the findings of the research. The chapter will also explore the

implications of the research and make recommendations for policy makers, international

school principals, and international school teachers.

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Chapter Two – International Schools and Pedagogies

2.1 Introduction

This Chapter will begin by defining the term ‘International School’, which requires

consideration before further reading is undertaken. The reasons for the exceptional growth

are then explained, followed by some issues facing the industry and how the industry has

dealt with these. The International Baccalaureate diploma courses and the International

Primary Curriculum will briefly be examined. The terms drama and drama in education

will be explained. The chapter will conclude with an in-depth explanation of Dorothy

Heathcote’s pedagogic approach: ‘Mantle of the Expert’, and a consideration of whether it

can be used in international schools as a way of realising their aims to create independent

learners.

2.2.1 Placing international schools

At a first glance the term ‘international school’ should be easy to explain, but

unfortunately, this is not the case. There have been attempts at defining the term. Current

available research acknowledges that an exact definitive definition of an international

school is problematic (Hayden and Thompson, 2000). However, one generally accepted

definition is that an international school is providing a curriculum to its students, which is

different from the host country curriculum. Historically, this type of international school is

a national school operating in another country (Hayden and Thompson, 2000). They were

created to provide expatriate students with access to universities upon returning home.

Two such schools are the Taipei Japanese School and the American School in London.

There are many of these types of international schools worldwide: offering a British,

American, French or German curriculum to their own expatriate nationals (Hayden and

Thompson, 1995). Unfortunately, the definition of an international school has become

complex. There are different types of international schools. Some offer an internationally

based curriculum (the IB diploma, or the International Primary Curriculum). These

international schools cater for both expatriate children and host country nationals. There

is also an increasing number of English private schools establishing an international

presence. Harrow School operates in Thailand and China; Dulwich College operates three

schools in China and it has just opened a school in South Korea

(http://www.Dulwichcollege.cn). Many more private schools are opening international

schools in Asia. Malbourgh College in Wiltshire, England is setting up an International

Malbourgh School in Southern Malaysia. The North London Collegiate School is opening

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up a school on the South Korean island of Jeju (http://www.nlcs.uk). The first truly

international school was the International School of Geneva, which was founded in 1924.

It was created to serve the needs of the families serving in the newly formed League of

Nations and the International Labour Office (Hill, 2001). The United Nations was founded

after the end of World War Two. International staff were needed for its headquarters.

Following this was the United Nations International School, founded in 1947 in New York

(Hill, 2001).

International schools can be defined with a narrow or a wider focus. Using a narrow focus

would imply that only schools which use an international curriculum, such as the

International Baccalaureate Diploma or the International Primary Curriculum, are true

international schools. This would imply that schools operating the British National

Curriculum in Asia are just British schools in another country. This seems a very narrow

view, and ignores the fact that the students in these schools are indeed international. The

researcher has worked in three schools in Taiwan, China and Thailand. All three schools

operate using the British National Curriculum.

2.2.2 Why are international schools increasing in numbers?

There are a number of reasons for this explosion of international schools. One of the many

reasons was the expansion of international diplomacy and military missions since World

War Two. There was a drive to increase communication between countries in order to stop

the potential for another World War; there was also an expansion in military peacekeeping

missions. International schools grew out of the need to serve the families of these military

personnel and diplomats (Jenckes, 2006). The international school in Geneva began its

existence from the need to educate the children from the families of the newly formed

League of Nations in 1924 (http://www.ecolint.ch/about-ecolint/our-history). The British

Army runs international schools from within various military bases around the globe. The

Ministry of Defence employs the teachers who work at these schools. Ministry of Defence

schools are located on the island of Crete, the Falkland Islands and in Gibraltar

(http://www.mod.uk).

The consumption of the world’s natural resources, such as oil, has led to the growth of

international companies mining these resources. Shell Oil Limited has many mining

operations across the world, in many isolated places such as Sakhalin Island, Russia and

Bonny Island, Nigeria. Shell needed specialist workers, so they created international

schools to entice workers with families (http://www.fieldworkeducationservices.com).

5

Canterford (2009) suggested that the increase in demand for International Schools can be

closely linked to the globalisation of the international market. Many companies, whether

they are multi-billion dollar corporations or smaller firms, are doing business

internationally. These international companies require ‘expat’ managers to help run their

operations in the host country. This increases the demand for international schools in these

host countries to cater for the expatriate families working overseas.

There is also growth in demand for highly skilled workers internationally (Canterford,

2009). When Taiwan set out to build its high-speed train network, many highly skilled

contractors were recruited to work on the link. Many of these expatriates brought families

with them. Their children needed an education, which in turn increased demand for places

in international schools. The Chinese economy is increasing in size, it has now overtaken

Japan as the second biggest economy in the world. More companies are developing a

presence in China. This is reflected in the growth of international schools in China, and in

Shanghai in particular. Five international schools have been opened in Shanghai in the last

ten years (Bray and Yamato, 2006).

The current number of international schools across the world is hard to reliably count.

There are too many variables affecting the final number. One uncertainty is the inability of

the industry’s experts to define an international school (Hayden and Thompson, 2000;

Sylvester, 2002). The Council for International Schools (CIS) estimates the number of

international schools is close to one thousand (Macdonald, 2006). Hayden and Thompson

(2000) estimate it to well in excess of a thousand. The difference between the two figures

can be attributed to CIS figures, which require international schools to register on their

database. Why schools should want to register will be discussed later in this chapter. Not

all international schools, however, do register with CIS. The best example of this is in

Thailand. Macdonald (2006) states there are 27 schools registered on CIS database in

Thailand, yet there are over 100 schools registered in the Thailand Ministry of Education

that are classed as international.

Current research suggests that the international school market will continue to grow

(Hayden and Thompson, 2000; Macdonald, 2006). Nevertheless, as the market swells, so

do the pressures on individual international schools within the market. Each school faces

challenges to remain competitive in an increasingly pressurised market (Macdonald, 2006).

6

2.2.3 Challenges facing international schools in the market place

Every school operates within an economic marketplace, being even more evident with

international schools (Bray and Yamato, 2006: 57). International Schools, whether

operated by foundations, private companies, wealthy individuals, or governments, charge

fees that generate revenue. They must generate a profit to stay operational. They compete

with other international schools in their area for students, therefore international schools

operate in local and, in some cases, international markets (Macdonald, 2006; Bray and

Yamato, 2006). In some cases, international schools recognise this fact by referring to

their Head of School as a Chief Executive Officer, for instance Taipei European School

(www.taipeieuropeanschool.com). International Schools face a number of challenges to

remain competitive. One of the challenges they must face is the need to differentiate from

other international schools (Macdonald, 2006). International schools are able to do this by

choosing which curriculum they will follow. Another way in which international schools

can distinguish themselves from their competitors is by the international schools’

association of which they are members.

2.2.3.1 International school associations

There are many international school associations across the globe. They are usually

grouped according to area, which denotes the curriculum they follow, or if they are

affiliated to a particular religious denomination. There is an association covering each

section of the globe, for instance the Association of International Schools in Africa has 53

international schools among its members. British international schools, or schools offering

the British National Curriculum, are often a member of one or two such associations.

There is an association that covers the Middle East (www.bsme.org.uk) and another

covering South East Asia (www.fobissea.com). In some cases there are associations for

individual countries, such as one for Switzerland (www.szerschools.com) and one for

Thailand (www.isat.or.th).

Just as there is an increasing number of international schools, there is subsequently an

increasing number of associations. The associations have similar goals in their mission

statements. They look to support their members by arranging sporting events and

professional development opportunities for their staff. When international schools become

members of an association they are entitled to put the association logo on their school

website.

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2.2.3.2 Accreditation

There are a number of associations that provide accreditation to international schools. One

of the most powerful associations is The Council of International Schools (www.cois.org).

Accreditation has become a sign of the quality of education received in an international

school (Fertig, 2007). As Fertig (2007) states, the model for accreditation has become

fairly generic across the accrediting associations. The first stage is when members of the

accrediting association visit the school to assess whether the school has a chance of passing

the accreditation standards. The following stage is an internal evaluation (Fertig, 2007).

Schools must report what they are doing well and which areas need development. The

report needs to be quite detailed because it will form the basis of an in-depth visit by

members of the accreditation associations. The internal report must be related to the

school’s philosophy and objectives, a set of quality standards recognised by the association

(Fertig, 2007). If schools pass this visit, then they become members of the association and

are consequently approved to use the association logo. International schools can now

claim they are formally accredited.

As a form of differentiation, getting accredited has its advantages. Belonging to an

accrediting association, such as the Council of International Schools, is a mark of quality.

With the variety of international schools available to perspective parents and teachers, it is

very important to have this mark of quality provided by the association. For prospective

parents, the accreditation provides the reassurance of a quality education for their children.

For prospective teachers, the accreditation represents a school that is serious about

becoming a quality educational institution.

Accreditation also has a few disadvantages. Fertig (2007) mentions that there is very little

current research on the effects of school accreditation. In the article, Fertig (2007) puts

forward the theory that if all schools strive to be accredited to the same set of standards,

will it not create the same school experience in different countries? This, in reality, means

creating the same school or making one homogeneous international school again and

again. This theory does have some credence, because each International School is striving

to be accredited under the same set of ‘quality standards’ (www.cois.org).

Whether or not the school principal agrees with the current accrediting climate, he or she

seems to have very little choice in this matter. The principal has to find other ways to

appeal to the globally mobile parents, as well as to host country nationals, who believe an

international education will give an advantage to their children in the future. One way in

8

which a school can appeal to these potential parents is by following one of the two main

international curricula, the International Baccalaureate Diplomas and The International

Primary Curriculum.

2.2.4 The International Baccalaureate Organisation

The International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) began offering its diploma in 1960;

since then the organisation has experienced phenomenal growth in the international

education sector (Drake, 2004). The growth experienced by the International

Baccalaureate Organisation reflects the expansion of the international schools market. The

diploma is also available in some national schools, which operate in their home countries

(Bagnall, 2005). There have been a number of supporters of the IB Diploma, the Middle

Years Programme, and the Primary Years Programme. One such supporter was George

Walker (Drake, 2004: 190), who said that ‘the International Baccalaureate programme is

the nearest thing we have to an international k-12 curriculum’. Bagnall (2005) listed a few

criticisms of the programme. One of these criticisms was that the programme was not as

international as it claims. Bagnall (2005) states that the IB Diploma is very similar to the

British curriculum, with some elements of the American curriculum thrown in. The

International Baccalaureate Organisation developed its programmes to answer the calls of

the increasingly global international student body. It was developed for acceptance by

universities around the world as a university entrance qualification for the globally mobile.

2.2.5 International Primary Curriculum

The International Primary Curriculum is used in over 1000 schools in 65 countries around

the world. The International Primary Curriculum was first used as a curriculum in 2000

(http://www.internationalprimarycurriculum.com). The International Primary Curriculum

was designed to help develop an international identity along with their culture. Students

are encouraged to develop skills that will function in an increasingly globalising world.

The curriculum takes into account current theories on how children learn and are

encouraged to become life long learners (http://www.internationalprimarycurriculum.com).

History, Geography, Science and Art are taught in integrated units. The units revolve

around a central idea or theme. The themes are chosen to generate interest from the

students. Topics for the units include titles such as, Time Detectives, Chocolate and

Holidays. The junior sections of the schools are split into what the International Primary

Curriculum call Mile Posts (http://www.internationalprimarycurriculum.com). Mile Post

One is aimed at students who are 6 and 7 years old. Mile Post Two is aimed at students

9

between 7 and 9 years of age. Mile Post Three is aimed at students who are between the

ages of 9 and 12 years.

The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme and the International Primary

Curriculum both have goals and values that underpin each curriculum. Both curricula

values are reflected one in another. Their goals are also similar to some of the aims of the

British National Curriculum.

2.2.6 Core values of international curricula

The IB learner profile (IBO, 2008) states that the profile of the IB learner is one of lifelong

learner. Bobkina and Dalmau (undated) state that the International Baccalaureate

Organisation’s aim is to create active, compassionate life-long learners.

International Primary Curriculum (www.internationalprimarycurriculum.com) core values

encourage students to engage in their learning so they remain committed to learning

throughout their schooling and their lives. The British National Curriculum

(www.curriculum.qcda.gov.uk) sets out the four main purposes of the National

Curriculum: to establish an entitlement, to confirm standards, to promote continuity and

coherence and to progress public understanding. The goal to promote continuity and

coherence is reverberated in international curricula. The reason for this aim is to create

students who are continuously learning new things. One of the stated goals of the three

International Baccalaureate curricula is to create an internationally minded student

(www.ibo.org). The International Baccalaureate Organisation states that internationally

minded people are those, who recognise their common humanity and shared guardianship

of the planet with other people and other cultures (IBO learner profile booklet, 2008).

The International Primary Curriculum also strives to encourage the development of an

international learner. The International Primary Curriculum defines an international

learner as, someone who has a sense of his or her own nationality and at the same time

develops a respect for the nationalities and cultures of others

(www.internationalprimarycurriculum.com).

Similarly, the British National Curriculum displays a sense of international-mindedness in

the aims of the curriculum section of its website (www.curriculum.qcda.gov.uk). It is

explained on the website that a school curriculum should contribute to the development of

pupils’ sense of identity through the knowledge and understanding of the spiritual, moral,

10

social and cultural heritages of the local, national, European, Commonwealth and global

dimensions of their lives (www.curriculum.qcda.gov.uk).

The mission statement of the International Baccalaureate aspires to creating good citizens.

The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect (www.ibo.org).

The mission statement also affirms that the organisation desires to encourage active and

compassionate learners. This sentiment is reflected in the core values of the International

Primary Curriculum, in which it states students should develop the personal qualities they

need to be good citizens and to respond to the changing contexts of their future lives

(www.internationalprimarycurriculum.com).

The British National Curriculum also aims to develop qualities needed to be a good

member of society. One of the four main purposes of the British National Curriculum is to

establish entitlement (www.curriculum.qcda.gov.uk). The purpose of entitlement states

that no matter what background students have, they are entitled to secure knowledge that

will allow them to develop into active and responsible citizens.

From reviewing their curricular documents it is evident that the International Baccalaureate

Organisation curriculum, the International Primary Curriculum and The British National

Curriculum all aspire to developing the same type of student. They wish to create a

globally thinking, responsible citizen, who is a life long learner. Although the two

international curricula are designed as alternatives to the British National Curriculum, they

all share similar goals.

2.3 Independent learning

Independent learning is a current trend in the international circuit. It is a focus or purpose

of both the International Baccalaureate Organisation Curriculum and the International

Primary Curriculum (http://www.internationalprimarycurriculum.com; http://

www.ibo.org). Independent learning or ‘self-regulated’ learning has become increasingly

popular because of advances in technology such as faster access to Internet and Wi-Fi.

There are many definitions of independent learning. For the purpose of this study, the

definitions offered by Perry (2006) and Candy (1991) will be used. Perry et al (2006)

explain that independent learning is independent, highly effective approaches to learning

11

that are associated with success in and beyond school. Philip Candy (1991) argues that

independent learning is an educational philosophy in which students acquire knowledge by

themselves and develop the ability to undertake enquiry and critical reflection.

There are elements that are required to be present in order for independent learning to be

successful. Bates and Wilson (2002) claim that there needs to be a strong working

relationship between the teacher and the student for independent learning to work. Trust is

an important factor in the teacher and student relationship. Sharp et al (2002) hold that

trust in the classroom is built on teachers being more responsive to students’ needs and

interests.

The classroom environment must enable the students to learn independently. This

enabling environment is a further element required for independent learning to take place.

The enabling environment refers to the physical classroom and classroom resources. The

classroom routines are also an important factor in enabling a classroom for independent

learning; routines such as sufficient time allowed for completing tasks and the usage of

ICT in the classroom.

Independent learning has been linked to improved test scores (Hinds, 2007). Van Grinsven

and Tillema (2006) stated that students become more motivated to learn and have more

enjoyment in their own learning in an independent learning environment. Students who are

independent learners work to higher standards, have high self-esteem and are more

motivated to learn (Williams, 2003).

Global education aspires to the ‘goal of change’ in order to establish procedures that ‘do

not reproduce the system’ but rather ‘envisions social transformation and open’s people’s

eyes’ (http://www.coe.int). It is apparent that ‘the traditional definition of content has to be

replaced by a new perspective of the concept’ (http://www.coe.int).

The Global Education Guidelines from the Council of Europe outline the following aims:

To cultivate learning communities, in which learners and educators are supported to

work cooperatively;

To inspire and motivate ‘learners and educators through innovative teaching and

pedagogy’;

To challenge ‘formal and non-formal education programmes and practices by

introducing its own content and methodology’;

To accommodate and provide an environment that facilitates self-expression;

12

To provide ‘alternatives’ when decision taking and to consider the consequences of

choices, thus cultivating responsibility;

To encourage involvement in action and, thus, both educators and learners are

expected to ‘act dynamically’ (http://www.coe.int).

It has been shown that international schools are in search of innovative and dynamic

teaching methods. Howard Gardner’s (1983) revolutionary theory of multiple intelligences

is a dynamic concept that regards intelligences as interchangeable tools. Traditionally

intelligence was perceived as an innate attribute that remained constant, but Gardner’s

(1983) theory of multiple intelligences turned this concept on its head when he wrote that

intelligence can be nurtured and is trainable (Armstrong, Kennedy & Coggins, 2002).

From previous study, I became aware that Drama in education is both dynamic and

innovative and makes full use of all of Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences. Dorothy

Heathcote’s Mantle of the Expert approach to learning takes drama in education one step

further by facilitating the independent learning that international schools so earnestly

prescribe. This will be examined in the following section.

2.4 What is drama?

The term is hard to define as it has evolved into many different practices. The online

Oxford dictionary (http://oxforddictionaries.com) uses a rather simplistic definition, stating

that Drama is the activity of acting. Russell DiNapoli (2003) elucidates that the word

Drama stems from the origins of a Greek word meaning action. He goes on to explain

Drama as “a natural human action that involves searching for the truth and bringing it to

light”. Via states: “drama is communication” (as cited in DiNapoli, 2003). Drama,

therefore, is about communication and searching for meaning. Another definition is that

drama is a tool to explore, express human feeling and is a necessary human activity

(http://ehit.flinders.edu.au). It is the ability to explore human feelings while protecting the

participants which makes it an extremely useful resource to use in the classroom. Drama

in education has developed into a powerful curriculum tool (http:// ehit.flinders.edu.au).

2.4.1 Drama in education

Michael Fleming (2003, 34) quoted the Cox Report to explain the power of Drama in

education:

Drama helps children to make sense of different situations and

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different points of view […] helps children to evaluate choices or dilemmas […] contributes to personal growth […] is not simply a subject […] is of crucial importance as a learning medium.

Drama in education is anything, which involves people in active roles in which attitudes

and feelings, not the characters themselves, are the chief concern (Heathcote, 1989).

There are many reasons for using Drama in Education. Dorothy Heathcote puts one of

the most powerful reasons forward.

Dorothy Heathcote believes that part of the role in teaching drama is to help children to consider ideas from different aspects. As a result of this informed consideration, they are better able to resolve problems and issues. (O’Sullivan in: Grady and O’Sullivan, 1998, 42)

Drama in education helps students to understand themselves and the world around them. It

empowers students to understand their world through exploring roles and situations and

develops students’ verbal and non-verbal, individual and social communication skills. One

of the most beneficial and very functional reasons for using drama in education with

students is that teachers can hopefully share some merriment with their students (Heathcote

[1990] cited in Byron, 1990).

When using drama in education, teachers have a number of tools to use in the classroom.

These are called drama conventions or drama techniques. Conventions are ways in which

the teacher can manipulate time, space and human presence within the classroom to create

meaning for the students (Neelands and Goode, 2001). There are many different kinds of

drama conventions, and each convention can be categorised into four different types;

context building, narrative, poetic, and reflective (Neelands and Goode, 2001). However,

the range of choices can be confusing to a teacher new to using drama in the classroom.

Phil Herbert claims, “This pot-pourri of drama techniques and exercises can be productive

and is capable of engaging the student at a deep level, but it is not a model for learning”

(http://www.ucd.ie).

There are a small number of dramatic models of learning or pedagogies that are available

to teachers. The two of the most widely used are Cecily O’Neill’s Process Drama

(O’Neill, 1995), and Mantle of the Expert developed by Dorothy Heathcote (Heathcote and

Bolton, 1995). Process Drama refers to a type of educational drama, which proceeds

without a script, its outcome is unpredictable, and the experience is impossible to replicate

14

exactly (O’Neill, 1995: xiii). A Mantle of the Expert approach is one where students

assume expert roles, such as scientists or archeologists, to solve a real-world fictional

problem (http://www.mantleoftheexpert.com). Mantle of the Expert differs from process

drama in that it is based in a fictional real-world situation; whereas process drama can be

based in a fairy tale world (O’Neill, 1995). This study will use the Mantle of the Expert

approach in conjunction with a unit of geographical work.

