Teacher in role

Teacher in role and the mantle of the expert are both innovative ways the teacher can engage students with classroom content (Ewing & Simons, 2004). By removing the traditional teacher-student dynamic, a whole new dimension is opened up, allowing students to explore and think critically. This strategy can be utilised specifically for drama, or as a way to experience content across the curriculum. The mantle of the expert encourages learning to take place on multiple levels (Heathcote & Herbert, 1985). Asking the students to consider you as the teacher as a new person can be effective for introducing this strategy in the classroom, however teachers and students which are experienced with the teacher in role may not even need this. From there, authentic learning can take place through the teacher accepting the offers students make, and encouraging students to take on their own roles of being knowledgeable about a topic. By letting students know they are now in charge by having higher status than the teacher (Heathcote &Herbert, 1985), they can build up the confidence to communicate their ideas and participate fully in the experience, exploring drama itself or any number of topics throughout the other KLAs. At the same time though, the teacher needs to be one step ahead in their planning of this (Bolton, 2002; Ewing & Simons, 2004) so students are guided in the direction desired for the learning outcomes. 

Introductory speech for teacher in role

From designing our own introductory speeches on absolutely any topic (our group choosing the germination of a seed, pictured above), I began to understand what a broad and fantastic tool teaching in role, or mantle of the expert, can be in exploring content in the classroom, especially when the teacher is able to guide the learning from within the drama (Ewing & Simons, 2004).

References

Bolton, G. (2002). A comparison. In A. Jackson's Learning Through Theatre: New Perspectives on Theatre in Education. Routledge.

Heathcote, D. & Herbert, P. (1985) A drama of learning: Mantle of the expert, Theory Into Practice, 24:3, 173-180.

Ewing, R., & Simons, J. (2004). Beyond the script: take two. Marrickville: PETAA.