I have watched with growing dismay this weekend whilst people
attack and ridicule something which I hold dear and feel very strongly about. Mantle
of the Expert is a method of teaching which was introduced by the late Dorothy
Heathcote(above). I had the privilege of working with her, watching her work and
learning from her. I say ‘privilege’ because that is what it was; she was
insightful, driven and passionate about her work. I have seen children
enthralled in their learning, compassionate, focussed, and desperate to learn
more and push themselves. I have seen empathy, cooperation, discussion, pupil
led sessions, research, design and so much more. I am proud to embrace this
teaching style.
To the detractors out there, I would not dream of telling
you what to do in your classroom, YOU are the one who knows your children and
what ‘works’ for them – I’m not talking research here I’m talking from the
heart! So if you feel that this way of working is not for you, then you are
right – don’t use it – you have a choice!
What gives you the right to ridicule Mantle of the expert
when many of you who are doing so admit that you have ‘read about it’ – nothing
can replace seeing it in action – the moment a child realises that the verdict
of ‘Act of God’ at the end of a trial where 26 children died is unfair but that’s
the way of the world cannot be explained in words.
Please be cynical if you want but don’t attack others, it’s
just counter productive.
Don’t presume
·
Don’t
presume that because you’ve read about
it you understand it.
·
Don’t presume that you have the right to foist
your opinion onto others.
·
Don’t presume that you have a right to tell me
what works in my classroom (yes I know it infuriates people when I say that but
do you know what - I don’t care!)
·
Don’t
presume that because I embrace Mantle of the Expert I’m woolly minded and don’t
care about pedagogy – I do and I spend hours researching and reading to improve
my work.
I don’t normally ‘bite’ when people are being critical on
Twitter but this weekend was a step too far. There are hundreds of passionate
committed teachers using Mantle of the Expert and unless you understand it or
are prepared to watch and learn – your views aren’t based on anything other than point scoring. Let’s be open
minded and learn from each other – I know I want the best for my pupils and can
only hope that all pupils
have someone who cares.