2.5 Mantle of the Expert

This study will explore the use of a dramatic based approach to learning called ‘Mantle of

the Expert’. The researcher will teach a Mantle of the Expert unit in an international

classroom to examine whether Mantle of the Expert can successfully meet the goals of

international curricula, as well as encouraging independent learning.

Dorothy Heathcote developed Mantle of the Expert during the 1980s (Edmiston,

www.mantleoftheexpert.com; Taylor, 2006; Taylor, 2007; Heathcote and Bolton, 1995).

Dorothy Heathcote created this systematic approach to education upon reflecting on a

series of drama lessons with three “particularly naughty boys” (Heathcote, 2009,

http://www.mantleoftheexpert.com). Heathcote took charge of these three boys during

lessons, which took place once a week. The school principal had said to Dorothy and her

colleagues, as it was coming up to Christmas, that he wanted the whole school to ‘visit

Bethlehem’. She then decided that the boys would be the Three Kings travelling to

Bethlehem. Over the course of the week she gave them tasks and problems that needed to

be solved. Dorothy played the role of the kings’ servant. Dorothy realised, by solving the

tasks she had given them, the boys had become kings by the end of the week. The boys

were used to ordering her about like a servant (Heathcote, 2009). Dorothy also noticed

how confident the boys had become in their roles as kings by banding together to solve the

tasks, which did not give them time to be naughty. When Dorothy reflected on her work

with the boys, she recognised that they had become kings through ordering her to do things

to solve the tasks (which she later called episodes). She acknowledged that this never

would have happened to such depth if she just said, “we are going to pretend to be kings”.

Nonetheless, this was just a theory she was working on, Dorothy fully developed Mantle of

the Expert while working with a set of master level students at the University of Newcastle

upon Tyne (Taylor, 2007). Dorothy explained the terms ‘mantle’ and ‘expert’ in a video

podcast to the first international Mantle of the Expert conference in Hamilton, New

Zealand in August of 2009 (http://www.mantleoftheexpert.com). ‘Mantle’ does not refer to

15

a coat or a piece of clothing. Dorothy explains that she uses the term ‘mantle’ as a quality

of leadership. ‘Mantle’ carries the standards of behaviour, morality, responsibility, ethics

and spiritual basis of all action. The ‘mantle’ then grows as the students wear it

(Heathcote, 2009). ‘Expert’ refers to the ‘opportunity to work at knowledge and master

skills, (Heathcote, 2002).

In Mantle of the Expert, students create an enterprise to run. This enterprise is constructed

in a partnership between the students and the teacher. The teacher gives the class tasks for

the students to start taking responsibility for the enterprise. Then a client is introduced into

the mantle. This client commissions the enterprise with a job that needs doing. The

students then embark on a series of tasks relating to the commission of the client. These

are mostly small group activities and the class comes together to make major decisions.

The decisions are set in the real world environment, and as such the interaction between

the students and the teacher is on a colleague-to-colleague level. This gives a distinct

power shift in the classroom towards the students taking responsibility for their own

learning. The students begin to generate a feeling of what it is like to be an expert by

solving the real world tasks (Taylor, 2006; Taylor, 2007; Heathcote and Bolton, 1995,

www.mantleoftheexpert.com).

Mantle of the Expert is a truly integrated curriculum approach, deeply rooted in the area of

active learning (O’Neill in Heathcote and Bolton, 1995: vii). It is an approach to education

embedded with enquiry, community learning, and dramatic learning (Taylor, 2006).

Galvin Bolton describes Mantle of the Expert as:

[…] like a spiral, a continuous path followed by the students through knowledge into theatre and theatre into knowledge[…] as they develop responsibility for their own learning.

(Heathcote and Bolton, 1995:5)

2.5.1 Theories supporting Mantle of the Expert

The Mantle of the Expert website (http://www.mantleoftheexpert.com) referred to

a number of educational theories and theorists that underpin the use of Mantle of

the Expert. Vygotsky and his zone of proximal development were highlighted.

John Dewey and his theory on child-centered learning and the process of learning,

is just as important as the end product. Communities of inquiry and learning were

stressed as a major factor in Mantle of the Expert. The final theorist this study will

16

cover is Howard Gardner (1983) and his theory of multiple intelligences. These

are explored in the following sub-sections.

2.5.1.1 Community of inquiry and learning

Mantle of the Expert is a pedagogy that creates imaginary communities of learning in the

classroom. The value of communities of inquiry and learning were identified in ancient

Greece. Aristotle was quoted as stating, “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”

(http://www.online-literature.com). Community of inquiry is a reflective learning model of

education. The students have a responsibility to be active participants in the classroom

process. The teacher still has a central role to play and must guide the students and

influence the classroom environment to make it conductive to the creation of a community

of inquiry and learning. Learning with other students can build social capital. Social

capital can be defined as the connections among individuals. Social networks and the

values of reciprocity and trustworthiness arise from these connections (Putnam, 2000).

This reflects Dorothy Heathcote’s idea of what mantle means by the term Mantle of the

Expert. Heathcote spoke about mantle carrying the standards of morality, behaviour and

ethics (Heathcote, 2009). There are more definitions of social capital that support the

functions or claims of Mantle of the Expert. One such definition is that of Fukuyama

(1995, cited in www.socialcapitalresearch.com), where he states that social capital is the

existence of a set of values or norms of a group and the ability of the group to work

together for a common purpose. Mantle of the Expert is founded in drama (Heathcote,

2009), hence the rules and claims of drama apply to Mantle of the Expert. Drama is a

social activity (Fleming, 2001; www.artcouncil.org.uk) in which students work and interact

together in small or large groups towards a common goal. While the students work

together, each group will generate its own set of values and norms to finish the task. They

will set up roles within the group; leaders, researchers and presenters. Now this might be

overtly according to each student’s specialty. One more definition of social capital is

defined as the groups, networks, norms and trust that people have available to them for

productive purposes (World Bank in Grootaert, et al, 2004). Mantle of the Expert creates

working groups within the classroom; these groups have to interact with other groups in

the classroom to overcome the tasks or episodes that the teacher creates for them. The

students have to trust that the other groups within the company are also completing their

tasks. It is this trusting and interaction with the other student groups that builds social

capital within the classroom as the Mantle of the Expert continues.

17

2.5.1.2 Zone of proximal development

Mantle of the Expert provides students with zones of proximal development in which they

can extend their present areas of learning (Yasar, 2006). Vygotsky (1978: 86) defines

zones of proximal development as: “the distance between the actual development level as

determined by independent problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with

more capable peers”.

The zone of proximal development is a situation where the student is pushed to the limits

of their current learning and propelled by the teacher or “more capable” peer into new

areas of learning. Mantle of the Expert provides Zones of Proximal development.

Students work with others in the fictional real-world of the enterprise; while doing this

they are presumed to behave and use language in new ways (Wagner, 1979).

2.5.1.3 John Dewey and his theories

John Dewey became one of the most influential educational theorists and philosophers of

the twentieth century (http://dewey.pragmatism.org). John Dewey proposed student-

centered classrooms, activity based learning, and cross-curricular lessons before they

became important issues in current national curricula. He had stated that students should

learn to be problem solvers and learn by being participants in their learning (Hurley, in:

Mcgreal, 1999). Dewey understood students needed to be interested and engaged in the

classroom in order to maximize their learning. His theories on learning and how schools

should be maximizing learning potential are still mainstream theories and educational

philosophies today (Hurley, in: Mcgreal, 1999). The notion that learning occurs best

through doing, not by just doing drills has become an underlying theory in many current

pedagogies including Mantle of the Expert (Dewey, 1999).

John Dewey’s ideals of education appear to support Mantle of the Expert. His theory on

‘students being problem solvers and learning by being participants in their learning not just

receiving the knowledge, reflects what Mantle of the Expert is trying to do. Heathcote and

Bolton (1996) expressed this idea when they wrote, “mantle provides a centre for all

knowledge in which knowledge is operated on, not just taken in.” Mantle of the Expert

reflects Dewey’s idea that students only learn by being engaged and interested in their

learning. Mantle of the Expert promotes engagement because it harnesses children’s

enthusiasm and ability for imagining (Edmiston, in www.mantleoftheexpert.com;

18

Heathcote, 2009). Dorothy Heathcote stated that learning occurs in Mantle of the Expert

through students solving problems in the episodes that the teacher supplies them with

(Heathcote, 2009; Heathcote and Bolton, 1995).

2.5.1.4 Multiple intelligences

Howard Gardner developed the theory of multiple intelligences in 1983 (Armstrong, 2009;

Gardner, 1983, 2000). He suggested that the theory of intelligence testing or IQ tests that

prevailed were very limited in their scope. The theories only identified numeracy and

literacy intelligences, which did not allow for people to be intelligent in other areas

(Gardner, 1983, 2000). Gardner initially proposed seven intelligences, but he revised his

theory to identify another intelligence (Armstrong, 2009). He explains that these different

intelligences account for a greater range of human potential in children and adults.

Linguistic or verbal intelligence refers to a student’s ability to use words and language to

communicate effectively. Students learn through saying, hearing, and seeing words

(Armstrong, 2009; Gardner, 1983, 2000). Logical or mathematical intelligence refers to

the student’s ability to use reason, logic and numbers conceptually. Students learn through

categorizing, classifying, and working out abstract patterns and relationships (Armstrong,

2009; Gardner, 1983, 2000). Spatial or visual intelligence is the ability to perceive the

visual and think in the physical space. Students, who are strong in spatial intelligence,

have strongly developed skills in sketching, creating and constructing (Armstrong, 2009;

Gardner, 1983, 2000). Kinesthetic intelligence is the ability to control body movements

and express oneself through movement. Students, who have strong kinesthetic

intelligence, are strong at dancing, balance, sports and acting (Armstrong, 2009; Gardner,

1983, 2000). Musical or rhythmic intelligence is the ability to produce or appreciate

music. Students, with strong musical intelligence learn using rhythms, melodies and music

(Armstrong, 2009; Gardner, 1983, 2000). Interpersonal intelligence is the ability to relate

to and understand others. Students, who have strong interpersonal skills, have developed

skills in listening, empathy, counseling and organising (Armstrong, 2009; Gardner, 1983,

2000). Intrapersonal intelligence is the ability to understand oneself and self-reflect.

Students, who have strong intrapersonal skills, like learning independently and pursuing

personal projects (Armstrong, 2009; Gardner, 1983, 2000). The last and newest

intelligence is Naturalist intelligence. Naturalist students learn best through interactions

with the environment. They are able to recognise plants, animals, clouds and other

different parts of the environment (Armstrong, 2009; Gardner, 1983, 2000). Howard

19

Gardener (1983) stated that schools, in the 1970s and early 1980s, focused mainly on

linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligences. The prevailing thought at the time stated

that people who were strong in one or both of these intelligences were intelligent. This did

not allow for adults or children who were strong in the other intelligences to shine. Dr.

Gardner argues that society should recognise the gifts of people who are strong in the other

intelligences: the artists, musicians, designers, dancers, entrepreneurs and the other people

who enrich the world we live in. Although many schools are now trying to reflect

‘multiple intelligences’, most have to adhere to the objectives of their national curricula.

Unfortunately not all curricula allow for the redesigning of objectives to allow for multiple

intelligences. Curricula and schools are test and assessment based, and these tests rely on

the traditional intelligences of linguistic and logical-mathematical. Schools are more

concerned with standardisation and homogenisation than with the cultivation of

individualism (Eisner, 2004).

Mantle of the Expert as a pedagogy could be a close fit for a school wishing to adhere to

and base a system of learning around multiple intelligences. Through careful planning a

teacher would be able to create any number of episodes of learning to explore all multiple

intelligences through one Mantle of the Expert unit (Heathcote and Bolton, 1995). Mantle

of the Expert approach lends itself well to all areas of learning, enabling students to

become agents of their own learning (www.bigfoot-theatre.co.uk). Greenwood and Brown

(2004) explained how Mantle of the Expert could manipulate learning in order to challenge

students to take responsibility for their learning across a range of intelligences, particularly

intrapersonal and interpersonal. Allana Taylor (www.mantleoftheexpert.com) clearly states

that Mantle of the Expert enhances the use of multiple intelligences, especially

interpersonal intelligence and intrapersonal intelligence. She highlights how Mantle of the

Expert can improve a student’s interpersonal skills by increasing social awareness of others

in the group; and individuals in the real world through playing the role of experts.

2.5.2 Mantle of the Expert and educational theories

The above sections argue that Mantle of the Expert is congruent to many educational

theorists and theories prevalent in today’s educational world. It is argued that it is through

students taking on roles of experts, that they are able to learn how to think and solve

problems independently. When a teacher plans and develops a unit of Mantle of the

Expert, he or she could create episodes for each multiple intelligence. Episodes have a

relevant and motivating purpose, which give students ownership over their learning

20

(Taylor, http://www.mantleoftheexpert.com), which is something John Dewey suggested

schools should be doing. He stated that students should be dealing with problems that arise

out of real situations (Hurley, in: Mcgreal, 1999). Mantle of the Expert creates zones of

proximal development, as Lev Vygotsky (1978) suggests in “Mind in Society”.

Communities of inquiry and learning are established as a normal course of Mantle of the

Expert (Taylor, http://www.mantleoftheexpert.com; Heathcote, 2009; Heathcote and

Bolton, 1996). The classroom acts as a community of learning because the whole class

works to solve the commission from the client.

If Mantle of the Expert is able to access the theories as argued above, then it could be the

dominant pedagogy in the future. The study will now look at how Mantle of the Expert

works.

2.5.3 How does Mantle of the Expert work?

Gavin Bolton has proclaimed Mantle of the Expert to be:

[…] the most sophisticated enlightened approach to education to have been devised and that the future generations will benefit from its philosophy and practice (Heathcote and Bolton, 1995: 192).

Mantle of the Expert creates imaginary communities in the classroom. Dorothy Heathcote

(2009) talks about how the students leave their lunch boxes and school bags in the

cloakroom; it uses the power of drama to shift the contexts of the classroom. She states

that Mantle of the Expert rewards the children’s curiosity of knowing and gets rid of the

fear of being wrong. Mantle of the Expert supplies a powerful structure of experiencing

being an adult, making decisions as an adult, but within controllable domains. Mantle of

the Expert lets the class experience being experts without leaving the classroom

(Heathcote, 2009). Consequently, it is more than the teacher telling the students “today we

are going to be experts” (Heathcote and Bolton, 1995). Dorothy Heathcote (2002)

compared Mantle of the Expert to conventional curriculum work. She used metaphors of a

river as compared to a highway or railway. Mantle of the Expert is the river, tributaries

feeding into an estuary where the many different aspects or episodes of the work achieved

a wide interrelated understanding of many different subjects within the curriculum

(Heathcote, 2002). Heathcote (2002) described the traditional method of teaching as the

highway. She explains that one ‘solution’ follows another ‘solution’ in strict linear format.

She says teachers are more comfortable with this form of progression as it is more

21

controllable and orderly (Heathcote, 2002).

Heathcote (2002) identifies seven elements that must be present to maintain and preserve

the Mantle of the Expert unit. These elements interact with each other throughout the

whole Mantle of the Expert unit.

The first element is that the teacher must establish behaving ‘as if we are experts’

(Heathcote, 2002). This puts the students into the now time of the drama. This changes the

students view from I do to I am doing (Heathcote, 2009). This element puts the students

into the role of people running or organising some form of enterprise. The element lets the

students see the tasks put to them from within. The students enjoy taking on responsibility

because the element of play is inherent in all their work (Heathcote, 2002). It is this notion

of play that allows the students to make mistakes without the fear that making mistakes

usually carry.

The second element relates to the enterprise that is selected by the teacher for the Mantle of

the Expert unit (Heathcote, 2002). The teacher must be aware of areas of curriculum study

he or she wishes the students to access during the course of the mantle unit. This is

because there are eight different types of enterprises that Heathcote (2002) has identified.

A different type of client employs each different type of enterprise, which in turn creates

different demands on the language, thinking and research areas of the students (Heathcote,

2002). The teacher selects the enterprise that best accesses the learning objects that need to

be covered. All enterprises will use the students’ linguistic and mathematical skills.

Through interaction with each other on a social level, the interpersonal and intrapersonal

skills will be exercised. Each enterprise will reveal the ‘social capital’ of the class, as the

students are required to help each other.

The third element is: the teacher has to begin the mantle as if the ‘enterprise’ already has a

history (Heathcote, 2002). The students enter an enterprise that already exists in some

form. They enter at a new point in its development, whether it is a new client or moving

into a new premises (Heathcote, 2002). Tasks will need to be done immediately; therefore,

the students begin to become socially invested in the enterprise. In this way they create

belief in what they are doing. Towler-Evans (cited in Davis, 1997) approached this entry

process by first explaining that the teacher should not say ‘today we are going to be in role

as experts’. She advises that the entry process into Mantle of the Expert experience is

about ‘inviting’ the students to wear the mantle (Towler-Evans cited in Davis, 1997). In

22

this early stage of the mantle, the teacher is modeling the type of language and behaviour

that will be necessary to maintain the mantle (Heathcote, 2002). This is also an important

time to transform the classroom into the mantle’s working environment. When the

students are directly involved in transforming their classroom into their fictional

environment, they will act more responsibly towards the mantle.

After the students have invested their belief in the mantle environment, it is time to

introduce the client. The client commissions the students to tackle a problem. The client

gives the students purpose for their work and a reason for their studying of Geography or

History, which sometimes can be lacking in traditional classrooms. The client builds

productive tension (Taylor, 2005). This tension may be positive, when the client is

perceived as a good person who wants to help society. The tension could be negative as

well, maybe the client wishes the experts to do something that is only in the client’s best

interests. The students will have to make decisions whether to satisfy the client, or try to

change the client’s mind, or even work against the client. One of the things that the client

provides is a need for clear communication. The communication will take many forms; it

could be verbal, written or visual. This will help the various learning styles of the children.

It is the sense of purpose that the client brings that stimulates commitment from the

students.

The fourth element is the establishment of the enterprise through tasks (Heathcote, 2002).

It is very important to set up tasks that will build belief in the enterprise. These tasks are

set to give the experts ownership of the enterprise. The opening tasks are important

because from them all future tasks flow (Heathcote, 2002). The teacher plans for these

tasks ahead of beginning the mantle unit. Thus, the teacher is able to select the areas of the

curriculum in which the mantle will begin. How the mantle unit develops after the initial

stage depends on the inventiveness of the teacher and the students combined.

The fifth element is the boundaries of time and scope (Heathcote, 2002). These boundaries

are mandatory to the running of the mantle. The teacher sets these boundaries and they

may not be questioned. Heathcote (2008) affirms that it is the mandatory elements, not the

teacher, that directly affects the behaviour of those running the enterprise. The boundaries

of the mantle are set in the initial invitation from the client. The boundaries might be

restrictions such as the timeframe of the unit and the final product or service that the client

wishes. This will focus the students’ work as experts.

23

The sixth element is progressing the mantle work based on doing tasks set by the teacher

(Heathcote, 2002). The students’ concern drives the mantle forward and the teacher

creates continual challenges for the students to overcome together (Heathcote, 2002). The

teacher must devise ways for each task to be active and facilitate students’ learning in

different ways. The tasks can challenge the different areas outlined by Gardner’s multiple

intelligences. This would allow different members of the class to shine throughout the

mantle unit, instead of the unit being controlled by a small number of students who may be

strong linguistically or logically-mathematically.

The final and seventh element needed for success is the way the teacher uses language with

the students (Heathcote, 2002). Mantle of the Expert is the land of ‘what if’ (Heathcote

and Bolton, 1995). The word ‘if’ or the implication of ‘if’ must be introduced early so the

students do not think they are actually going to make a product or run the service. The

object of a Mantle of the Expert unit is never to actually make a product (Heathcote and

Bolton, 1995). Teachers need to use vocabulary that models the way the students are

expected to use language in the structure of the mantle unit. The teacher must refer to the

hypothetical: “What if we…?” or “I wonder if the client wants…” (Wolf, 2009).

Heathcote and Bolton (1995) justify the need for hypothetical language as “raising the

curtain”; it lets the students peek into the stage where the mantle will be taking place. It is

to begin to engage their interest in the impending unit of work that is important. There are

two factors that influence the language used by the teacher to make the mantle more

palatable for the students (Towler-Evans, 2007). The first element specifies that the

teacher needs to speak in the moment. When the language is used this way, it creates an

understanding of the active, urgent and purposeful view of learning. This different use of

language is essential to the success of the mantle (Wolf, 2009). The second element is

being able to use ‘colleague talk’ as opposed to ‘teacher talk’. One of the key words the

teacher needs to use is the word ‘we’. This word indicates that the tasks of the enterprise

are shared as colleagues’, not just assigned by the teacher (Wolf, 2009). The way the

teacher and students are talking to each other allows for the roles that the teacher will need

to play within the context of mantle. Heathcote in her podcasts (2009) identified three

roles or voices. These voices create the power shift in the classroom: the teacher is no

longer the holder of knowledge and becomes the enabler of learning (Heathcote, 2009):

The first voice invites collaboration between the students and the teacher as

24

colleagues. The teacher would use such pronouns such as we, us and our. This voice

is called the Managerial Voice.

The second voice is that of the watchful guide. The guide’s voice points the way

forward for the class. The guide’s voice is very important when the flow of the

mantle is slowing down. The teacher uses this voice to guide the students’ learning

towards the particular areas of the curriculum that he or she wishes the students to

study.

The third voice is the others voice. This voice represents all the other voices that

may be needed during the course of the mantle. Heathcote (2009) explains that all

three voices are essential to preserve the active time of the mantle. The voices re-

enforce the image of the enterprise for the students.

Wolf (2009) explains that ‘teacher out-of-role’ is also important within a mantle. When

the teacher is ‘out-of-role’, he or she will be able to steer the direction of the unit more

directly than the guide’s voice. Heathcote and Bolton (1995) explain how both teacher in-

role and teacher out-of-role are important and essential to any Mantle of the Expert. They

contrasted the value of each for the class and mantle. Teacher in-role encourages healthy

student and teacher communication; furthermore it strengthens the validity of the mantle.

Teacher out-of-role foreshadow the adventure and power of the drama. Both are essential

(Heathcote and Bolton, 1995: 30).

2.5.4 Challenges in using Mantle of the Expert

Allana Taylor (2006) states that one of the major challenges in using Mantle of the Expert

is the relinquishing of power in the classroom. The Mantle of the Expert approach requires

the students and teachers to co-construct the knowledge gained in the classroom. This is

against the traditional educational paradigm where the teacher is the sole holder of

knowledge and the students receive that knowledge. Teachers may not be ready to trust

their students to independently construct knowledge. There is also a similar problem for

the students. The students may not be ready to take responsibility if it is something they

have not had experience of before.

Many of the challenges for the implementation of Mantle of the Expert relate to the

dramatic nature of the approach. Drama is considered synonymous with creative dramatics

and drama games (Scheurer, 1996). Scheurer (1996) goes on to say that many teachers

25

believe drama is about drama games and play production. Curricula are already crowded

with traditional subjects such as literacy and numeracy, as well as the added pressure of

preparing students for standardised tests. Drama is seen as an extra subject, it is the extra

half an hour in the weekly timetable that can be used to finish class work. Drama has an

image of being a difficult subject to teach, that only talented dramatic teachers are able to

teach. Some teachers believe they do not have enough talent to teach it correctly

(Scheurer, 1996). There is even a thought that drama teachers are born rather than made

(Wagner, 1979). Many teachers are intimidated by classroom drama (O’Neill, 1989).

Mantle of the Expert requires the teacher to step into role and out-of-role, if teachers are

shy then their interactions with the students in-role will not be convincing. Subsequently,

students will not take ownership of the mantle and the whole purpose of mantle will be

defeated. Teachers who believe drama is for the dramatic type teachers will see Mantle of

the Expert as too much of a challenge for them to use in the classroom.

Mantle of the Expert is an approach that takes time to fully develop, so some teachers

believe that they do not have enough time to complete a unit. Teachers will experience

this problem if they do not work out a way to integrate the mantle unit into normal subject

time during the week.

One challenge of Mantle of the Expert stems from the creator of it all, Dorothy Heathcote.

The researcher has personal experience of this challenge. Dorothy Heathcote seems to be

able to prepare and organise amazing amounts of things for her students to use. She

overwhelms observers with what she prepares for her mantle units. Teachers may think

that is what a mantle unit requires, and might assume they do not have the time. This

challenge can be alleviated by access to training and access to weekend courses

(www.mantleoftheexpert.com). This type of training is not widely available across the

globe. This kind of close support is only available in Great Britain, which makes it

challenging for international educators. A further challenge is how to assess the success of

a Mantle of the Expert unit of work.

2.5.5 Assessment and Mantle of the Expert

Most of the current assessment methods available for teachers, only value individual

performance. Mantle of the Expert is mainly a group-based activity. Learning is achieved

through communities of inquiry and each student utilises multiple intelligences. Teachers

26

are left with the problem of how to successfully assess the unit. Heathcote and Bolton

(1995:18) state that individual students should be aware of what they are learning as they

continually record and assess new skills.

A new model of Assessing Pupils’ Progress provides a framework to assess the students

written work, both in-role and out-of-role (Stamp-Dod, 2009). This framework has leveled

criteria; it is leveled against National Curriculum standardised levels. The trouble with this

is that it is limited to the individually produced pieces of work. The Assessing Pupils’

Progress framework still does not allow for the assessment of group work.

The Mantle of the Expert website (http://www.mantleoftheexpert.com) highlights research

and theories put forward by Professor Mary James of the London Institute of Education

(http://www.mantleoftheexpert.com). She suggests a model she names Third Generation,

or simply 3G assessment. Professor James proposes three levels of assessment. The first

generation of assessment is assessing and learning what is taught. This level, or

generation, is where traditional assessment practices of standardised testing are put. The

second generation is assessing and learning as individual sense-making. This generation of

assessment is still individualised assessment, but it is more concerned with the student’s

ability to solve problems by applying what they know. This generation of assessment still

relies on linguistic and logical intelligences. Tasks included in this generation may be

extended essays, open-ended assignments and course work. The third generation is

assessing learning as building knowledge, as part of doing things with others (James,

http://www.mantleoftheexpert.com). James highlighted many underpinnings of the third

generation that directly relate to Mantle of the Expert. Third generation requires learning

to involve both thought and action. Another requirement that reflects Mantle of the Expert

is: learning is distributed within the social group. Third generation states that the

individual internalises the collective knowledge of the group. James

(http://www.mantleoftheexpert.com) explains that as an individual creates new knowledge,

he or she will then externalise it when communicating it to others who will put it to use and

then internalise it. This is one of the ways knowledge is transmitted within Mantle of the

Expert. It is the basis of the community of inquiry and zones of proximal development,

which were explored as theories underpinning Mantle of the Expert earlier in the chapter.

James (www.mantleoftheexpert.com) affirms that Third Generation assessment needs

future research to be affective in the education system.

27

2.6 Summary

This chapter began by suggesting there has been a phenomenal growth in the number of

international schools across the globe. A number of reasons were identified for this

growth, from war and the exploitation of the Earth’s natural resources to franchising. The

growth of international schools results in competition, which drives the need to prove that

the schools provide a high quality of education. International Schools are able to join an

association for Accreditation that allows schools to prove they provide a quality education.

There are also other ways for international schools to differentiate themselves from other

international schools. One of the ways is to offer an international curriculum. The two

most popular curricula are the International Baccalaureate Organisation curricula and the

International Primary Curriculum. The International Primary Curriculum and International

Baccalaureate curricula, as well as the British National Curricula, have very similar

purposes and goals.

The North-South Centre of the Council of Europe, officially named the European Centre

for Global Interdependence and Solidarity, states that:

Global education is an umbrella term for pedagogical concepts related to the realities of today’s world. It is therefore an open, ongoing, multidimensional concept of timely general education. Beyond that, it is also regarded as a collective, holistic response to the historical challenge of supporting active global citizens in creating and recreating a different, more equal, just, peaceful and sustainable world based on solidarity (http://www.coe.int).

In an effort to explore suitable pedagogical models, which could be used to deliver

the humanising and holistic aims of international curricula, this chapter explored the

potential of drama in education, and specifically focused on an approach called

Mantle of the Expert.

Gavin Bolton describes Mantle of the Expert as:

[…] the most sophisticated enlightened approach to education to have been devised and that the future generations will benefit from its philosophy and practice (Heathcote and Bolton, 1995: 192).

This study will test out the claims of Mantle of the Expert proponents to see whether it is

successful in an international setting. Mantle of the Expert will be measured against the

aims of the international curricula to see whether it is fit for use in the International School

28

system.

The next chapter will describe the research methods used in the planning, implementation

and evaluation of a Mantle of the Expert programme in an international school in Thailand.

29

Chapter Three: Research Methods

3.1 Introduction

This chapter will outline the research methods available to me, and why I choose the

methods I did. It will describe the research environment and the participants in my study.

The particular Mantle of the Expert unit devised will be described. The data collection

methods will be analysed for validity and bias. I will begin with the difference between

the two main research methodologies: quantitative and qualitative research.

3.2 Educational research

There are two dominant varieties of research strategy available within the field of

educational research. These are quantitative research and qualitative research (Bryman,

2008). Each has a number of ways of gathering data. Researchers must decide on the

main focus of their studies, then choose whichever methods of data gathering best suits

their needs, and research questions.

3.2.1 Quantitative research – strength in numbers

Quantitative data is largely number based. Quantitative research methods try to quantify

the research questions. Fred Kerlinger, a qualitative researcher, stated “There is no such

thing as qualitative data. Everything is either 1 or 0” (Miles and Huberman, 1994: 40).

What he was explaining is that quantitative research operates on the basis of everything

being right or not right. I agree with Kerlinger in that the answer to certain closed

questions will be ‘yes’ or ‘no’. But this is a limited view because it does not account for

why people feel the way they do, or what has happened in their past to shape their opinion

in the present.

Quantitative research is useful to test certain hypotheses, or to see whether there is an

agreement on particular issues being researched (Mora, 2010). Mora (2010) explains that

quantitative data can be used to identify characteristics of relevant groups of people.

Quantitative research is about asking people for their opinions in a structured way so hard

data and statistics can be produced. To get reliable quantifiable data, it is very important to

survey fairly large numbers and make sure they are representative of the research area.

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Quantitative research data is gathered primarily by surveys and questionnaires (Hara,

1995). The data can be gathered using face-to-face surveys with a clipboard, telephone

surveys, mail or e-mail, using survey websites such as www.surveymonkey.com.

Facebook, Linkedin and other popular social networking websites, offer new ways to link

with potential survey participants. A common way in which surveys are measured is by

using scales. The most widely used scale is the Likert Scale (Malhotra, and Peterson,

2006). In educational research the Likert Scale can be used as an assessment strategy that

can measure a student’s growth or feelings on a certain subject.

There are disadvantages to quantitative research (Hara, 1995). Hara (1995) states that one

inherent weakness in quantitative research is that the researcher’s viewpoint is not

considered. The previous quote from Kerlinger, ‘everything is either 1 or 0’, can be used

to explain another weakness, it does not take into account the complex nature of the human

mind. The quantitative method can be criticised as simplifying assumptions to allow data

analysis. This needs to be taken into consideration when applying it to an international

school situation, as the classroom may have many different influences, languages and

beliefs, which would not be accounted for with a large survey.

Quantitative research understands the ‘what is happening’ but does not account for the

‘why it is so’. This disadvantage is addressed using a qualitative data sampling method.

3.2.2 Qualitative research – size does not matter

Campbell (Miles and Huberman, 1994: 40) argues that all research essentially has a

qualitative grounding. This is almost the direct opposite position to Kerlinger, which is no

surprise as there is an argument by the quantitative researchers that qualitative research is

not scientific enough. While quantitative methods mostly deal with numbers and statistics,

qualitative methods deal with words, pictures or objects. Qualitative research aims to

show a selected group range of behaviour and tries to explore or examine the reasons

behind it. Qualitative research is essentially exploratory (Mora, 2010). Mora (2010)

explains that researchers use it when they do not know what to expect. Qualitative

methods can be employed to probe deeper into issues of interest and investigate, which

means qualitative research is richer that quantitative data, because the researcher becomes

more immersed in the subject matter he or she is researching (Miles and Huberman, 1994).

31

The design unfolds as the study continues; in fact the researcher becomes the research tool

(Neill, 2007). The researcher has many types of tools available with which to conduct the

data collection. Data can be gathered using focus groups, triads, dyads, in-depth

interviews, observations, online forums, social networking sites, blogs and diaries (Mora,

2010). Data gathering sessions may be conducted in person, by telephone or via the

internet. Qualitative research has a number of strengths. It is a highly flexible way to

research. The researcher is able to use a variety of tools to complete the data gathering.

The researcher may change the method design as the research develops (Neill, 2007). The

research structure and direction can be quickly altered as new information emerges

(Anderson, 2010). One strength that is very useful when conducting educational research

is that the researcher is able to interact with research candidates in their own language and

on their own terms (Kirk and Miller, 1986). Qualitative data facilitates taking context into

account when it comes to analysis.

There are weaknesses that a researcher should be aware of before conducting data

gathering. Qualitative research produces soft data, not hard physical data like quantitative

research (Charoenruk, http://utcc2.utcc.ac.th). Analysis of qualitative data can often be

time consuming because qualitative questions can be interpreted in different ways

(http://www.southalabama.edu). This means that not all in a sample will answer the

questions in the expected manner.

3.2.3 Mixed methods design

Historically, researchers positioned themselves at one end of the research continuum

(Hammersley, 1992). They have had to use quantitative or qualitative methods to gather

and analyse data. When a researcher subscribes solely to either approach, he or she not

only is able to avail of the strengths of that method but the researcher must also deal with

the weaknesses. It is the weaknesses that will impact upon the validity of the data.

Johnson and Onwuegbuzie (2004) wrote that both qualitative and quantitative paradigms

are important and useful in educational research. Johnson and Onwuegbuzie (2004)

supported the third paradigm of mixed method research. The goal of mixed method

research is not to replace either quantitative or qualitative methods, but rather to draw from

the strengths of both while minimizing the weaknesses (Johnson and Onwuegbuzie, 2004).

Cohen et al (2000) argue that researchers should realise that qualitative and quantitative

methods compliment each other, as numbers and meaning can be merged to enhance the

32

research data. It is inclusive, pluralistic, and complementary, and it suggests that

researchers should take a multifaceted approach when conducting their research (Johnson

and Onwuegbuzie, 2004).

This study will use a qualitative research design owing to the nature of its focus. The initial

questionnaire however will use both closed and open style questions. The first part of the

questionnaire will include statements using the Likert Scale. The last section of the

questionnaire will include open-ended questions to elicit the students’ feelings about

Geography and Drama. The study will use a qualitative design, employing a limited form

of action research which is particularly well suited to Mantle of the Expert.

3.3 Action Research

Action Research is known by many other terms, including participatory research,

collaborative inquiry, and action learning (O’Brien, 1994). Action research allows the

researcher to be a participant in the research. Action research is influenced by the need to

improve and understand the world by changing it and learning by studying the effects of

the changes (Kemmis and McTaggart, 1992). What separates this type of research from

general professional duties, consulting, or daily problem solving is the emphasis on

scientific study, which is to say the researcher studies the problem systematically and

ensures the intervention is informed by theoretical considerations (O’Brien, 1994).

O’Brien (1994) went on to explain several ways in which action research is different from

other types of research. O’Brien (1994) states that the primary difference is that action

research turns the people involved into researchers themselves because people learn best

by doing things themselves. Action research has a social dimension, because the research

takes place in real-world situations and aims to find solutions to real problems (O’Brien,

1994). Southard (2006) explained action research in an educational sense. She described

action researchers as ‘researchers who undertake a study because they want to know

whether they can do something in a better way’. Southard (2006) argued that action

research is concerned with changing situations, not just interpreting them as with other

methods of research.

33

Southard (2006) outlined two categories of action research. One category is descriptive,

which is research that is being conducted to find out what is currently occurring. The other

category is quasi-experimental, this is research conducted to test a hypothesis.

Action research is cyclical in nature. First, the researcher identifies a problem or a

hypothesis. After identification, the next step is to plan and take action. The researcher

should plan an intervention to the current situation. He or she may implement a unit of

Fig 3.1 Action Research Cycle diagram

work, or take a focus group for extended work. After the intervention or action stage, the

researcher should observe any changes as a result of the action taken. Once all the

available data has been collected, then the researcher evaluates and analyses the data.

Possible improvements are then suggested and planned. Following this first cycle, the

researcher should be able to identify improvements that could be made to the original

intervention. Once the improvements are made, the second cycle begins. After the

evaluation of the second cycle, the researcher would adjust any improvements for practical

implementation on a larger scale. This would be the third and final cycle. By following

the three cycles, researchers are able to design an effective change for the better in ones

own field of work (O’Brien, 1994; Southard 2006). This process can be seen in Fig 3.1

(above) created by Stephen Kemmis found in O’Brien (1994) and Southard (2006).

34

This study will follow the model of action research. It will follow the quasi-experimental

category, identified by Southard (2006). The study will test a hypothesis that a dramatic

intervention will succeed in an international setting. Due to time constraints, in this study

only one cycle will be completed.

3.4 Research questions

The overall aim of this study is to explore the use of Dorothy Heathcote’s ‘Mantle of the

Expert’ in an international school. The first goal will be to match Mantle of the Expert

with the purposes and goals of both the International Primary Curriculum and the

International Baccalaureate Organisation’s Primary Years Programme. This study will

focus on the targets and principles that were identified as being in common between the

two curricula. These are:

to develop independent life-long learners

Research question:

Can Mantle of the Expert enable the development of independent learning

skills?

to develop internationally minded students

Research question:

Will a Mantle of the Expert programme allow students in an international

school setting to develop an understanding of other cultures?

to develop good citizens

Research question:

Can working through Mantle of the Expert encourage the development of

the social capital of the class?

The second goal of the study is to examine whether Mantle of the Expert can reflect the

educational theories underpinning it as a serious pedagogical option for use in an

international classroom. The study will examine these theories:

35

Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development

Research question

Does Mantle of the Expert allow the development of peer tutoring?

John Dewey and his student centred classrooms and activity based learning

Research question

Does Mantle of the Expert generate enthusiasm for learning with different

activity based episodes?

Howard Gardner and Multiple intelligences

Research question

Does Mantle of the Expert enable students to develop confidence to

participate in class, by using different skills in different episodes?

The final area this study will explore is the use of Mantle of the Expert by International

Classroom Teachers who are not drama specialists.

International Classroom Teachers and Mantle of the Expert

Research question

Can Mantle of the Expert be used by international classroom teachers who

have little or no experience of drama?

3.5 Data collection

This study will use a range of research instruments to assess and explore the research

questions above. Questionnaires will be used at the beginning of the unit for baseline

assessment. Once the unit is completed questionnaires will also be used as a way to find

answers to the research questions. Interviews will be conducted with a smaller focus

group, representative of the whole class. The focus group interviews will be in the form of

informal open interviews before the Mantle of the Expert unit begins. The focus group

will also be interviewed upon completion of the unit. Observations will be part of the on-

going assessment of the unit. These observations will be written down in a researcher’s

journal. The students will be encouraged to keep drama diaries to track their own learning.

36

3.5.1 Literature review

Chapter Two of this study is based on a review of the literature that is available

internationally in the pertinent areas of the research being conducted. A literature review

is an account of what has been published on a topic by accredited scholars and researchers

(Cohen et al, 2000; McMillian and Schumacher, 1997:119). McMillan and Schumacher

(1997) further state that a literature review critiques the status of the knowledge available

in a carefully defined topic. The literature review can help define the research questions

for the researcher by identifying any gaps in the current knowledge and emphasising any

old issues (Loxley, 2006).

The researcher will carry out the literature review using a variety of sources, both primary

and secondary. The Internet will be a major source of information for this study. Areas

for the literature review will be international schools and international education, the

reason for the growth in international schools, what curricula the international schools use,

theories underpinning international education, independent learning. The researcher will

also conduct a literature review of drama and drama in education. The last section of the

literature review will cover Mantle of the Expert, theories underpinning Mantle of the

Expert, the benefits and drawbacks of Mantle of the Expert. There will be cross-

referencing where and when appropriate.

3.5.2 Questionnaires

Questionnaires are an extremely useful tool for any researcher to use while conducting a

study. Questionnaires allow participants, who are shy in face-to-face interviews, time to

respond to questions without pressure of an interview. Loxley (2006) stated that a

questionnaire can act as the researcher’s proxy; the questionnaire is able to gather data for

the researcher without the researcher having to be present. The respondents, noting their

opinions, gather quantitative data. This can be in the form of ticking boxes or rating

responses to a statement. Questionnaires pose questions for the respondent to answer, a

space is often provided for an answer. One of the biggest benefits, when using the

questionnaire, is that the data is almost effortless to quantify and straightforward to analyse

(Wilson and McLean, 1994). Questionnaires are an inexpensive way to reach a potentially

large number of respondents, although the number of respondents relies solely on the

amount of people who actually take the questionnaire. Loxley (2006) affirmed that the

37

gathering of data through questionnaires is the most commonly used method of inquiry.

Questionnaires are easy to administer, especially using Internet websites such as

www.surveymonkey.com. Oppenheim (1992) stated that with careful construction the

questions can elicit opinions as well as factual information.

The quality of data received and the analysis of the data depend on the construction of the

questionnaire. There must be clarity and consistency throughout the whole questionnaire.

Cohen et al (2005) argued that when working with young students the questionnaire must

look easy, attractive, interesting to complete, and a simple design is necessary.

Construction of a questionnaire should be viewed as a multi-stage process beginning with

defining the objectives and ending with the analysis of the data

(http://www.cc.gatech.edu). It is important to consider what type of questions to ask when

designing the questionnaire. The questions can use open-ended or closed questions.

Closed questions often take the form of multiple-choice questions

(http://www.cc.gatech.edu). One major advantage that closed format questions have over

open format questions is that closed format help the researcher eliminate extreme answers

often found in open-format questionnaires (http://www.cc.gatech.edu). Open-ended

questions provide the respondent with space to answer the questions. Open-ended

questions allow for the respondents to express their own thoughts and opinions. This is

where the gems of information are found (Cohen et al, 2005). The open-ended questions

are more qualitative in nature because of the range of different answers the questions might

receive.

The questionnaires used in this study will offer a balance between open-ended questions

and closed questions. The closed questions will use the Likert scale. It is anticipated that

three questionnaires will be issued during the study. One will be given to the students as a

pre-unit questionnaire (see appendix two); this will gather baseline data to analyse

students’ attitudes towards studying Geography at school. The questionnaire will also

gather data on the students’ understanding of Geography. One more questionnaire will be

issued at the beginning of the study; this questionnaire will be for the parents of the focus

group (see appendix three). The parents’ questionnaire will provide the study with another

source of data; which will help with triangulation. The parents’ questionnaire will generate

data relating to the students’ attitude towards school while at home. The questionnaire will

gather data relating to whether the students talk at home about school. The students will be

38

given the same questionnaire at the end of the unit; this will highlight any change in the

students’ opinion upon completion of the Mantle of the Expert unit.

One important process that should not be left out is piloting the questionnaire (Loxley et al,

2002). Piloting a questionnaire means the draft questionnaire is given to a group of non-

participants to determine the correct level of language for the questionnaire. The non-

participant group should be representative of the participants in the actual survey (Loxley

et al, 2002).

3.5.3 Observations

Observation is the gathering of visual data in the normal situation where the research is

being carried out. Observational data is used to provide a description of the activities and

people, and is considered by Robson (2002:190) to be an obvious technique since students’

actions and behaviour are central to any enquiry. Cohen et al (2000) argue that

observations are superior to any other form of data collection while studying the non-

verbal. Researchers should not ignore this statement, because one study into

communication found that 55% of all communication is non-verbal or body-language

(www.superbodylanguage.com).

There are two main strategies when recording observational data, participant and non-

participant observation. Participant observation is where the researcher observes the

behaviour and actions of the group from within the group as a participant in the activities

(Robson, 1993). Non-participant observation is when the researcher is not a member of the

group (Robson, 1993). The degree of involvement moves from one of ‘complete

participation’ to one of ‘complete detachment’. In research, the ‘complete participant’

takes on an insider role in the group being studied and may not admit to being a researcher.

This raises ethical questions about covert research.

This study will use both forms of observational research. Participant observations will be

taken to record how the students react to dramatic elements that are injected into the unit.

Participant observation will allow the researcher to feel the social capital building from

within the group. Observations will be recorded in the researcher’s journal (transcribed see

appendix six). The journal will be organised chronologically, as each lesson happens, to

39

allow for adroit analysis at a further date. Detailed observations of what took place during

the lesson as well as any particular interesting occurrences will be recorded as they happen.

The class teachers will be non-participant observers, recording into a journal their

impressions of the lessons and any impact of these on their ordinary geography lessons or

in the classroom in general, what the children are learning and any positive or negative

suggestions they would like to make.

3.5.4 Interviews

Interviews are a flexible and adaptable way to gather information (Robson, 2002).

Interviews involve a more focused line of questioning than a survey or questionnaire.

They offer a chance to follow up on any interesting responses and investigate underlying

motives (Robson, 2002). Bell (1987) argued that a skilful interviewer is able to follow up

on ideas and investigate motives and feelings, which a questionnaire is unable to do.

Interviews can be useful when combined with questionnaires, as interviews can put flesh

on the bones of the questionnaire (Bell, 1987:73). The purpose of an interview is to

understand another person’s perspective (Bell, 1987). Loxley (2006) argued that in order

to gain insight into another person’s personal experiences and emotions on particular

issues, then interviewing will be the only way. Loxley (2006) further stated that during

face-to-face interviews, researchers are able to take note of body language.

Interviews will be conducted in this study as a way to uncover students’ views regarding

the studying of geography and drama. Six students will be selected as a focus group. The

focus group will be selected to be representative of the views of the class. Interviews will

be conducted with the focus group prior to beginning the Mantle of the Expert unit of

work, to ascertain their feelings about geography (see appendix four for interview

questions; see appendix six for transcribed interviews). Interviews will also be conducted

upon completion of the unit to record the students’ feeling about learning geography

through Mantle of the Expert (see appendix ten). The focus group interviews will be

audio recorded and transcribed in the appendices. Interviews will also be conducted with

the participating international teachers to understand their feelings towards using Mantle of

the Expert as an approach to teaching and learning (see appendix eleven).

40

Structured interviews are prepared like questionnaires except that the researcher asks all

respondents the same questions [mostly closed] and ticks the answers. A structured

interview can offer the benefits of both interviews and questionnaires. The interviewees

may be invited to elaborate, may offer additional voluntary information which could prove

valuable, or may display interesting body language.

3.6 Research context

The school is a private co-educational school in the middle of Bangkok, Thailand. The

school is in the ninth year of operation. The programme of study is based on the National

Curriculum of England. The students range from Nursery to Year 13. The school is

accredited through the Council of International Schools and the New England Association

of Schools and Colleges.

A large range of nationalities is represented on the student role. Thirty three nationalities

are represented in total, the top six being Thai, British, Indian, Japanese, American and

Australian. The number of students currently enrolled at the school is approaching 650

students, according to the school website. Pupils are from expatriate transient families;

these families often stay no longer than three or four years. There is also a large number of

fee paying Thai students from high-income families. The language of instruction is

English, the playground language is a mixture of Thai, English and Korean.

Drama is timetabled for one half an hour lesson per week. The researcher has previously

held in-service drama training in the school on how to integrate drama with other

curriculum subjects. The school has just completed building a 350-seat auditorium.

School productions and musical concerts are to be held there each term. Geography units

are taught twice a week for one hour each time. There are two geography units taught in a

year, each consisting of six-week units. There is no geography co-ordinator promoting the

teaching of Geography. The ordering of geography resources is completed by the Head of

Junior School. The method of geography teaching is predominately teacher led

discussions and worksheets.

41

3.6.1 The class profile

The research will be conducted in a Year 6 classroom. There are 19 students in the class,

11 boys and 8 girls. The researcher is their class teacher. There are a mix of nationalities;

Thai, Australian, American, British, Belgian, Dutch, Korean and Malaysian. There are

currently four students receiving learning support for various learning difficulties. Their

academic ability is balanced with 4 high achieving students and 4 requiring special

learning assistance. The class is an outgoing class; it has had drama lessons every week.

The class members have a keen interest in learning drama, and have experience of drama

in education being integrated into their lessons.

3.6.2 The focus group profile

The focus group will consist of six students. Three boys and three girls have been selected

to represent the attitudes and behaviours of the entire class. The students will be chosen

based on the available assessment grades in each subject. Two students from the top

achieving group, two from the middle achieving group and two from the lower achieving

group will be selected. These students are also representative of different personalities,

introvert and extrovert. Each student will be given a pseudonym to protect his or her

identity, while being discussed during the study. They will be known as Ronny, Helen,

Andy, Jenny, Jimmy and Belle. The researcher has included biographical notes on each

focus group member, in the table below.

Table 3.1: Focus group students

Student Alias Age Gender Nationality Notes

A Ronny 11 Male Australian High Academic Ability

Sporty, representative in many school teams.

Likes drama, has been in one school production. Takes the lead in class plays.

B Andy 11 Male American/Thai Average Academic Ability.

Quiet, was an introvert at the beginning of the

42

year.

Doesn’t take part in class often. Doesn’t like to be wrong.

C Jimmy 10 Male British/Thai Low/Average Academic level

Confident boy

Has been in two school productions.

D Helen 11 Female Norwegian/Thai

High Academic ability.

Quiet, doesn’t speak much in class.

Not very outgoing.

Been in a school production.

E Jenny 10 Female Thai Average/High Academic ability.

Quiet, likes to speak Thai when she can.

Speaks Thai at home.

F Belle 10 Female Belgian Low academic ability.

Very outgoing.

Full of confidence.

3.6.3 The participating teachers.

Part of the aim of this study is to research the use of Mantle of the Expert by international

school teachers, who are non-drama specialists. To assess this aim the researcher’s

colleagues will be running the same Mantle of the Expert unit at the same time as the

researcher. The researcher will be interviewing both teachers upon completion of the unit.

Both teachers have previous experience teaching internationally. Both teachers are female

and from England. One teacher does not like doing drama because she is not confident in

performing in front of others. She is the Literacy Co-ordinator for the junior school. The

other teacher has some experience in using drama in education in the classroom but is not

43

confident using it. She is the Key Stage Two co-ordinator. The teachers will be given

pseudonyms to protect their identities; they will be known as Mrs A and Mrs B (see table

3.2 below).

Table 3.2: Teacher Participants

Teacher Alias Male/Female Number of

years teaching

Notes

A Mrs A Female 10 Years Co-ordinater in

School.

Not very

dramatic.

Prefers

Literacy.

B Mrs C Female 5 Years Literacy Co-

ordinater in

school.

Does not feel

confident doing

drama.

3.7 Triangulation

Triangulation is the use of two or more methods of data collection when researching

human behaviour or some aspect of human behaviour (Cohen et al, 2000). Creswell

(2000:196) refers to triangulation as the principal strategy for ensuring the strength of

evidence. When a researcher conducts research, he or she will wish to ensure validity and

reliability of research results. Using triangulation as a method of examining responses

from different viewpoints allows for the validation of the research, which may have

otherwise been subject to bias or criticism from colleagues (Cohen et al, 2000). Cohen et

44

al (2000: 115) mentions that triangulation methods are suitable where a controversial

aspect of education needs to be evaluated.

In this study, the researcher will employ several data collection methods to triangulate the

results. The study follows a qualitative design.

Data collection methods used for the purpose of triangulation will be:

Pre-mantle unit and post-mantle unit student questionnaires.

Interviews with a representative student focus group.

Questionnaires for parents of the focus group.

Observations of lessons noted in a research journal.

Interviews with other teachers teaching the mantle unit.

Analysis of students’ drama diaries.

Interviews with parents of the focus group after the mantle unit.

Observations of the end of unit presentation.

3.8 Reliability and validity

It is important for any research study to be seen as reliable and valid for it to be taken

seriously. The principles of reliability and validity are very important for any

recommendations or conclusions to be acted upon. Cohen et al (2000: 117) state that

reliability is a synonym for consistency and replicability over time, over instruments and

over groups of respondents. However, qualitative research deals with human feelings and

thought; and every classroom, every teacher, every set of learners is different. Therefore, it

is impossible to achieve 100% validity due to the very nature of the respondents (Cohen et

al, 2000). Gronlund (1981) states that validity should be seen as a matter of degree rather

than an absolute state. The researcher must then ensure the maximum amount of reliability

and validity achievable.

In this study, to achieve the utmost amount of reliability and validity, the researcher will

keep the same focus group members throughout the mantle unit. The focus group

members will receive the same pre-unit questionnaire, post-mantle unit questionnaire and

the same interview questions will be asked. The whole class will receive the same pre-

mantle unit and post-mantle unit questionnaire. The researcher’s colleagues will receive

the same explanation of the unit and receive the same mantle unit plan. All three classes

will be given four weeks to bring the unit to completion.

45

3.9 Ethics

Ethics is very important to consider before undertaking any research study, particularly

when dealing with children. Children’s welfare and safety should be the number one

priority when conducting educational research. Cohen et al (2000) explains that ethical

issues may arise from the methods used to obtain research data, or the way the data and

analysis of the data is presented. Cohen et al (2000: 61) advocates that obtaining the

consent and co-operation of subjects who are to assist in the investigations, and of

significant others in the institutions or organisations providing the research facilities, is

essential. Everyone who participates within a research study should be entitled to

confidentiality, this is especially important when researching alongside children.

The researcher will ensure at all times during the research and when reporting, that ethical

issues will be taken into account. Prior to beginning the research, informed consent will be

obtained from the required heads of school to use the school as a base for the study.

Letters of consent will be sent home with the students to obtain permission from their

parents. The researcher will obtain consent from the children involved in the study via the

letter to the parents, as the consent forms will also require the students’ signatures. The

researcher will discuss the mantle unit with the teachers of the classes involved in the study

to gain their consent. Confidentially will be assured in the final dissertation by giving

pseudonyms to the participants. Full copies of the consent forms that were sent to the

parents of the participating class are available in appendix one.

3.10 Bias

Biases are reproduced inaccuracies that consistently produce a false pattern between

observed and true values (http://www.umdnj.edu). Bias is a natural occurrence, especially

when using qualitative research methods, because data is analysed by the researcher. In

research, bias is inevitable. Researchers need to recognise bias and reduce it, or at least be

aware of it (http://www.focusgrouptips.com).

In an attempt to reduce bias, I will clarify my position regarding the research. I am a

proponent of the use of drama in education in the classroom. I believe that it enhances

students’ learning across the curriculum. I believe drama is undervalued as a subject, as

well as being misunderstood as merely a field of study that is just about plays and games. I

46

am the classroom teacher of the class designated as a research sample, which means I

already have a working relationship with the participants. I am biased in so far as I want

the research to succeed, therefore Mantle of the Expert could become a viable option to

teach international curricula. However, I have my doubts that Mantle of the Expert will

succeed in the research questions set in this study.

I acknowledge that this study will not be totally free of bias, but I will strive to reduce bias

to an absolute minimum by engaging in critical analysis and reflection at all times. This

study will also use a variety of triangulation methods to achieve this goal.

3.11 Reactivity

Amassing data by bothering people through interrogation, or other means, affects the

reliability of the information obtained (Loxley, 2006). However, there are ways in which

reactivity can be avoided or controlled.

It is believed that if the researcher builds up a rapport with the informants, thus gaining

trust, that the informants will be honest with the researcher. Consequently, researchers

wish to remain in the field long enough to become ‘invisible’, but they also want to build

‘rapport’ with the informants. Experience in the field, confidential interaction with

numerous informants and cross-comparisons of data make pretention or lying ineffective

and unlikely.

In this study, reactivity will be considered when analysing the results of the data. The

researcher has the benefit of being the classroom teacher for the participating class. The

researcher has a strong rapport with the class. The researcher is aware of the strengths and

weaknesses of each member of the focus group. The researcher has a strong rapport with

the participating international school teachers. The researcher is confident in their ability

to read and work from schemes of work.

3.12 The Project

Project title - The Chao Phraya River Mantle.

Number of participants - Main participating class has 19 students. The other

assisting teachers both have 20 students. This brings

the total number of participants to 59 students

Age of participants - 10 and 11 year olds

47

Duration of the lessons - 11 lessons x 1 hour over a period of 4 weeks

Project timeline

The time scale for completion of the dissertation is limited and therefore, in order to keep

on task and complete the project on time, it is necessary to draw up a schedule.

Timeline:

September 2010 – March 2011 Literature search

October 2010 – December 2010 Baseline research

December 2010 – February 2011 Planning and pre-intervention

assessment

March 2011 – April 2011 Mantle of the Expert project

May 2011 – June 2011 Post project data collection

July 2011 – September 2011 Data analysis and writing up

Aims and objectives

The specific aims of this unit are for students to be able to:

Identify and name the major river in Thailand;

Identify the features of the Chao Phraya River;

Design and create a company logo;

Locate and use information on the Internet;

Name the major cities along the Chao Phraya River;

Identify the places of cultural significance along the Chao Phraya River;

Interview people to gain information;

Interview and negotiate with other people;

Design and create a schedule for a TV programme;

Present research findings to a group of adults.

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Objectives

By the end of this unit the students will confidently be able to use a full range of skills and

different kinds of maps and resources to undertake independent investigations. They will

have researched information independently, and shared the information with the group.

They will be able to use geographical terms to describe a river. They will be able to use

drama techniques to understand how people might work outside of school.

Summary of the lessons

An outline of each lesson in the Mantle of the Expert unit will be summarised here. The

geography unit of ‘Rivers’ (http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk) will provide the

curriculum base for the exploration of Mantle of the Expert. There is a large river running

down the middle of Thailand, straight through Bangkok where the school is located. The

Chao Phraya River has a long history and is used in many different ways by the people of

Thailand (http://www.bangkok.com). In previous years the researcher had previously

taught the rivers geography unit, but found the unit to be tedious and not very well

received by the students. The first lesson was to establish the notion of the students

belonging to a research company. The full set of lesson plans is available in the

appendices.

Lesson One

Aims

The aim of this lesson is to:

Establish the ‘now’ of the Mantle of the Expert unit’ (Heathcote, 2002);

Create a company name and logo.

Objectives

At the end of the lesson the students will have accepted the identity as a group of

researchers working in Thailand. The students will have worked as a group to create a

company identity.

The teacher gathers the students outside the classroom. The teacher will establish a

contract with the class, stating ‘we will be entering into a fictional real world situation’.

The teacher will establish with the students that they will be entering the classroom as

adults; and the teacher will be entering in-role as a member of the team. The students will

be asked to set up the classroom in the way they would like it for the mantle unit. Then the

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students will find out that they are to become members of a research company. Their first

task will be to name the company. After that, the company will have to create a company

logo and nametags for persons to wear while in-role.

Lesson Two

Aims

The aims of this lesson are to:

Introduce the students to the client and the client’s commission.

Generate a list of aspects of the Chao Phraya River to be researched.

Objectives

At the end of the lesson the students will have formed research groups; they will have areas

to research independently. The students will have shared ideas and put forward their

opinions.

The client will be introduced by an e-mail sent to the company e-mail address. The client

will be given the fictitious name of Mr Tongkee. He will belong to a fictitious branch of

the Thai government. He will commission the students’ company to research the Chao

Phraya River and present a plan for a television show promoting the river. The television

show is to highlight the geographical features of the Chao Phraya River. The students will

generate a list of subjects that can be researched. These subjects will be geographically

influenced such as: features of the river, the source and course of the river, how people use

the river, the history and culture along the river. The students will decide which team to

join based on their interests.

Lesson Three

Aims

The aim of this lesson is to:

Watch a television programme to give the students an understanding of the

structure of a television programme.

Objectives

At the end of the lesson the students will have understood how their area of research can be

reflected in a television programme.

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The students will watch a television programme called “BBC Rivers with Griff Rhys

Jones” (http://www.bbc.co.uk). The students will be told that they will be producing a

similar style programme using the Chao Phraya River. They will form into their research

teams. Teams will watch the programme and look for how their research area is reflected

in the programme.

Lesson Four

Aims

The aims of this lesson are to:

Review and develop areas of research.

Decide which actor or actress to invite on to the programme.

Calculate costs of the programme.

Identify safety concerns.

Objectives

At the end of the lesson the students will have voted on which actor or actress to invite on

to the programme. The students will have worked as a group to identify possible safety

concerns. The students will have identified possible areas of research that needs

development.

Each research team will present what research they have currently completed. The group

will suggest any areas that need further research. The company will receive an e-mail from

the finance department and an e-mail about the safety risks from Mr Tongkee. The

financial e-mail will be asking the students to begin to calculate the cost of the television

programme. The students will be supplied with a simple cost sheet and will be encouraged

to search for up to date costs. The e-mail from Mr Tongkee will advise the researchers to

consider and research how to ensure the safety of all people who will work on the project.

The students will have to decide which actor or actress to invite to front the programme.

In-role, the researcher will inject some dramatic tension into the lesson by announcing that

a camera crew is being held hostage in a village along the Chao Phraya River. The village

is actually a fictional village. The students will have to decide their best course of action.

The researcher will remind students that they will also have to start planning the television

programme.

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Lesson Five

Aims

The aims of this lesson are to:

Gain information by interviewing others.

Discuss and formulate a course of action.

Design and create a structure for the programme.

Objectives

At the end of the lesson the students will have interviewed the head of security, and

discussed the plight of the missing camera crew. The students will have begun planning

out the structure of the television programme.

The researcher will switch roles by being the head of security for the company. The

researcher will have information about the missing camera crew. The students will have to

ask the right questions for the information to be retrieved. The students will discuss the

best solutions for this problem. The researcher will guide the students through inviting the

head of the village to a conference to discuss the matter of the cameramen. While in-role,

the researcher will inform the students, that BBC executives will be visiting in two weeks

time to view a presentation. The students will plan out the structure of the programme.

The students will plan, as a whole class, what additional research needs to be completed.

Then the whole class will assign duties to be completed.

Lesson Six

Aims

The aim of the lesson is to:

Create a set of questions for a purpose.

Develop the best way to invite the head of the village to a meeting.

Objectives

By the end of the lesson the students will have discussed and designed a set of questions.

The students as a group will have discussed and developed a way to invite the head of the

village to a meeting.

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The students will develop a set of questions for the head of the village, to ensure the safety

and the release of the cameramen. The students will have to work out the best way to

invite the head of the village, so as to be certain that he will come.

Lesson Seven

Aims

The aim of this lesson is to:

Convince the head of the village to release the camera crew.

Objectives

By the end of this lesson the students will have convinced the head of the village to release

the camera crew. The students will have worked as a whole group to develop the best

course of action.

The researcher will take on the role of head of the village. The students will use the

questions from the previous lesson to ask the head of the village what can be done to

secure the release of the camera crew. The students will have to convince the head of the

village that what happened was a mistake. The students will be under pressure to broker a

solution in one lesson because the BBC executives will be coming for the presentation in

three lessons time.

Lesson 8

Aims

The aim of this lesson is to:

Design and create a schedule for the television programme.

Objectives

By the end of the lesson the students will have designed a minute-by-minute schedule of

the television programme. The students will have used previous research to design the

schedule.

The students will create a schedule for the television programme. They will need a

minute-by-minute schedule, which includes where and what happens for each minute. The

schedule will need the filming locations and how long the actor will be at each location

within the programme.

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Lesson 9

Aims

The aim of this lesson is to:

Plan a presentation of their data.

Objectives

By the end of the lesson the students will have planned a presentation to their parents and

heads of school. The students will have started to practice their parts in the presentation.

Students will need to develop and create a presentation for their research findings. They

will also need to present to the executives a time schedule for the television programme.

The students will plan this out in a whole group situation. The group will decide who is

presenting which section.

Lesson 10

Aims

The aim of this lesson is to:

Present data to invited guests.

Answer any questions from the guests about the data or the process of the unit.

Objectives

By the end of this lesson the students will have presented their research findings to a group

of invited guests. The students will have each been involved in the presentation. The

students will have answered any questions from the invited guests.

The students will be in-role as researchers. The students will present their findings to the

BBC executives (Principal and parents in role). The students will need to present their

proposed television programme schedule. They will need to explain what the actor is

doing in each minute of the programme.

After the in-role section of the presentation the students will share with the guests what

they thought of Mantle of the Expert. The students may talk about what they learned from

this unit.

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Lesson 11

Aims

The aims of this lesson are to:

Complete an end of unit questionnaire.

Discuss thoughts and feelings about the mantle unit.

Objectives

By the end of the lesson the students will have shared their feelings about learning

geography through a Mantle of the Expert process. The students will have completed an

end of unit questionnaire.

The students will complete a questionnaire to help the researcher understand their thoughts

on learning Geography through Mantle of the Expert. The questionnaire will be based on

the questionnaire given to the students before the mantle unit began.

The researcher will chair a class discussion on Mantle of the Expert and learning

geography. The students will offer their views and feelings about learning Geography

using Mantle of the Expert as a teaching and learning approach.

Having presented the research design, and the methods selected to pursue this research, the

following chapter will present and discuss the results of the baseline research, the Mantle

of the Expert lessons and the end of unit questionnaires and interviews.

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Chapter Four: Data Analysis

4.1 Introduction

The results of the baseline research, the project investigation and the post project inquiries

will be presented in this chapter. The project will be analysed with a commentary on each

lesson. Results of the focus group post project interviews and my colleague’s post project

interviews will conclude the chapter.

4.2 Results of the baseline assessment

Findings from the students’ pre-unit questionnaire are discussed here, followed by the data

gathered from the focus group pre-unit interviews:

4.2.1 Student questionnaire

The purpose of the first set of questions was to try to understand the students’ thoughts on

geography in general. The questionnaire is included in the appendices and is located in

appendix 2. There were six statements about geography based on the Likert Scale

(Malhotra, and Peterson, 2006). The Likert Scale was chosen for the first part of this

questionnaire because of its simplicity of use. The students were able to complete the

questionnaire without it causing too much anxiety for them. The students were asked to

place a tick which best represented their feelings on the statements offered. The choices

were as follows: strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree and strongly disagree. There were

nineteen students in the class.

Responses

I like Geography.

The students were split in their answers to this statement. The split was between ‘Agree’

and ‘Neutral’, nine students each. The deciding vote was cast in the ‘Disagree’ box. The

results of this statement would suggest that there is a general ambivalence towards

Geography. There was no clear agreement as to whether they liked or were indifferent to

Geography. The focus group students also divided their vote in the same way as their

classmates, equally between ‘Agree’ and ‘Neutral’, three students each.

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I think learning Geography at school is fun.

The results were quite clear here with the whole class. The most dominant answer was

‘Neutral’, with 79% of the students choosing neutral. This feeling is reflected in the focus

group interviews.

Andy (Interview: 15th December, 2010) stated “most of the time Geography is really

boring.”

Jenny (Interview: 15th December, 2010) stated, “Geography is kind of boring. We don’t

really do any fun stuff.”

The results from this statement suggest that 79% of the students do not find Geography

interesting.

I am excited when I go into a Geography class.

The results of this follow the previous statement. The class, as well as the focus group, in

most cases ticked the “Neutral” box. This could be because most of the class find

Geography boring as reported during (Andy interview: 15th December, 2010; Ronny

interview: 15th December, 2010; Belle interview: 15th December, 2010).

Geography helps me understand the world

This statement obtained a positive response from both the class and the focus group. All

students believe that Geography is important to understanding the world. The majority of

the students (73%) strongly agreed with the statement. The focus group was split between

“Strongly Agree” and “Agree”. This suggests that the class understands the value of

Geography, or presumes the value of Geography in their engagement with the world.

Geography is a very important subject to learn.

The majority of the class (68%) ticked “Agree” for this statement, the other students (31%)

ticked “Strongly Agree” with one student putting “Disagree”. The majority of the focus

group also wrote “Agree” with two of them putting “Strongly Agree”. This suggests that

the students understand that Geography is an important subject at school.

Geography can help me understand other subjects at school.

Almost all of the students were “neutral” on this statement, 90% of the class. It might

have been because they did not fully understand the question. There may have been greater

clarity if it had been written as: “learning geography helps me with my literacy and

maths”.

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The second selection of questions were presented in order to find out what the students

understood about Geography. It revealed a number of interesting findings: the major

finding being that over half of the students did not understand what Geography is about.

Some of the students confused it with History.

“It is the study of the history of the world” (10 year old, Indian/Thai Girl, 12th

December, 2010).

“I think it is about history” (11 year old, Thai boy, 12th December, 2010).

The focus group seemed to have a clearer understanding of what Geography is about.

“Geography is the world,” (Belle interview: 15th December, 2010).

“I think Geography is studying about our world,” (Andy interview: 15th

December, 2010).

“I think that Geography is a subject when you learn about the world, and Earth,”

(Helen interview: 15th December, 2010).

One reason for the confusion could be explained by the fact that the school refers to

History and Geography as ‘Topic time’. The school teaches two terms of History and one

term of Geography. This could lead to some confusion, as the topic time will be on at the

same time each week for the whole school year. Students use the same book for both

subjects, and it is referred to as the ‘Topic Book’.

The following responses also showed a lack of clarity on what exactly Geography is by the

majority of the class, 73% of the students. When asked “what geography topics have you

studied at school?”, there were a range of answers from science topics, history topics and

geography topics.

“I studied solar systems, planets and the Milky Way.” (11 year old, Thai Boy, 12th

December, 2010).

“I have studied WW2, Ancient Greece, Ancient Egyptians and the Aztecs.” (10 year

old, Australian Girl, 12th December, 2010).

“Coastal areas, the world itself, oceans and seas and so forth…” (11 year old,

English/Thai Boy, 12th December, 2010).

The focus group equally referred the full range of science, history and geography topics

when trying to recall what geography topics they had done.

“I studied about plants” (Jenny interview: 15th December, 2010).

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“In Year 5 we had to do a country project on a country we admired.” (Helen

interview: 15th December, 2010).

“How oceans and mountains are formed, how Earth’s like inside and names of

places.” (Andy interview: 15th December, 2010).

“In Year 5 we did a geography project. We had to do a lot of research about a

chosen country.” (Ronny interview: 15th December, 2010).

“The oceans and the countries.” (Belle interview: 15th December, 2010).

“The Greeks, Romans, the Victorians, Aztecs and Egyptians.” (Jimmy

interview: 15th December, 2010).

This survey highlighted that there was a lack of clarity regarding what exactly Geography

is and what Geography they had learnt at school, but it testifies to the impact of an

integrated curriculum where the subject divisions are blurred.

4.2.2 Focus group interviews

A number of open and closed questions were presented. The researcher wished to find out

their favourite and least favourite subjects at school and why these subjects were popular

or unpopular. The researcher also wanted to know if they could remember particular

lessons, and why they liked these lessons. Lastly, the researcher wished to find out their

opinion about Drama and Geography before the Mantle of the Expert unit began.

A range of subjects were cited amongst their favourites, but at the core of each response

was an emphasis on creativity that helped the students to enjoy the subject.

“ I like literacy because you get to create stories.” (Ronny interview: 15th

December, 2010)

“I like to read because I can create the scenes in my head.” (Helen interview:

15th December, 2010)

Jimmy and Belle’s favourite subject was Drama:

“I like it because I am good at acting so I like drama” (Jimmy, 15thDecember,

2010)

“I like it because it is so cool.” (Belle interview: 15th December, 2010)

Jenny’s (Jenny interview: 15th December, 2010) favourite subject was Art because she is

good at painting. Andy (Andy interview: 15th December, 2010) preferred Science because:

“you get to conduct experiments with different things.”

The group’s least favourite subjects were based on ability for the most part. When they

perceived that they were not good at a subject it was reported as not a favourite.

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“I am very bad at drawing, so that’s why I don’t enjoy Art.” (Ronny

interview: 15th December, 2010).

“I am hopeless at maths. I am in the lowest (ability) class.” (Belle

interview: 15th December, 2010).

The other major reason was perceived difficulty with the subject. Jimmy’s dislike of

Maths was based on the fact that it was all “numbers and symbols” (Jimmy interview: 15th

December, 2010), also he reported that he did not like the fact that a response was either

right or wrong.

The lessons they remembered most were active lessons. This reflects John Dewey’s theory

of child centered learning in that the students learn and are able to recall more easily when

they are actively involved in their learning (Dewey, 1999). Most of these had a dramatic

element to them. One such was Ronny’s favourite lesson:

We were studying the novel “Goodnight Mr Tom”. In this lesson we read the part of the story where Mr. Tom was building the Anderson Shelter in his garden. I didn’t know how it was made. The teacher gave us some information on the Anderson Shelter and how it is built. We had to form into groups of four. We had to pretend to be government experts and show villagers how to build a shelter. It was really fun because we got to pretend to be adults. We got to be experts, and tell other people how to do things. (Ronny interview: 15th

December, 2010).

The students reported that they prefer lessons where they are actively learning. The group

also enjoyed “pretending to be other people” (Jimmy interview: 15th December, 2010).

When asked whether they liked or disliked Geography, a majority expressed that they

disliked the subject or had no opinion. Their reasons were very similar:

“Yes and no, most of the time it is boring” (Ronny interview: 15th

December, 2010).

“Not really, most of the time it is really boring. We mostly learn from

the whiteboard and do worksheets” (Andy interview: 15th December,

2010).

“Not really, I think it is very boring. We usually don’t do anything just

worksheets and listen to the teacher” (Belle interview: 15th December,

2010).

On the other hand, Helen contradicted the rest by answering that she enjoys Geography.

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“Yes I like Geography. I like it because you get to study the world around

you.” (Helen interview: 15th December, 2010).

When asked whether they enjoyed Drama, the group all responded with a positive answer.

The reasons were very similar, irrespective of gender or ability level.

Yes I like drama so much. I love creating scenes with other people. It’s fun, you can travel anywhere but not leave the classroom. (Jenny interview: 15th December, 2010).

Yes of course. I like pretending to be other people. I am more confident when I pretend to be other people. (Jimmy interview: 15th December, 2010).

Yes I love drama. It is so much fun. You get to express yourself, and also you get to be in a different role of person. (Andy interview: 15th December, 2010).

Yes of course! You get to play drama games. You get to imagine things and have fun. (Ronny interview: 15th December, 2010).

The responses from the final question helped to highlight what the students were feeling

before I began the Mantle of the Expert unit of work. I asked each focus group student his

or her preferred way to learn: teacher directed, independent or a mixture of both. There

was a fair amount of uncertainty. Belle and Jenny were unsure, so they replied with “not

sure”. The rest were also tentative about the answer, but after some thought they decided

that they preferred a mixture of both. Helen provided the most eloquent answer.

I like a mixture of both because you get to learn what you want with independent learning. But also it is good to have the teacher there to make sure you are not doing anything wrong. (Helen interview: 15th December, 2010).

The researcher sent a questionnaire to the parents of the focus group students, this can be

located in appendix 3. The data collected from the parental questionnaire was

encouraging. The students’ personalities were reported as being very similar at home. The

parents all commented that their children like coming to school and think learning is fun.

One trait that came out of the questionnaire was that all of the students do not talk about

learning at home. One parent commented that her son hardly talks to her about schoolwork

anymore. One more universal personality trait noted is that all like to do their best.

4.3 Baseline data conclusions

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The data gained from the questionnaires and the interviews was very encouraging. The

data clearly showed that the students liked interactive lessons as suggested by John Dewey

(1999). The students showed that they enjoy learning subjects at school that they are good

at. This is in line with Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences (Armstrong,

2009; Gardner, 1983, 2000). The data shows that the students like to learn using drama.

The researcher will begin the Mantle of the Expert unit observing changes in the students’

behaviour that will provide answers to the research questions. These observations will be

recorded in a researcher’s journal, which is located in appendix 9.

The following sections analyse the Mantle of the Expert unit as it progressed. The

researcher will endeavour to address the aims and research questions put forward in the

methodology chapter.

4.4 Analysis of the Mantle of the Expert approach

The Mantle of the Expert unit consisted of eleven lessons. The unit began on Tuesday, 15th

March. The final discussion lesson was on Tuesday, 3rd May. There were two lessons a

week, with a two-week holiday in the middle of the unit, but this did not seem to affect the

flow of the unit as much as it might have. The reason for this may have been because the

data revealed that they were fully invested in the mantle unit. The following analysis is

divided into sections reflecting the research questions.

4.4.1 Independent learning

Perry et al (2006) explain that independent learning is independent, self-determining,

highly effective approaches to learning that are associated with success in and beyond

school. Independent learning has been linked to many improvements in students learning

such as improved test scores (Hinds, 2007), as well as students working to higher

standards, having high self-esteem and being more motivated to learn (Williams, 2003).

The class were used to doing projects at home related to History and Geography topics.

These projects relied on the teacher to provide direction for the students to complete their

research projects independently. This was clearly evident during the first few lessons.

Although the students didn’t have totally directed teacher input there was little evidence of

independent learning taking place during the first three lessons. Many of the students did

not complete any study at home. During lesson four, the students were reminded in role

that they needed to complete research (Research Journal: 26th March, 2011). Also, during

lesson four the dramatic tension of the kidnapped cameramen was introduced. The

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research teams had to be reminded to complete more research; they were reminded in role

as adults that they were getting paid to do a job (Research Journal: 26th March, 2011). The

students seemed to respond to this gentle reminding that they were roleplaying as adults.

Previously during the unit, the students were reliant on teacher input. After the reminding

that they were roleplaying as adults there were many examples of independent learning.

One example of independent learning was when Helen and Belle drew up the map of the

Chao Phraya River directly after Lesson 4 (Research Journal: 26th March). They used a

map from an atlas to draw an enlarged copy for the wall; this was completed over a break

time without any prompting. Andy showed the strongest example of independent learning

during lesson 5. He researched ‘Nagas’ on the internet, he then presented this information

to the rest of the class (Research Journal: 12th April, 2011; Andy’s exit interview, 10th May,

2011). Andy presented the information to the rest of the class more confidently than he

had previously presented. Independent learning generates confidence in students (Van

Grinsven and Tillema, 2006; Williams, 2003). Andy mentioned in his exit interview that

this moment was his favourite part of the mantle unit:

I had to research about Nagas, and then present the research to the rest of the office. It was my favourite because I was the only one that did the Naga research; which meant I was the expert. (Andy’s exit interview, 10th

May, 2011)

Belle and another learning support student provided a further example of independent

learning directly after Lesson 5. Both girls went into their learning support teacher’s office

to ask to use her computer over a break time; they wanted to search the cost of flights from

London to Bangkok for the actor to fly over (Research Journal: 12th April, 2011). The

support teacher commented that she had never seen the girls so motivated to learn

(Research Journal: 12th April, 2011). Van Grinsven and Tillema (2006) stated that students

become more motivated to learn and have more enjoyment in their own learning in an

independent learning environment.

The unit encouraged independent learning in 70% of the students; there were still 5

students who did not seem to do any independent study. These students were the students

who usually did not hand in homework on time. These students often were slow to finish

their work and remained so during the mantle project.

Mantle of the Expert unit did encourage independent learning in most of the class (70%).

The students who chose to do some independent learning benefited from it by showing

increased confidence and an increase in enthusiasm for learning.

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4.4.2 Cross-cultural understanding

The International Baccalaureate Curriculum and the International primary Curriculum

require students to be internationally minded (www.ibo.org;

www.internationalprimarycurriculum.com). For a student to be internationally minded the

student must first understand his or her own ethnic culture, as well as the culture within his

or her own country.

Prior to the Mantle of the Expert unit beginning, there was an awareness of the students

about other cultures. Students had completed History and Geography projects on other

cultures around the world. There was also this recognition that of people should be

internationally minded. But there seemed to be a lack of understanding of how to relate to

other cultures. During the mantle unit students showed a clear understanding of Thai

culture. Jenny was able to identify almost all of the temples along the Chao Phraya River

(Research Journal: 12th April, 2011). Two boys were able to tell the class about the historic

ancient city of Ayutthaya (Research Journal: 12th April, 2011). One of the boys was Thai,

he already knew about Thai culture, he was able to enlighten others as to the importance of

Ayutthaya. Lesson 7 provided an insight into another culture (Research Journal: 18th April,

2011). The head of the village (teacher in role) came to a meeting with the students. The

researcher ensured that the village beliefs were different than the students were used to in

their own cultures. Through dealing with the head of the village they were able to

understand the value of another person’s culture even if they seemed primitive. The

students started to deal with the head of the village as they would deal with a person from

their own cultures. They understood there was a strong difference between their culture

and the head of the village’s culture, when Ronny was removed from the meeting. It

seemed to be clear to them that respect for one’s elders was very important in the village

culture. Ronny highlighted this when he said:

When we met with the Head of the village, he decided that I was being too rude to him and wanted me sent out of the office. This was a good learning experience for me because I learnt to behave more like an adult and respect another culture. (Ronny exit interview, 10th May, 2011).

The meeting provided all students with a learning experience of another culture. Through

parts of the lessons the Thai students were able to share their expert knowledge of their

own culture.

4.4.3 Development of social capital

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Social capital is defined as the groups, networks, norms and trust that people have

available to them for productive purposes (World Bank in Grootaert, et al, 2004). Drama

is a social activity (Fleming, 2001; www.artcouncil.org.uk) in which students work and

interact together in small or large groups towards a common goal. It is claimed that

Mantle of the Expert creates working groups within the classroom. These groups create

their own culture and way of working to achieve their goal.

Prior to the Mantle of the Expert unit, the students were used to working in small groups to

achieve work goals. The students didn’t have experience in working together, as a whole

class, to achieve a final piece of work. They had experience listening to others in a whole

class situation. But often when this happened not all students were paying attention to the

speakers. When the unit began, the small research groups split off and began discussing

what to do. It was clear by lesson three, not all groups were working together to do

research (Research Journal: 22nd March, 2011). Each group within the class was eventually

able to achieve its research goals. Lesson Seven provided a clear example of social capital

developing in the classroom. When the head of the village (teacher in role) came to talk to

them, the students worked with the head of the village to find a solution to their dilemma

(Research Journal: 18th April, 2011). Lesson Eight provided evidence of social capital

(Research Journal: 21st April, 2011). During the lesson, the students organised themselves

into a large group. Helen chaired the discussion to arrange the schedule of the television

programme (Research Journal: 21st April, 2011). There were students, who usually sit

back and do very little, volunteering to take responsibility for projects. The whole class

was able to work together to create the schedule. The researcher, as a teacher, did not need

to get involved in the lesson. The students as ‘experts’ were able to plan out the

programme. This kind of whole interaction would not have been possible at the beginning

of the Mantle of the Expert unit. It seemed to suggest the students had grown into their

roles as adults, and realised they had to achieve an end product or the client would be

disappointed.

The relationship between the teacher and the students became stronger over the course of

the mantle unit. Previously before the mantle unit began, head teachers had commented

there was a strong rapport in the classroom. While the teacher was in role, the students

paid more attention than they had done before (Research Journal: 16th April, 2011). When

the students started to lead parts of the lesson, the teacher started to trust that the students

were beginning to work together to create knowledge.

4.4.4 Peer tutoring

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Mantle of the Expert provides students with zones of proximal development in which they

can extend their present areas of learning (Yasar, 2006). Zones of proximal development

are situations where students can lead into new areas of learning by a teacher or a more

knowledgeable peer.

There were a few examples of peer tutoring before the mantle began. Most of the peer-to-

peer interactions were reliant on a high ability student teaching the lower ability student.

This mantle unit provided a number of examples of peer tutoring. Peer tutoring took two

different forms. Firstly, there was peer tutoring using the research information. Secondly,

there were peers tutoring others about being in-role. Some students found it very easy to

slip into role. During lesson one, when the students entered the classroom, some boys

pretended to play as if they were in the army but one girl who was already in-role told

them to stop being silly (Research Journal: 15th March, 2011). One example of peer

tutoring was constant through out the unit. Many students were having trouble maintaining

‘role’ (Research Journal: 15th March, 2011). Evidence for this statement relates to the

number of students calling me ‘Mr Weeks’ instead of ‘Leon’. Only a small number of

drama students were able to maintain their role (Research Journal: 15th March, 2011).

These students taught other students how to sustain their roles as adults throughout the rest

of the mantle unit. This peer tutoring was so successful that, by the end of lesson eight,

very rarely were students putting up their hands to speak (Research Journal: 21st April,

2011). The students created communities of learning, where they were able to educate

each other using the information they had researched. The boys who had researched about

Ayutthaya could explain to the other students about the importance of this ancient city

(Research Journal: 12th April, 2011). Jenny taught the class about the number of temples

along the river (Research Journal: 12th April, 2011). Andy was able to confidently explain

and tell the whole class about Nagas (Research Journal: 12th April, 2011; Andy’s exit

interview, 10th May, 2011).

4.4.5 Increased confidence

Howard Gardner developed the theory of multiple intelligences in 1983 (Armstrong, 2009;

Gardner, 1983, 2000). He explains that these different intelligences account for a greater

range of human potential in children and adults. Students are able to achieve success by

applying their strongest intelligences, and by achieving greater success they increase their

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confidence. Allana Taylor (www.mantleoftheexpert.com) clearly states that Mantle of the

Expert enhances the use of multiple intelligences, especially interpersonal intelligence and

intrapersonal intelligence.

Students, who have strong interpersonal skills, have developed skills in listening, empathy,

counseling and organisation (Armstrong, 2009; Gardner, 1983, 2000). There were a

number of examples of increased confidence accessing students’ interpersonal skills.

Throughout the mantle unit Ronny and Helen took leadership roles in organising the other

students (Research Journal: 17th March, 2011; 22nd March, 2011; 26th March, 2011; 12th

April, 2011; 18th April, 2011; 26th April, 2011; 29th April, 2011). Both Ronny and Helen

grew in confidence throughout the mantle unit especially in the final lessons when they

were running lessons without the teacher being actively involved in the lesson. During

lesson eight, Helen began the lesson by saying what the students had to achieve by the end

of the lesson. Ronny started the process by stating what the schedule should look like.

Then he asked the group what they thought of the idea. Helen made sure everyone had

input into the schedule by asking other students their opinion that did not usually take part

in the lessons. What was surprising to see was that the other students accepted Helen and

Ronny as leaders this was evident as there were no behaviour issues while they controlled

the lessons. Belle showed a huge increase in confidence when she was able to describe the

process of the mantle unit to the school principal when he came into lesson eight (Research

Journal: 21st April, 2011). Andy benefited from his study of the Nagas and subsequent

reporting to the class. It was clear that he appreciated the fact that everyone was listening

to him, sharing information, which only he had (Research Journal: 12th April, 2011).

Jimmy’s confidence shone through during lesson five, he volunteered to compile a list of

actors for the television programme. Jimmy shared this list during the next lesson

(Research Journal: 12th April, 2011; 18th April, 2011). Jimmy would not have been able to

stand up and share his information if it was not for the confidence he gained from being

able to share from within role (Research Journal: 18th April, 2011).

4.4.6 Enthusiasm for learning

John Dewey theorised that children learn best when they are engaged and interested in the

topics they are learning (Mcgreal, 1999). Mantle of the Expert encourages engagement

because it harnesses children’s enthusiasm and ability for imagining (Edmiston, in

www.mantleoftheexpert.com; Heathcote, 2009).

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Most of the students were very excited to begin the unit after signing the permission forms

and completing the initial questionnaires. Some of the students wanted to start straight

away. When the students were being introduced to the unit, it was easy to observe the

excitement on their faces. The whole class enjoyed inventing the company name, logo and

name badges (Research Journal: 15th March). After the completion of lesson three, some

over enthusiastic students asked if we were really going to make the television programme.

They were disappointed to find out that the company was researching for the feasibility of

making the programme (Research Journal: 22nd March, 2011). The enthusiasm was clear

in the classroom during mantle lesson time, but this was not motivating all of them to

conduct research at home. Approximately 20% of the students still had not been motivated

to conduct research at home (Research Journal: 26th March, 2011). After the students

found out about the missing camera crew, the enthusiasm increased again. The students

were excited that there was a different kind of problem to solve (Research Journal: 26th

March, 2011). Over the course of the next two lessons, the researcher played two different

roles. The students were excited each time the switch between roles happened; they

wanted to see what each new character would be like (Research Journal: 12th April, 2011;

18th April, 2011). Although with each switch the students were excited, they never

dropped role. This would not have happened if it were earlier in the mantle unit. The

students were becoming experts at staying in-role, as well as believing in their roles as

researchers. The students’ enthusiasm continued until the end of the unit. They all

enthusiastically prepared for the presentation to the parents (Research Journal: 26th April,

2011).

The students seemed to respond positively towards the dramatic experiences the unit gave

them. They were enthusiastic about the smallest changes to their usual classroom

experience. One student wrote in her drama diary, that she was excited because she was

allowed to wear her shoes inside the classroom, which she normally would not have been

allowed. Many students were enthusiastic about the chance to role-play adults (Helen’s

exit interview: 10th May, 2011). The students appeared to enjoy that they had more control

of the lessons as the unit progressed. The students didn’t automatically take partial control,

as they were not used to this happening in their normal lessons.

The students’ enthusiasm for the Mantle of the Expert approach was validated by some of

the comments the parents made at the end of the unit. Andy’s mother said that he hasn’t

been this interested about Geography before. She was also pleased at the increase in his

confidence. Ronny’s mother was the other parent who mentioned about the effect of the

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unit on him. She said Ronny talks more about school at home than prior to commencing

the unit. It would seem that the students’ enthusiasm for the mantle approach is carrying

on with them outside of the classroom.

4.5 Focus group closing interviews

The focus group was very excited to conduct further interviews. They all agreed that they

had enjoyed the whole process of the interviews and the Mantle of the Expert unit. I asked

a range of open questions to gain an understanding of what they learnt during the unit. I

also wanted to find out what they thought about the Mantle of the Expert unit and learning

geography in this way. I wanted to explore the social and group working claims of Mantle

of the Expert.

What did you learn about in this unit?

The group confirmed learning about the main river of Thailand.

I learnt about the big river in Thailand. It is called the Chao Phraya River.(Belle’s exit interview: 10th May, 2011).

I learnt about the Chao Phraya River. I learnt how adults might use Geographyin the real world. (Jenny’s exit interview: 10th May, 2011).

They extended the explanation to cover Geography and work skills.

We learnt about rivers and how people use them. (Jimmy’s exit interview: 10th May, 2011).

We learnt about the Chao Phraya River. We learnt about the source of it, andsome of the uses of the river. I also feel we learnt to work better as a group.(Helen’s exit interview: 10th May, 2011).

The most thoughtful and comprehensive answer was Ronny’s.

We learnt about the Chao Phraya River. We learnt a lot of things about the river. We learnt how to put together a television programme. We learnt how to research the costs of things and put them on a cost sheet. We also learnt how to have meetings like adults. (Ronny’s exit interview: 10th May, 2011).

This statement was insightful, the fact that the students enjoyed being treated like adults.

Mrs A and Mrs C mentioned this as something their students also enjoyed during the unit.

The students were able to explain what they had learnt about in Geography. More of the

students in the class were able to state what geographical terms they had learnt during the

mantle unit than would have been possible using traditional methods of teaching and

learning. The higher ability and highly motivated students would have learnt the

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geographical knowledge objectives regardless of which teaching or learning approach was

used. The Mantle of the Expert approach enabled the lower and middle ability children

easier access to the geographic objectives than a traditional approach.

Did you enjoy learning Geography this way?

All the focus group students agreed that they enjoyed learning Geography through Mantle

of the Expert.

Yes, it made Geography fun and exciting. I was always happy when I knew we were going to have Geography and drama time. (Andy’s exit interview: 10th May, 2011).

Yes, I really enjoyed learning Geography this way. It made it exciting. (Helen’s exit interview: 10th May, 2011).

Sure! I found it the most fun way to learn Geography. This geography topic really rocked. (Jenny’s exit interview: 10th May, 2011).

The group reported similar reasons for enjoying learning Geography through Mantle of the

Expert. Ronny explained his reason for liking Geography this way.

I think it was because the drama made learning Geography lots of fun. We had to do interesting things, which we normally wouldn’t do in Geography class. (Ronny’s exit interview: 10th May, 2011).

In the pre-unit interviews the majority of the focus group found learning Geography

boring, as well as being confused as to what Geography means. It is clear from the

responses to the above question that the students have enjoyed learning Geography using a

Mantle of the Expert approach.

The answers to the next question gave an insight into how the same Mantle of the Expert

unit can give different positive experiences.

What was your favourite part of this Drama/Geography unit?

My favourite part of the unit was when we had to solve the problem of the missing cameramen. I had to research about Nagas, and then present the research to the rest of the office. It was my favourite because I was the only one that did the Naga research; which meant I was the expert. (Andy’s exit interview: 10th May, 2011).

I enjoyed pretending to be adults and making the ID badges. (Belle’s exit interview: 10th May, 2011).

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I really like pretending to be adults sitting in an office. It was fun thinking abouthow adults might think and try to solve problems. (Helen’s exit interview: 10th

May, 2011).

I really liked when we got to present to the headmaster. (Jimmy’s exit interview: 10th May, 2011).

I enjoyed pretending to be adults in an office. But the coolest thing was we had to call our teacher by his first name. (Jenny’s exit interview: 10th May, 2011).

My favourite part was when we got to have meetings with special guests because of the missing camera crew. When we did meet with the Head of the village, he decided that I was being too rude to him and wanted me thrown out of the office. This was good learning experience for me because I learnt to behave more like an adult. (Ronny’s exit interview: 10th May, 2011).

These comments seem to emphasize the active mode of learning and the empowerment of

their own learning was valued by the participants.

The final question was to gauge what they thought of the Mantle of the Expert method of

learning Geography compared to the conventional method of learning Geography. The

response was a one hundred per cent preference for Mantle of the Expert.

Mantle of the Expert. I choose this way because it much more interesting than just listening to the teacher. We made a lot of the decisions, which was cool. I got to choose to do my own research nobody else did. (Belle’s exit interview: 10th May, 2011).

Mantle of the Expert is so much more fun than how we normally do Geography.Which is not much fun. (Jimmy’s exit interview: 10th May, 2011).

I think learning the way of the mantle was a better way because we can experiencehow older people use geography. (Helen’s exit interview: 10th May, 2011).

I would rather do Mantle of the Expert because it not only teaches us about geography but it also teaches us about the responsibility we have when we are adults and how mature to be and the best way to deal with situations. (Ronny’s exit interview: 10th May, 2011).

These comments seem to indicate that the students all preferred learning Geography

through the Mantle of the Expert approach as compared to the traditional method of

delivery which relied on teacher direction and worksheets. The focus group students had a

range of individual answers of why they enjoyed Mantle of the Expert as an approach.

4.6 Teachers’ responses to Mantle of the Expert

Mrs A and Mrs C also taught the Mantle of the Expert unit during the same time period as

my classes. Both teachers were new to teaching Mantle of the Expert. Mrs A had some

experience integrating drama into other curriculum subjects. Both teachers were unable to

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complete the unit in the scheduled timeframe. Both teachers had similar experiences with

teaching the Mantle of the Expert unit. They were not comfortable with how to run it. Mrs

C mentioned that she had done inquiry based learning before but this was very new to her.

She also saw this as a drama unit, and she said that she hates acting. When asked whether

they found any surprises or anything interesting during the unit, both teachers were

surprised by some of the outcomes.

Which children came out as leaders. Also, one girl who normally refuses to present in front of the class helped her group to present their research. Think it might be because it was a less formal atmosphere with them all sitting in a circle. (Conversations with teachers: 12th May, 2011).

Quieter children coming out more than expected and some of the children I considered to be leaders taking a more submissive role. (Conversations with teachers: 12th May, 2011).

I asked if they saw any benefits to using Mantle of the Expert. Both teachers talked about

how the children really enjoyed learning through this approach. Mrs. C talked about how

one quiet girl who often refused to present in front of the class, was able to help her team

present their research to the rest of the class.

I asked the teachers what they consider to be the negatives of the Mantle of the Expert

experience. Both teachers found that it took a lot of time to complete the tasks. Mrs B

mentioned:

It wasn't possible to do it properly as there wasn't enough space on the timetable to implement it effectively. (Conversations with teachers: 12th may, 2011).

Mrs. A was running the Mantle of the Expert programme during the once a week topic

time. She commented on the amount of class time that the unit was taking up and having

to use class time for research and initial tasks.

Yes [...] didn't get very far in the unit - a lot of time taken up with initial preparation e.g. the badge (which they loved making!) To get to the end of the unit I would have had to take a lot of extra lessons. (Conversations with teachers: 12th May, 2011).

Both teachers confessed that they were not really sure how to teach the unit. They did not

know how to hand over the learning to the students, and their students were not sure how

to accept responsibility for their own learning. I wanted to know whether they would be

interested in using Mantle of the Expert in the classroom in the future. Both of the teachers

affirmed that they would be interested in teaching a Mantle of the Expert unit in the future.

Nevertheless, they stated that they would need training to feel comfortable to teach Mantle

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of the Expert again. Mrs. C felt that students would need prior learning of river vocabulary

and terms to effectively complete the Mantle of the Expert unit. I believe both teachers

lacked experience using drama, and particularly Mantle of the Expert, in the classroom.

This lack of experience may have accounted for some of the difficulties they experienced

with their students, which did not appear in my classroom.

There is a lack of research into skills classroom teachers should possess or indeed try to

cultivate to use Drama in the classroom successfully. There are many articles and websites

proclaiming how useful a technique Drama in Education is as a teaching and learning

approach in the classroom (Fleming, 2001; Grady, and O’Sullivan, 1998; Neelands, and

Goode, 2001). The current Mantle of the Expert literature declares how powerful a

teaching and learning technique it is (Heathcote, 1989, 2002, 2009; Heathcote, and Bolton,

1995; Stamp-Dod, 2009; Taylor, 2005, 2006; Towler-Evans, 1998). But yet there is very

little research available for classroom teachers (who have little drama experience) on how

to effectively use Mantle of the Expert in the classroom.

4.7 Difficulties with using Mantle of the Expert

Some difficulties did appear in all three classrooms. One of these difficulties was the

amount of class time needed to complete the unit. Only a few students were doing work at

home and the unit could not progress until a certain amount of independent research was

completed. The students were clearly enjoying the unit, as can be seen in their drama

diaries. However, this lack of independent research intruded on class time because

students had to be allocated additional time to complete their research during the day.

Another difficulty appeared in the other two classes. Both teachers had never used Mantle

of the Expert. They had little experience integrating drama into the curriculum and found

it difficult to use in the classroom. They claimed not to be familiar with directing students

in taking responsibility for their own learning. Mrs. C admitted to being insecure with

drama, so she was unsure how to run the unit even with the planning provided by me.

These difficulties demonstrate that Mantle of the Expert is not just ‘a pick up and teach’

type of unit plan. Both Mrs A and Mrs C were experienced teachers and are able to teach

from any plan. However, their hesitancy with drama meant that they had difficulty

teaching this mantle unit. They were uncertain of how to use their role to progress the

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students in their learning.

It would appear that Mantle of the Expert is not a technique that can be used by

international school teachers without prior training. It would also appear to suggest that

international teachers would need to be predisposed naturally to use drama in the

classroom.

4.8 Conclusions

The results of the Mantle of the Expert project show that this approach is able to positively

address almost all of the research questions. Namely it would also appear that Mantle of

the Expert is able to fulfill all of the Global Education Guideline aims set out by the

Council of Europe (http://www.coe.int). This would make Mantle of the Expert a powerful

pedagogy for international school principals to consider implementing.

It would seem from the results with the two other teachers that Mantle of the Expert is not

a pick up and teach unit of work. This would mean that the answer to the final research

question is no, that Mantle of the Expert can not be used by international classroom

teachers who have little or no prior experience of drama. The negative result of the final

research question has implications for international school principals should they be

considering implementing Mantle of the Expert in their international school.

In the final chapter the implications of these results will be considered and

recommendations will be made based on the findings of this project.

Chapter Five: Conclusions and Recommendations

5.1 Introduction

This chapter will provide a summary of the research and the major findings of this

dissertation. The researcher will give recommendations for teachers and principals based

on the research questions. Areas for future research will be discussed.

5.2 Synopsis of dissertation

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This dissertation began with a literature review of international schools and international

education. The research showed there was an astronomical rise in the number of

international schools in the marketplace (Hayden and Thompson, 2000; Macdonald, 2006).

International Schools were highlighted as searching for a number of ways to stand out from

the norm. Accreditation and becoming members of certain international associations were

suggested as ways to achieve a competitive edge. The two most widely used international

curricula are International Baccalaureate Organisation programmes and the International

Primary Curriculum. These two curricula were compared with the British National

Curriculum. Many similarities were identified between the curricula.

Drama in education was introduced and discussed as a teaching and learning strategy

specifically. Mantle of the Expert was proposed as a way to satisfy all of the goals of the

international curricula. Research questions designed to explore the efficacy of Mantle of

the Expert in an international school context were set in the methods chapter. The

researcher included details of how data was to be collected from study participants. The

Mantle of the Expert unit was summarised at the end of the chapter. The following chapter

analysed the data collected to answer the research questions.

All but one of the research questions were addressed positively. The research clearly

showed that mantle is a powerful way of learning that would seem to work in international

schools, but with teachers who have some prior experience of working with drama in their

classrooms.

5.3 Major findings

The major findings of this dissertation are:

A Mantle of the Expert teaching and learning approach positively influenced

international school students’ perception of geography as a subject. All of the

students who took part in the study enjoyed studying geography through Mantle of

the Expert.

Mantle of the Expert facilitates development of independent learning skills in

international school students. The research showed an increase in independent

study in students from all ability ranges. However, Mantle of the Expert did not

encourage independent study in all students, specifically those whose motivation

levels were low at the outset of the project. A teacher can only provide part of the

learning process; the students must find it in themselves to create the rest of the

knowledge. As the Chinese philosopher Confucius once said

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Every truth has four corners: as a teacher I give you one corner, and it is for you to find the other three (http://drama-education.com).

Mantle of the Expert enabled international students to develop an understanding of

other cultures. Students were also able to develop a deeper understanding of their

own culture by teaching other fellow students about their own culture.

Nevertheless; it was shown the success of teaching about other cultures is

dependent on the planning of the mantle unit by the teacher.

Operating Mantle of the Expert increased the social capital of the class. All of the

groups worked together to achieve their research goals. In lessons eight and nine

the whole class worked as a team to develop a presentation of the research. This

was accomplished without the aid of the teacher, which would not have been

possible prior to the beginning of the mantle unit.

Mantle of the Expert instigated the development of peer tutoring. The unit allowed

for students, who had conducted independent research, to instruct others with

information they had acquired. The unit also made it possible for students from

one culture to tutor students from other cultures about their own culture. This is a

very valuable asset in an international classroom, which tends to host many

different cultures.

Mantle of the Expert clearly generated enthusiasm for learning through many

different episodes. The students were excited about the mantle unit before it even

began owing to the autonomy it promised them as learners, and its association with

drama. There were many examples of enthusiasm throughout the mantle unit from

the beginning to the end. Other teachers not involved in the mantle unit noticed

this. The focus group end of project interviews indicated a renewed enthusiasm for

the study of geography.

Partaking in this Mantle of the Expert programme developed confidence in students

to participate in class more than they would normally participate. This

development of confidence was shown across all abilities. The students who were

usually shy in class, were sharing the information they found with the rest of the

class. The students, who were outgoing, were able to develop their leadership skills

by taking control of the lessons.

International school teachers, who were not drama specialists, had difficulty

managing Mantle of the Expert successfully. In both instances, the teachers who

were running the unit along side the researcher were unable to finish the unit in the

allotted time. One teacher claimed she was not really sure what she was meant to

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be doing, even after reading the unit plan. The teachers felt unable to use their role

successfully.

The success of Mantle of the Expert relies on the planning of the teacher and the

ability of the teacher to move the mantle unit along. All of Howard Gardener’s

multiple intelligences (Armstrong, 2009; Gardner, 1983, 2000) can be integrated

should the teacher build them into the unit. The teacher must have the confidence

to use his or her role to move the learning on should the students get stuck on one

particular aspect.

As was evident in this project, Mantle of the Expert, as well as drama in education,

had the power to bring students and teachers closer together by developing a

teaching and learning relationship that is beneficial for both parties.

It can also play a central role in bringing teachers and students together to carry through work, which transcends the isolation of compartmentalised subject teaching, celebrating the best of creative practice (Somers, 1994: 6).

5.4 Recommendations from the research

Arising from this research the following recommendations are made.

Recommendation for policy makers of international schools:

Having demonstrated that a Mantle of the Expert approach promotes independent

learning and, since both the International Baccalaureate Organisation Curriculum

and the International Primary Curriculum endorse independent learning, I propose

that international school policy makers advocate Mantle of the Expert as a learning

methodology.

The following are some recommendations for international school principals, should they

be considering implementing Mantle of the Expert as an alternative to traditional methods

of teaching the curriculum:

Principals will need to invest in training their staff to use Mantle of the Expert.

This study has proven that Mantle of the Expert unit plans can be challenging for a

non-specialist drama teacher. It would be advisable to send key members of staff on

training courses, or an alternative would be for principals to host a Mantle of the

Expert trainer in their school, to deliver training courses, as well as provide

demonstration lessons. Principals might invite other local international schools to

share the costs of hosting the trainer or look for teachers with experience in using

Mantle of the Expert when conducting their annual recruiting drive.

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Principals will have to work with teachers on developing information packs

informing parents of the value of Mantle of the Expert. The principals will have to

reassure parents that traditional curricula objectives are not being forsaken. This

could be doubly difficult should the international school be located in a region of

the globe that is not renowned for active teaching and learning styles.

Finally, some recommendations for school teachers:

International school teachers should ensure that their mantle planning is flexible

enough to cater for the interests of all their students. This would allow most of

their students to access the benefits of Mantle of the Expert.

International school teachers will have to keep an open mind and attitude when

working with Mantle of the Expert initially. Teachers, who are shy, will have to

adapt teacher-in-role to match the needs of their own classes. For mantle to work

well, the teachers may need to be willing to act in front of their students or find

other teachers who are able to role-play.

It would be advisable for international school teachers to make connections with

other teachers in international schools, who use Mantle of the Expert in their

classrooms, for advice and help with mantle. It would also be advisable for the

teachers to establish contact with the Mantle of the Expert community through

websites like www.mantleoftheexpert.com.

Teacher in role is a very powerful teaching methodology. Woolland (1993: 55)

highlighted the importance of teacher in role when he wrote:

Teacher in role is a strategy, a means to an end; it is not an end in itself.  The purpose is to offer a way of intervening which challenges and focuses the work, which moves it on, which creates learning opportunities and deepens the understanding of the participants.

It has the power to guide students to develop independent learning skills. I would

strongly suggest that teachers considering Mantle of the Expert, or any teacher, to

research teacher in role as a teaching technique.

5.5 Areas for further research

There are a number of areas for future research, which this dissertation opens up.

Specifically two seem directly relevant. These areas are:

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To investigate whether the time of year affects the results of a Mantle of the Expert

unit. It may be worth exploring whether a mantle unit run at the beginning of the

year would achieve different results to this study.

One particular area of research could be whether Mantle of the Expert would

succeed in all areas of the globe. Is Mantle of the Expert truly international, as this

research suggests?

5.6 Personal Reflection

As a result of the process of completing this dissertation I discovered a number of things:

At the beginning of this whole process I read an extract from Gavin Bolton,

describing Mantle of the Expert.

[…] the most sophisticated enlightened approach to education to have been devised and that the future generations will benefit from its philosophy and practice (Heathcote and Bolton, 1996: 192).

When I read it for the first time, I was very doubtful about this claim, but now

after going through this process I believe that Gavin Bolton was correct. Mantle of

the Expert is a very powerful system of teaching, if it is done correctly.

I have discovered that there is a dearth of research in relation to using drama in

education in an international setting. With the increase in moving populations,

international schools are becoming increasingly popular around the world. Drama

in education practitioners and researchers could take advantage of this to raise the

profile of drama in education across the globe.

I advocate that time management skills are extremely important when writing a

masters level dissertation. I considered that my time management skills were good,

but they were stretched to breaking point a number of times throughout the process.

I enjoyed the process of researching for this study. I was able to feel my

knowledge of the topics grow as I found more and more information. I also

enjoyed watching my students learn through Mantle of the Expert. It was amazing

to see their growth through the mantle unit.

The process I went through to achieve completion was worth the effort. I have

learnt a lot about myself. I have been able to face up to my weaknesses, and see

them for what they are.

79

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Appendices

Appendix One – Parental Permission letter

Dear Parents

I am completing a Masters of Education through Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. As part

of my dissertation I need to conduct research into a project related to Drama in Education.

As part of the proposed project, the students will learn to work effectively as a group to

92

solve problems that they will encounter. The teacher will be there in a supporting role in

the whole process. The purpose of the research will be to make learning interactive, to

generate independent learning and to evaluate the effectiveness of Drama in Education as a

teaching and learning strategy with students and teachers alike. After finishing the

research, I will be writing a dissertation on my findings. The students will be creating a

presentation about their learning.

I am assuring complete confidentiality of the names of the students and the school in the

final copy of my dissertation. As part of the process, I need to seek permission for your

child to be part of my research. I would also like to seek your child’s permission to be

included in the research.

If you have any queries at this present time please contact me.

Regards

Mr Weeks

mrweeksdrama@gmail.com

I do / do not give permission for _____________ to be included in your Mantle of the

Expert research project. (Child’s name)

Student’s Signature : _____________________________

Parent’s Signature: ______________________________

Date: ____________________

Appendix Two – Student Questionnaire

What is your age? _________________

Are you a Boy or Girl? _________________

Nationality? ________________

How long have you been at this school? _______________ Years

93

The next set of statements are about Geography and your own opinions of Geography.

Please answer as clearly as you can. Please put a tick in the box that is closest to your

answer.

Strongly Agree

Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

1. I like Geography.

2. I think learning Geography

at school is fun.

3. I am excited when I go into

a geography class.

4. Geography helps me

understand the world.

5. Geography is a very

important subject to learn.

6. Geography can help me

understand other subjects at

school.

The next questions will help me understand what you think Geography is about, and what

you remember about Geography. Please write your answer in the box.

1. What do you think Geography is?

94

2. What do you learn about when you study Geography?

3.

What equipment do you use during Geography study?

4. What Geography topics have you studied at school?

5.

What is the most interesting thing you did while studying any Geography topic?

95

Appendix Three – Parental Questionnaire

These first set of questions are to gather basic information about your child.

What is your child’s age? ________________________

Is your child a Boy or Girl? _________________________

Nationality? _________________________

What is his/her favourite School Subject? ____________________________

The next set of statements are to establish your child’s interest in school and their learning. Please put a tick in the box that is the best fit.

Strongly Agree

Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

1. My child enjoys going to

school.

2. My child thinks learning

is fun.

3. My child talks about

what he/she is learning at

school.

4. My child likes to do extra

schoolwork at home.

5. My child wants to always

do his or her best.

Write any extra information about the statements above if applicable.

96

The next set of statements refers to your child’s personality regarding schoolwork and learning. Please put a tick in the box that is the best fit.

Strongly Agree

Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

1. My child is afraid to be

wrong.

2. My child likes to face a

challenge.

3. My child gives up easy

when faced with a difficult

problem.

4. My child likes to use the

internet for learning.

5. My child likes learning

new things.

Write any extra information about the statements above if applicable.

Please answer these questions by writing in the box underneath the question.

What topic at school has really excited your child?

What does your child use the computer for at home?

What type of things does your child like to do at home with his or her free time?

97

What things does your child say about school?

98

Appendix Four – Focus Group Interview questions

What is your favourite subject at school? And why?

What is your least favourite subject at school? And Why?

How do you like to learn new things at school?

Can you remember one lesson that you think was your favourite and tell me what happened?

Do you like to learn Geography? Why?

Do you like to learn Drama in school? Why?

What way do you want to learn? (eg Teacher directed, Independent, mixture of both) Why?

99

Appendix Five – Participant breakdown

Participants in Study

Class

Number of students: 19

Number of boys: 11

Number of girls: 8

Nationalities: 6 Thai

3 Australian

3 British

1 Belgian

2 American

1 South Korean

1 Dutch

2 Malaysian

Number of years and months at school: A range from 8 years to 1 month.

Special Characteristics: 4 students receiving Learning Support for various learning

delays.

Lively class, have had drama classes before.

Academic level is balanced.

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Appendix Six – Transcriptions of focus group pre-unit interviews

Ronny 15th December 2010.

What is your Favourite subject at school? And why?

PE. I am very good at sport. I am in every sports team at school. I want to be a professional footballer when I am at school.

Are there any academic Subjects you like?

Yes, I like literacy a lot. I like literacy because I like to write stories. I am like to write long stories. I like to use humour in my writing.

What is your least favourite subject at school? And Why?

Art. I am very bad at drawing, so that’s why I don’t enjoy Art.

Why do you think you are bad at drawing?

I don’t really practice drawing; I prefer to do things outside.

Can you remember one lesson that you think was your favourite and tell me what happened?

Er…. One I really liked was a Literacy lesson in the first term. It is my favourite because we got to use some drama in the class. I really like Drama.

We were studying the novel “Goodnight Mr Tom”. This lesson we read the part of the story where Mr Tom was building the Anderson Shelter in his garden. I didn’t know how it was made. The teacher gave us some information on the Anderson Shelter and how it is built. We had to form into groups of four. We had to pretend to be government experts and show villagers how to build a shelter. It was really fun because we got to pretend to be adults. We got to be experts, and tell other people how to do things.

Was anything difficult about the lesson?

The thing I found difficult was not my entire group was taking it seriously. It was really frustrating.

Do you like to learn Geography? Why?

Yes and no, most of the time it is boring.

When was it not boring?

One time in Year 5, we got to research a country by ourselves. It was a lot of fun doing our own work.

Do you like to learn Drama in school? Why?

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Yes of course! You get to play drama games. You get to create things and have fun.

What way do you want to learn? (eg Teacher directed, Independent, mixture of both) Why?

Not sure, but don’t like the teacher talking all the time.

Thank you. You have been very helpful.

Andy 15th Dec 2010

What is your Favourite subject at school? And why?

I like Science. I like it because you get to conduct experiments with different things. You get to test theories out. I really like it when we get to use different chemicals in experiments.

What is your least favourite subject at school? And Why?

I don’t like Maths at school. My maths teacher is strict, and she is no fun in class.

Can you remember one lesson that you think was your favourite and tell me what happened?

I remember doing a Geography lesson in Year 5. What was really cool was, it was about countries of the world. We had to choose a country, and create a project about that country. It was great because we could decide what we wanted to study.

Do you like to learn Geography? Why?

Not really, most of the time it is really boring. We mostly learn from the whiteboard and do worksheets. Apart from the country project it is very boring.

Do you like to learn Drama in school? Why?

Yes I love Drama. It is so much fun. you get to express yourself, and also you get to be in a different role of person.

Why is that fun?

It is fun because you can pretend to be other people.

What way do you want to learn? (eg Teacher directed, Independent, mixture of both) Why?

I don’t really know. Probably I like a mixture of both, you get to do both ways. Sometimes listening to the teacher is good.

102

Jimmy 15th December 2010

What is your Favourite subject at school? And why?

I like drama the best. It is so much fun. I am good at acting so I like drama.

What is your least favourite subject at school? And Why?

Maths, I don't like Maths because it is complicated with all the symbols and numbers plus, you always have to be perfect doing it or else you will flunk during a test."

Can you remember one lesson that you think was your favourite and tell me what happened?

I like lots of lessons.

What is one you remember?

It was a Literacy lesson. We had to create diary entries for when Aliens invaded Bangkok. It was fun because we got to act out some of the scenes trying to escape from aliens.

Do you like to learn Geography? Why?

Sometimes I like it, sometimes I don’t.

When do you like it?

When we did a project about the Ancient Greeks.

Do you like to learn Drama in school? Why?

Yes of course. I like pretending to be other people. I am more confident when I pretend to be other people.

What way do you want to learn? (eg Teacher directed, Independent, mixture of both) Why?

Not sure, both think. I mean a mixture. Sometimes I am lazy so I like the teacher to tell me what to learn.

Helen 15th December 2010

What is your Favourite subject at school? And why?

My favourite subject at school is Literacy because it is fun when you get to extend writing with different types of techniques. Such as different pieces of writing e.g Poems, Recounts, Newspaper articles and many more

How much do you like to read?

I like reading. I love reading chapter books more. They are so much fun.

103

Why do you like to read?

I like to create the scenes in my head. It is fun imaging everything in your head while you are reading it.

What is your least favourite subject at school? And Why?

Maths, I find it very boring. It is not really much fun because it is mostly about numbers. You are either right or wrong.

Can you remember one lesson that you think was your favourite and tell me what happened?

My favourite was when we did World Maths Day, I enjoyed this day because we were able to make our own games for people in year six to play. Although it was challenging having to make our game either fair or unfair. Everyone would get a piece of paper either saying fair or unfair, my group was unfair, so it was challenging but we made it through.

Do you like to learn Geography? Why?

Yes I like Geography. I like it because you get to study the world around you.

Do you like to learn Drama in school? Why?

Drama is one of my favourite subjects at school. I like it because you get to play drama games in class like “keeper of the keys”. It is fun pretending to be other people, my favourite time was when we got to act out “The Three Little Wolves and The Big Bad Pig!”. I was one of the wolves.

What way do you want to learn? (eg Teacher directed, Independent, mixture of both) Why?

I like a mixture of both because you get to learn what you want with independent learning. But also it is good to have the teacher there to make sure you are not doing anything wrong.

Jenny 15th December 2010

What is your Favourite subject at school? And why?

I like Art. I like to draw and paint things. It is fun because you can never be wrong.

I like to paint scenes.

What is your least favourite subject at school? And Why?

I don’t like Science; I find it very boring. Sometimes I find it hard to understand.

Can you remember one lesson that you think was your favourite and tell me what happened?

I remember a Literacy lesson in term one. We were studying “Goodnight Mr Tom.” It was fun because we got to use drama in the lesson. We split into pairs first. We all read the first chapter. We discussed what it must have felt like to be one of the evacuees leaving their parents. We had to create a flashback of William Beech saying goodbye to his mother. It was fun, I was the mother and I got to beat up Shane.

104

Do you like to learn Geography? Why?

Yes and No. Geography is kind of boring. We don’t really do any fun stuff.

Do you like to learn Drama in school? Why?

Yes I like Drama so much. I love creating scenes with other people. Its fun you can travel anyway but not leave the classroom.

What way do you want to learn? (eg Teacher directed, Independent, mixture of both) Why?

Not sure.

Belle 15th December

What is your Favourite subject at school? And why?

Drama is my favourite subject. I like it because it is so cool. I get very excited when I know we have drama next period. My teacher makes it very interesting.

How does your teacher make it interesting?

He moves the tables into different places in the classroom.

What is your least favourite subject at school? And Why?

I don’t like maths.

Why don’t you like maths?

I am hopeless at maths. I am in the lowest (ability) class. I don’t understand a lot of it.

Can you remember one lesson that you think was your favourite and tell me what happened?

What subject?

Any subject?

It would have to be a Drama lesson. We were studying Greek Myths. We had to create 1 flashback and 2 Flashforward. It was fun creating a scene 10 years into the future after the myth had finished.

Do you like to learn Geography? Why?

Not really, I think it is very boring. We usually don’t do anything just worksheets and listen to the teacher.

Do you like to learn Drama in school? Why?

Yes, I love Drama. I am always excited about drama class.

What way do you want to learn? (eg Teacher directed, Independent, mixture of both) Why?

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I don’t know.

Appendix Seven – Unit Plan

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Lesson OneIntroduction tothe company.

Collect students in a space outside the classroom, talk about how we are going to enter a fictional real world, say “at times the teacher will take on different roles or teachers that they might know may enter the drama as someone else. Explain where the out of role areas are, and the out or role signal. Explain it is very important that they take they unit seriously like it is the real world. If you feel it necessary they can sign an agreement sheet.

The EntryEnter the classroom (the classroom has had black paper taped up over most of the windows, tables are in disarray some upside down, Chairs stacked against one wall, some stationery on the floor)

Teacher enters in role as a PR member of the group.Ask someone to switch on the lights. Find the letter from the landlord, reads it out (Do not read it from your usual teaching spot).

Asks how should we organise this office for researchers to use. Suggest we should organise the office, (make sure you are doing the job ) Still in role realise that the staff name badges and stationery are not there.

TASK.1Create company name and logo. Ring the manager of the company to ask where the name badges and stationery is. The manger says we have no time, the employees must create everything)Remind the other workers that we are a research companyWe need to come up with a name that reflects us all. Ask what might be the best way to come up with the name.Use camera to take student-staff photos

Once we have the name then we need to create a logo. Two colours and simple design. USE a COMPUTER For this.

TASK 2Each employee must create their own name badge. (While you are wearing your name badge, the students will call you by your first name)

While some employees create and printout a template for the name tag. Print out, photos and templates. Employees cut out their photo and write their name (in black marker).

************** ******************************Collect name tags tell them, anytime we have our badges on we are in the drama.End lesson. Remind students they are to write some sentences on the drama Blog or drama dairies about what they did today.

Name tag holdersLarge black paper.CameraA4 sheetsLandlord letter

Appendix Eight – Unit resources

Hello New Tenants,

Welcome to your new office. I hope it has everything your need.

I had asked the cleaners to come in and clean. I hope they did, but they are not the most reliable. I will contact you in a month when the rent is due.

Feel free to change the furniture around if you want to.

Yours sincerely

Mr Smith

Tongkee email

Dear ************ Ltd,

My name is Mr Tong Tongkee. I am from the Thailand Tourism Collective. We are responsible for finding alternative ways of promoting tourism in Thailand. The Government funds us.

We have a proposal for your company. We are aware that your production company has had success creating many TV documentary series. We would like for your company to create a presentation for a group of BBC and National Geographic executives for a TV programme based on our Chao Pryaya River.

The BBC have a TV programme based on rivers that they have just produced and shown on British TV.

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It will have a popular actor travelling along the river. He or she will visit places along the river. The focus is on nature, culture, culture and Geography. It is not a tacky tourist show.

I will be in contact later to get an update with whats going on. Beware though some places along the river are very scared. These places tend to have strange people living near them.

Regards

Mr Tongkee

Finance email

Dear Research and Production Dept,

We need some kind of rough estimate as to how much this programme is going to cost! We don’t want it to get too expensive!

So check out the cost sheets and give us some quotes!

Cost Sheet

Item Price per unit Baht

Quantity Cost

Video Cameras (small) 500/per day

Video (big) 1500/per day

Video Discs 200 per 100

Boats ( big) 2000per day

Boats (small) 100per day

canoes 500 per day

vans 2000 per day

Cars 1200 per day

Plane (domestic) 5000 per

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flight (return)

Plane (international) 60000 (return)

Food 3000 per day

Drinks 2000 per day

Workers 9000 day

Security 2000per day

insurance 100000 per week

accommodation 10000 per night

Miscellaneous 2000per day.

Regards,

Finance Dept

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Appendix Nine – Researcher Journal

Lesson One – Tuesday 15th March

The students were excited while they were being introduced to the unit. Some were

surprised that they were able to leave their shoes on when they entered the classroom. The

students were told to enter the classroom in-role as adults and researchers. But when some

of the boys entered the classroom with the tables on their side they pretended to shot each

other. One girl, who was in-role as an adult, told them ‘ stop being silly’. They worked

well together to move the tables into ‘an office position’. There was a short discussion on

how best to arrange the tables. The first part of the lesson was run by a small group of

very confident students who enjoyed doing Drama. I had to encourage Ronny to lead this.

During the lesson almost all of the students, who wished to suggest something, raised their

hand to speak like an ordinary classroom. This was after they were told they didn’t need to

raise their hands while we were in-role. The students had trouble maintaining ‘role’. This

was noticeable by students kept calling me by “Mr Weeks” instead of “Leon”. The

students enjoyed making the name badges.

Lesson Two – Thursday 17th March.

The students remembered how to get into role. While having discussions during this

lesson there were 10% less students raising their hands to speak. The same group of

students that led the lesson last time took control during this lesson. Half of this group

were in the focus group. The teams were formed during the lesson. The more confident

outgoing students choose a team based on the focus of that team. The less able and less

outgoing students choose a team that their friends were in. This is the way these students

usually choose their groups during lessons. Each team had a discussion on how. The

teams with the largest numbers were the “Features” team and the “Locations” team. The

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smallest two teams were the “History” team and the “Nature” teams, these teams seemed

to be based solely on Friendship pairings. The plan was made that teams would do some

research for the next meeting. There was more participation in this lesson than the last

one. Ronny and Helen seemed to take charge of the “Features” team. Andy suggested

some information that could be included. Jenny was quiet, but got into a team quickly with

people she didn’t usually work with. Jimmy was quiet during the lesson.

Lesson Three – Tuesday 22nd March

This lesson began in role with the students discussing their research. There was hardly any

research done. Most of the research done was done during the last lesson. One student

had done research on the wildlife in the river.

Then we watched a BBC programme about rivers of Britain. Gyfw Rease Jones presented

the programme. The students paid close attention to the programme. I talked to the

students, in my role as Public Relations, on how this programme could be used to help us.

Ronny and Helen gave suggestions to the group on how each team’s research could be

reflected in our programme like the one we had just watched. Belle also joined in the

group discussion, which she only does when she is confident she is not wrong.

After the lesson had ended, some excited students asked me if we were going to make the

programme. They were not happy we were researching for the feasibility of making the

television programme.

Lesson Four – Friday 26th March.

Again there was a lack of further research done from the previous time. There were a

small number of students that hadn’t done any research at all, about 20% of the students.

While I was in-role, I reminded them they were getting paid to do this research and right

now there was a great possibility that the whole process would fail. I had to also remind

them of the time scale evolved. After some discussion, which was led by Ronny, it was

decided to start the programme in Chang Mai. While I was in-role, I suggested to the

students that they needed to include some Geographical terms in the programme as well.

They were able to talk about the source of a river, riverbed, river mouth and riverbanks. I

asked them if they knew any other geographical terms related to a river. I mentioned

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someone needed to find a definition of ‘watershed’. Andy and Jimmy suggested to the rest

of the group that we needed a large map on the wall. After the e-mail from the finance

department was read, four students volunteered to complete the costing sheet. Only two

were taken away from the classroom at the end of the lesson.

I observed only 50% of the students raising their hands to speak to the group. There

seemed to be more students maintaining their roles as adults. They stopped calling me “Mr

Weeks” and were calling me by my first name while I was wearing the badge.

When I answered the call from ‘Mr O’Reilly’ (unit plan, appendix 7), there seemed to be

more interest in the work from most of the class. It was suggested that we needed to speak

with Mr O’Reilly.

Helen and Belle drew a large map of Thailand showing the major rivers of Thailand during

their break time. They did this without asking me if they could do it. It was an

encouraging sign of independent learning.

Lesson Five – Tuesday 12th April.

Andy had done some independent research on Nagas. He presented his research on Nagas

to the whole class. This was the first time I had observed him doing this with complete

confidence. He was happy to answer questions from the rest of the class. Jenny had

researched the temples along the Chao Phraya River. Patt and Luc had completed some

research on Ayutthaya City.

Upon meeting Mr O’Reilly, it was clear that the students were committed to the story of

the missing cameramen. There were only five students who were still raising their hands

to speak or ask a question. All of the students seemed to be committed to Mantle of the

Expert. All of the students took part in the meeting with Mr O’Reilly.

After meeting with Mr O’Reilly, Helen took charge and suggested we vote for the best

solution to the problem. The company decided to meet with the Head Chief of the village.

Jimmy said it is only right because we need to know both sides of the story.

While in-role I reminded them they were running out of time to plan the programme. I

reminded them that the BBC executives would be arriving to witness our presentation to

them. I reminded them there were still a few important things we have not done yet. We

needed to work out which actor we invite to present the programme. We decide that the

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actor needed to be a comedian, so he or she can make the programme funny. Ronny

pointed out that the actor should be English because the BBC is a British company. Jimmy

said he would compile a list of actors ready for voting during the next meeting. Someone

questioned the costing for a flight for the actor. Belle volunteered to research the cost of a

return flight from London to Bangkok. One teacher came during the lunch break that day

and said that Belle and a friend (lower ability) were in her classroom researching the cost

of flights on the internet. She said they were very enthusiastically telling her all about the

unit. The teacher is a special needs teacher. She was very pleased to see the enthusiasm in

the eyes of the two girls, who both go to see her for help with gaps in their learning.

Lesson Six and Lesson Seven – Monday 18th April

Here there was a need to save time, we ran lesson six and lesson seven together.

Jimmy shared the list of possible actors with the rest of the group. The list was heavy with

a list of actors from the British TV Programme “Top Gear”. After some discussion, which

was lead by Helen and Jimmy, it was decided that we were going to use Gryw Reece Jones

for our programme. It was noted that he might travel with his dog like he did in the other

programme. One student said they would look into bringing dogs over on the plane.

Another student mentioned that his father worked in the airport and he would ask him

about getting the dog through customs. Andy and another boy said they would compose an

email to Mr Reeces agent to invite him.

When the time was right, the head of the Village arrived. I went out one door and

appeared through the other door as the Head of the village. The student accepted the

change in role without any silly giggling. The entire class seemed to wake up including

the one that didn’t always pay attention. Ronny started to ask questions to find out what

went on and why the cameramen were being held. But I could feel he was starting to get to

aggressive with his questioning, so I had him thrown out the room. Ronny later mentioned

to me that was a great learning experience for him. He mentioned that he learnt to be more

respectful of other cultures. After some questioning, it was arranged that the company

would pay for a new set of statues to be created using special wood from the north of the

country. The company agreed not to show any part of the village in the programme. After

the Head of the village left, Jenny suggested that the film crew should even past the village

on the river. The rest of the company agreed upon this idea.

The agenda for the next meeting was set. It was decided we would have to plan out the

schedule of the programme.

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Lesson Eight – Thursday 21st April

Helen started the lesson reminding everyone that we needed to get the schedule written out

today. The student that volunteered to research about the dog reported to the group. Jenny

added the cost of the dog to the cost sheet. The boy whose father worked in customs said

under special circumstances the dog could be rushed through customs.

Three students started to record down the schedule as we discussed it. The principal of the

school walked into the classroom and sat at the back of the room to watch the lesson. He

asked Belle what was happening during the lesson. She was able to clearly articulate what

we were doing in the lesson. The students were able to plan out a fifty five minute

programme. The plan was to reflect every team’s research in the programme. The

schedule was broken down into minute segments. The three girls said they would type up

the schedule at home. In-role, I mentioned that the BBC executives would be arriving next

week for the presentation. The agenda of the next meeting was set to planning out the

presentation.

I noticed now very rarely did someone put their hands up to take part in discussions. I was

able to sit back in the out-of-role position to observe the meeting. If I observed at the

beginning of the unit, the lesson would fall flat because the student didn’t know what to do.

Now it seemed that the students were fully invested in the idea of the programme. The

only thing I had to make sure of was that geographically terms were being used. I tested

their understanding when we finished the lesson. I asked a few lower ability students what

‘watershed’ meant. I was happy to find out that eighty per cent of them were able to

explain it to an acceptable degree.

Lesson Nine – 26th April

Before the lesson started I explained that half of the presentation will be in-role and half

will be out-of-role. I mentioned that while out-of-role the students would have to explain

what they did in the unit, and how they enjoyed the unit. Then the lesson started once we

put the company badges.

Ronny and Helen started the meeting by asking who was going to present in-role and who

was going to present out-of-role. There were a number of hands going up volunteering. I

observed that all the focus volunteered to present to the executives. Ronny and Jimmy

were the only ones that volunteered to present out-of-role. The girls and Andy preferred to

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present in-role. The students decided that they would present in-role first and then explain

what they have been doing out-of-role.

The students decided that Helen would begin the presentation for the in-role group. Ronny

would begin the presentation for the out-of-role group. They proceeded to sort out who

was going to speak when and what topic they were going to speak about. I did not have to

be involved in the organising.

Once the lesson had finished I spoke to them out of role. I told them who the executives

would be. The heads of the school were going to attend the presentation. I asked if they

would invite some of their parents to come along as well.

Lesson Ten – Thursday 29th April

The students were not as nervous as I would have expected them to be. They arranged the

chairs in a formal presentation situation. Some of the presenters had made PowerPoint

presentations to support what they were going to say.

Both of the executives arrived on time, also two parents arrived to watch the presentation.

Helen started the presentation, she briefly welcomed the executives and outline what the

presentation wanted to do. The other students presented an informative presentation. But

the person presenting the in-role information spent too much time, so the head of school

had to leave before the end of the out-of-role presentation. Ronny spoke about what he

learnt during the unit. He mentioned how he learnt to respect cultural diversity by being

thrown out of the meeting for being rude. He said this was different from being in a

classroom, where if he were being rude he would just be told off. He mentioned he felt

like it was a real life experience.

Some students mentioned in their drama diaries that they wished they had more time to

present their information. Andy mentioned in his dairy that he felt more confident while

speaking to the heads of school, especially when he was in-role. He wrote that it felt safe

talking to the people while pretending to be someone else. The head of school mentioned

to me later that she felt the students seemed more confident in their manner.

Lesson Eleven – 3rd May

The students gathered in the front of the classroom. We had a discussion on what they

thought of the Mantle of the Expert unit. Their responses were all very positive. The

major factor that influenced their enjoyment was that they were able to pretend to be

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adults. When I asked they reasons behind this, they were varied. Some students

mentioned that it was fun being able to “speak like adults to each other”. One student said

he liked being able to speak to me using my first name. Two girls mentioned they liked

wearing shoes inside the classroom. They enjoyed the way the classroom was arranged in

a different way.

When asked if they enjoyed learning Geography using Mantle of the Expert, the students

responded they really liked learning Geography in this way. One student said it was the

most interesting Geography topic he has ever learnt. I then asked some of the more

relevant questions of the original questionnaire.

I asked them to rate the geography statements. The students as a majority choose Strongly

agree to each geography statement. This clearly showed the students believed that

Geography is an important subject to learn. Ronny mentioned that he would be excited to

go into every Geography lesson if it was taught using Mantle of the Expert. I wanted to

confirm their understanding of Geography. Their definitions showed a clear understanding

of Geography.

“Geography is a study of the world and countries.” (11 year old, Thai Boy)

“Geography is a study of features in a country.” (11 year old, Australian Girl)

“Geography is the study of how things in a country are used.” (10 year old, Thai

Boy)

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Appendix Ten- Focus group exit interviews

What did you learn about in this unit?

Did you enjoy learning Geography this way?

What was your favourite part of this Drama/Geography unit?

Which team were you in?

Did your team work well together?

Did you do some work for your company outside of school time?

Did you learn any Geography?

Which way to learn Geography do you prefer Mantle of the Expert (Drama) or normal Geography learning? And Why?

Ronny 10th May

What did you learn about in this unit?

We learnt about the Chao Praya River. We learnt a lot of things about the river. We learnt how to put together a television programme. We learnt how to research the costs of things and put them on a cost sheet. We also learnt how to have meetings like adults,

Did you enjoy learning Geography this way?

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Yes, I really enjoyed learning this way.

Why?

I think it was because the drama made learning Geography lots of fun. We had to do interesting things, which we normally wouldn’t do in Geography class.

What was your favourite part of this Drama/Geography unit?

My favourite part was when we got to have meetings with special guests because of the missing camera crew. First we got to meet the head of security, he had information about the village and where the cameramen were being held. After we saw him, we had a discussion about what we should do. The Head of Security wanted to run a rescue mission, but we thought it might be too dangerous. So we decided to meet with the head of the village. When we met with the Head of the village, he decided that I was being too rude to him and wanted me sent out of the office. This was good learning experience for me because I learnt to behave more like an adult and respect another culture.

Which team were you in?

I was in the Features of The River team. We learnt about the geography of the river.

Did your team work well together?

Yes we worked really well. We had most of our research done before the other teams. When we thought we finished we found out some more areas to research.

Did you do some work for your company outside of school time?

Yes, the area I did the most research was the bridges that span the river while it is travelling through Bangkok. I also did some costing sheets at home.

Did you learn any Geography?

Yes, we learnt the features of a river. We also learnt how Geography can be used in the real world.

Which way to learn Geography do you prefer Mantle of the Expert (Drama) or normal Geography learning? And Why?

I would rather do Mantle of the Expert because it not only teaches us about geography but it also teaches us about the responsibility we have when we are adults and how mature to be and the best way to deal with situations.Andy 10Th May 2011

What did you learn about in this unit?

I learnt to work hard. I also learnt about Thailand’s major river.

What do you mean by “work hard”?

I did more by myself at home than I had done before. I wanted to do research at home I found it fun. I volunteered to do independent research.

Did you enjoy learning Geography this way?

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Yes, it made Geography fun and exciting. I was always happy when I knew we were going to have Geography and Drama time.

What was your favourite part of this Drama/Geography unit?

My favourite part of the unit was when we had to solve the problem of the missing cameramen. I had to research about Nagas, and then present the research to the rest of the office. It was my favourite because I was the only one that did the Naga research; which meant I was the expert.

Which team were you in?

I was in the Features of the River Team.

Did your team work well together?

Yes, we worked quite well together. Most of us had a part in the organisation of the group.

What do you mean by “most”?

Some of the team did not do as much work as the others.

Did you do some work for your company outside of school time?

Yes, I did research about Nagas and other features. I also prepared at home for my presentation as well as during break time. I researched about the Watershed for the Chao Praya River, as well as tourism along the river.

Did you learn any Geography?

Yes I learnt geography terms like; watershed, source and tributaries.

Which way to learn Geography do you prefer Mantle of the Expert (Drama) or normal Geography learning? And Why?

I prefer Mantle of the Expert (Drama) because it made learning Geography the COOLEST THING!!!!!

Helen 10th May 2011

What did you learn about in this unit?

We learnt about the Chao Praya River. We learnt about the source of it, and some of the uses of the river. I also feel we learnt to work better as a group.

Did you enjoy learning Geography this way?

Yes, I really enjoyed learning Geography this way. It made it exciting.

What was your favourite part of this Drama/Geography unit?

I really like pretending to be adults sitting in an office. It was fun thinking about how adults might think and try to solve problems. We moved the chairs and tables into special positions. We called it the office position.

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Which team were you in?

I was in the river features team. We researched the uses of the river and geographical terms. I also chaired a few meetings, so we could get some work done.

Did your team work well together?

Yes, we worked well together. I think it was some of the best group work we have ever done.

Why do you say that?

I think because we were really into the topic because it was fun.

Did you do some work for your company outside of school time?

Yes, I searched on the internet for information for my team. I also typed out the information I got so we could present it to the office. I also used our classes Kidsblog.com website to reflect on some of the drama lessons.

Did you learn any Geography?

Yes, I learnt about source of a river, tributaries, watershed, river banks. I also helped to enlarge a map from an atlas.

Which way to learn Geography do you prefer Mantle of the Expert (Drama) or normal Geography learning? And Why?

I think learning the way of the mantle was a better way because we can experience how older people use geography.

Jenny 10Th May 2011

What did you learn about in this unit?

I learnt about the Chao Praya River. I learnt how adults might use Geography in the real world.

Did you enjoy learning Geography this way?

Sure! I found it the most fun way to learn Geography. This geography topic really rocked.

What was your favourite part of this Drama/Geography unit?

I enjoyed pretend to be adults in an office. We always moved the tables and chairs into special office position. We were able to come into class with our shoes on. We made special name badges that were used to signify when we were in role. But the coolest thing was we had to call our teacher by his first name.

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Which team were you in?

I was in the locations team.

What did the locations team have to do?

We had to find possible places along the river where the actor could stop. There were lots of places. The hardest part was deciding which places to drop and which places to keep.

Did your team work well together?

Yes we did. It was a same team and we were all friends.

How did being friends help?

It helped because we trusted each other to do the work. We all took part in deciding how to do things.

Did you do some work for your company outside of school time?

Yes, I did some extra research on the temples along the river.

Did you learn any Geography?

I learnt about what a watershed, tributaries and the source are when talking about rivers.

Which way to learn Geography do you prefer Mantle of the Expert (Drama) or normal Geography learning? And Why?

Yes, Mantle of the Expert made learning Geography so much fun and an exciting class to go to. I think we still learnt about Geography but in a dramatic way. It Rocked!

Belle, 10th May 2011

What did you learn about in this unit?

I learn about the big river in Thailand. It is called the Chao Praya River. I also learnt to research for a TV programme.

Did you enjoy learning Geography this way?

Yes I did.

Why did you enjoy it?

I enjoyed it because it was a lot of fun. We got to pretend to be adults researching for a TV programme.

What was your favourite part of this Drama/Geography unit?

I enjoyed pretending to be adults and making the ID badges.

Why did you enjoyed pretending to be adults?

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I enjoyed it because we were experts and we were able to use the teacher’s first name.

Which team were you in?

I was in the Location team.

Did your team work well together?

We worked pretty well together. We all listened to each other and completed lots of research.

Did you do some work for your company outside of school time?

Yes I did. I used the internet to find how much it would be to fly the actor from England return. He had to fly by first class. I used a website that could search a few airlines at a time.

Did you learn any Geography?

I learnt about words to do with rivers like the Source and the Mouth of the River.

Which way to learn Geography do you prefer Mantle of the Expert (Drama) or normal Geography learning? And Why?

Mantle of the Expert. I choose this way because it much more interesting than listening to the teacher. We made a lot of the decisions, which was cool. I got to choose to do my own research nobody else did.

This was much more fun, I hope we do it in secondary school.

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Appendix Eleven – Conversations with teachers: 12th May 2011

What are your thoughts about this unit?

How comfortable were you running this unit? What did you find interesting? Was it difficult to let the children make the decisions? Was it taking up a lot of class time? Did you find that students were doing independent work? Were there any surprises that you didn’t expect to see? How did the students in your class enjoy this unit? Would you like to try another Mantle of the Expert unit?

Mrs C

1)not very comfortable! I've taught PYP so inquiry's not new, but I hate acting.

2) Which children came out as leaders, the way they all really got into it.

3) No because I had some kids in the class wiling to take that role. It is a lot slower getting

the kids to lead though.

4)Yes...didn't get very far in the unit - a lot of time taken up with initial preparation eg the

badge (which they loved making!) To get to the end of the unit I would have had to take a

lot of extra lessons

5) No, they had to be really pushed. Only about 2 students took the initiative to do

anything at home, In the end I had to book an ICT slot to get them to do the research. I

needed to 'suggest' they specifically did a certain task at home.

6) Which children came out as leaders. Also, one girl who refuses to present in front of the

class helped her group to present their research, Think it might be coz it was a less formal

atmosphere with them all sitting in a circle

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7)They loved it! They asked why we could only do Unit once a week

8) Yes, If I was doing this one again though, I think they need some basic knowledge about

rivers first eg the river features group were researching and coming up with words like

'source' and 'drainage basin' with no idea what they meant. I think they need an initial base

of knowledge before they can do the independent research.

Mrs A

What are your thoughts about this unit?

• How comfortable were you running this unit?

Not very comfortable, wasn't really sure how I was supposed to do it.

• What did you find interesting?

Watching how the children responded in different ways.

• Was it difficult to let the children make the decisions?

It wasn't difficult as my class had natural leaders but they needed a lot of directing and it

was difficult to know how to use my role the most effectively without taking over.

• Was it taking up a lot of class time?

Yes - it wasn't possible to do it properly as there wasn't enough space on the timetable to

implement it effectively.

• Did you find that students were doing independent work?

No - they seemed to forget about it between sessions.

• Were there any surprises that you didn’t expect to see?

Quieter children coming out more than expected and some of the children I considered to

be leaders taking a more submissive role.

• How did the students in your class enjoy this unit?

They really enjoyed it but didn't question why we stopped it.

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• Would you like to try another Mantle of the Expert unit?

Yes but would like to see all lessons fully modeled first.

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